Did you know? - Sir Winston

Churchil

another very influential individual whose

thoughts and ideas we're very fond of. Just

like him, we are "easily satisfied with the

very best" and believe that "Success is

stumbling from failure to failure with no loss

of enthusiasm." These are our guiding

principles not just in the creation of

Sparkles©, but also in our everyday life, in

and out of classroom. That is why we'd like

to hear more from you and appreciate your

help with the choice of topics - Sparkles© is

meant for you and it is your contributions

that make us the happiest. We look forward

to hearing from you. ▪ I.P.

Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers

Editors:

Maja Ivanović, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar

Irena Pavlović, prof. mentor Srednja škola Čazma

email: sparkles.newsletter@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Sparkles.newsletter

Once upon a time in November 1/11 - All Hallows Day, also known as All Saints Day among Roman Catholics, commemorating those who have no special feast day 1/11/1993 - The European Union came into existence as a result of the Maastricht Treaty 3/11/1534 - King Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the Church of England 3/11/1957 - Soviet Russia launched the world's first inhabited space capsule, Sputnik II, which carried a dog named Laika 4/11/1890 - The first electrified underground railway system was officially opened in London 5/11 - Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, the anniversary of the failed "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I in 1605 8/11/1895 - X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in Germany 9-10/11/1938 - Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) occurred in Germany as Nazi mobs burned synagogues and vandalized Jewish shops and homes 9/11/1989 - The Berlin Wall was opened up after standing for 28 years as a symbol of the Cold War 11/11/1918 - Armistice between the Allied and Central Powers was signed, silencing the guns of World War I effective at 11 a.m. – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 22/11/1963 - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated 30/11/1782 - A provisional peace treaty was signed between Great Britain and the United States heralding the end of America's War of Independence

Issue 17/14 November 2014

Inside this issue:

Animal Rights 2

Words that used to mean something else

4

Acronyms and Abbreviations

5

The Forum for Freedom in Education

7

Set up your classroom for success

8

CONTRIBUTORS TO

THIS ISSUE:

Dario Vidić, High School Čazma

During the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany and he

became Prime Minister at the outbreak of the Second World War. His steadfast refusal

to consider defeat, surrender, or a

compromise peace greatly influenced the British resistance, especially during the

early days of the war when the British Commonwealth and Empire stood alone in

opposition to Adolf Hitler. Churchill was especially noted for his speeches and

radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany

had been secured. ▪ M.I.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965)

was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Named the Greatest Briton of

all time in a 2002 poll, Churchill is widely regarded as being among the most

influential people in British history and as one of the greatest wartime leaders of

the 20th century. Besides being a politician, Churchill was also a historian,

a writer and an artist. He is the only British PM to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature since its inception in 1901, and

was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States.

Time flies. It feels like it has only been a few

days since we entered the classroom for the

first time in this school year and now there

are only six weeks left until Christmas. But,

if nothing else, at least we got to enjoy some

nice weather for a change... After weeks and

weeks of relentless rain, late October and

early November have given us a beautiful

Indian summer we can only hope will last

for a little while...

November also brings the third issue of

Sparkles© in this school year. As promised,

the main topic is again a significant one -

after human rights, we decided to write

about the rights of animals. Did You Know?

section deals with Winston Churchill,

Tempus Fugit

Page 2

THIS MONTH’S BUZZ

Why Animal Rights? In his book Animal Liberation, Peter Singer states that the basic principle of equality does not require equal or identical treatment; it requires equal consideration. This is an important distinction when talking about animal rights. People often ask if animals should have rights, and quite simply, the answer is “Yes!” Animals surely deserve to live their lives free from suffering and exploitation. Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the reforming utilitarian school of moral philosophy, stated that when deciding on a being’s rights, “The question is not ‘Can they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’” In that passage, Bentham points to the capacity for suffering as the vital characteristic that gives a being the right to equal consideration. The capacity for suffering is not just another characteristic like the capacity for language or higher mathematics. All animals have the ability to suffer in the same way and to the same degree that humans do. They feel pain, pleasure, fear, frustration, loneliness, and motherly love. Whenever we consider doing something that would interfere with their needs, we are

morally obligated to take them into account.

Supporters of animal rights believe that animals have an inherent worth—a value completely separate from their usefulness to humans. We believe that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering. Animal rights is not just a philosophy—it is a social movement that challenges society’s traditional view that all nonhuman animals exist solely for human use. As PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk has said, “When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.

Each one values his or her life and fights the knife.”

Only prejudice allows us to deny others the rights that we expect to have for ourselves. Whether it’s based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or species, prejudice is morally unacceptable. If you wouldn’t eat a dog, why eat a pig? Dogs and pigs have the same capacity to feel pain, but it is prejudice based on species that allows us to think of one animal as a companion and the other as dinner.

http://www.peta.org/about-peta/why-peta/why-animal-rights/

Page 3

THIS MONTH’S BUZZ

ANIMAL RIGHTS

1. No animal should be subjected to cruelty.

2. All wild animals have a right

to liberty.

3. Companion animals should not be abandoned.

4. Vivisection violates the rights of animals.

5. Animals should not be

exploited for amusement.

6. Slaughtering animals is a crime against life.

7. Animals should be given a

voice in government.

Words change meaning over time in ways that might surprise you.

Sometimes it happens under our noses (e.g., unique coming to mean “very

unusual” rather than “one of a kind”) — and it can make us confused. If

you're now wondering how in the world you are going to master English if

words shift in meaning like that, don't worry - history tells us that you’ll be

fine. Words have been changing meaning as long as there have been words

and speakers to speak them. Here are some examples...

Words that used to mean something else

Page 4

STUDENTS’ CORNER

Nice used to mean “silly, foolish, simple.” Meanwhile, silly went in the

opposite direction: in its earliest uses, it referred to things worthy or

blessed; from there it came to refer to the weak and vulnerable, and more

recently to those who are foolish.

Awful things used to be “worthy of awe” for a variety of reasons, which is

how we get expressions like “the awful majesty of God.”

A shortened form of the Old English word wenchel, which referred to

children of either sex, the word wench used to mean “female child” before

it came to be used to refer to female servants — and more pejoratively to

wanton women.

It can be hard to fathom how this verb moved from meaning “to encircle

with one’s arms” to meaning “to understand after much thought.”

Centuries ago, a clue (or clew) was a ball of yarn. Think about threading

your way through a maze and you’ll see how we got from yarn to key bits

of evidence that help us solve things.

If you had a myriad of things 600 years ago, it meant that you specifically

had 10,000 of them — not just a lot.

Long ago, if you were naughty, you had naught or nothing. Then it came to

mean evil or immoral, and now you are just badly behaved.

Before the word eerie described things that inspire fear, it used to describe

people feeling fear — as in one could feel faint and eerie.

As it sounds, spinsters used to be women who spun. It referred to a legal

occupation before it came to mean “unmarried woman” — and often not in

the most positive ways, as opposed to a bachelor who was a young knight

before the word came to refer to someone who had achieved the lowest rank

at a university — and it lives on in that meaning in today’s B.A. and B.S

degrees. It’s been used for unmarried men since Chaucer’s day.

Some 500 years ago, flirting was flicking something away or flicking open a

fan or otherwise making a brisk or jerky motion. Now it involves playing

with people’s emotions.

Guy is an eponym. It comes from the name of Guy Fawkes, who was part

of a failed attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605. Folks used to burn his

effigy, a “Guy Fawkes” or a “guy,” and from there it came to refer to a

frightful figure. In the U.S., it has come to refer to men in general.

Senile used to refer simply to anything related to old age, so you could have

senile maturity. Now it refers specifically to those suffering from senile

dementia. ▪ I.P.

Page 5

STUDENTS’ CORNER

LANGUAGE TITBITS

CHECK IT OUT! Have you heard this? Have you seen this? Have you read this?

Sam Smith “In the Lonely Hour”

The debut studio album by British

singer-songwriter Sam Smith was

released in the United Kingdom on

26 May 2014. The singles Lay Me

Down, Money on My Mind, Stay

With Me and I’m Not the Only One

peaked in the top ten all over the

world. Even though the overall

tone of the album is sad, Sam’s

amazing voice and deep romantic

lyrics have taken over our hearts.

He said in an interview “My debut

album is just a diary from a lonely

21-year-old. That's what it is” and,

unfortunately, many of us can

relate, at any age...▪ M.I.

Winter’s Tale

“A burglar falls for an heiress as

she dies in his arms. When he

learns he has the gift of

reincarnation, he sets out to save

her.”(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837709/)

Sure sounds promising, doesn’t it?

This allegorical supernatural fable,

based on the 1983 novel by Mark

Helprin and directed by Akiva

Goldsman, is sure to touch your

heart. And, if you take into account

that the cast is set up of amazing

actors - Colin Farrell, Jessica

Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Will

Smith and Matt Bomer - you won’t

be sorry for watching this film. ▪

M.I.

Nicholas Sparks “The Best of Me”

"Everyone wanted to believe that

endless love was possible. She'd

believed in it once, too, back when

she was eighteen." says Nicholas

Sparks, best known as the author

of The Notebook. The Best of Me

was published in 2011 but with

the film now coming to cinemas,

we thought that you'd first like to

read another heartfelt love story

about a couple torn apart and set

on radically divergent paths only to

be reunited after 20 years apart,

when they return to their small

town for the funeral of the beloved

friend. ▪ I.P.

NOVEMBER TRIVIA

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM), an event celebrated across the world as a month to educate and raise awareness about

type 1 diabetes (T1D). The theme for this year is “You don't know the half of it.”

This November, the National Diabetes Education Program

(NDEP) and its partners are proud to support National

Diabetes Month 2014. Throughout National Diabetes

Month, the NDEP and its partners will promote “Be Smart About Your Heart: Control the

ABCs of Diabetes” to help people with diabetes learn they

are at greater risk for heart disease, and also how they can

lower that risk by managing the

diabetes ABCs.

A simile (/ˈsɪməli/) is a figure of speech that directly compares two things through the

explicit use of connecting words (such as like, as, so, than, or various verbs such as resemble).

Many similes are clichés (phrases that are overused and betray a lack of original

thought). You should use well-know similes with care, but it is certainly useful to know them so that you can understand language that contains

them.

Page 6

LET'S TRY THIS

Anticorruption education

NEWS FROM SCHOOLS

After having completed RWCT, Law in

everyday life and Mediation, I knew perfectly

well Anticorruption education was going to be

another amazing CPD course. And it certainly

lived up to my expectations. Enjoying four

days of summer in the middle of October in

beautiful Petrčane, twenty-five teachers from

all over Croatia learned about various forms of

corruption and ways to combat it.

We also discussed and tried out different

methods to inform students on the dangers of

corruption and ways of preventing and

fighting it. Domagoj Morić organized the

whole event and made sure everything ran

smoothly, while Branko Ančić and Mario

Bajkuša conducted the sessions. How was it?

Well, whenever you get a chance to participate

in some of the Forum's projects, do not

hesitate and apply immediately. ▪ I.P.

Halloween Costume Contest 2014 We asked you to submit your Halloween costume

photos on our Facebook page. Here is our winner Ines Kupsjak, who you liked the most,

as a scary Dark Lady. Doesn’t she look awesome!?

Alternative Christmas Carols 2014 Here we go! Choose a Christmas carol that you like, and make it your own. Either change the entire lyrics to a well-known carol, or mix up the verses by giving

new endings and rhymes. Post your lyrics to our Facebook page, letting us know which melody you

chose and the one most liked will be published in our December issue. Here’s an example:

I'll Be Cloned For Christmas

(to the tune of "I'll be Home for Christmas")

by D M Goldstein, 1988

I'll be Cloned for Christmas,

there'll be three of me;

One to Work, and One to Shop,

and One just for Partys.

Christmas Eve, I'm certain,

I won't be alone;

I'll be home for Christmas,

or else I'll send a Clone!

Page 7

Integral citizenship education is a six month professional

development program for teachers with a goal to educate in

the field of civic development and education. The program

consists of four segments: Segment “Law in everyday life”

introduces teachers with basic principles of democracy,

human rights, the rule of law, judiciary and political

systems, the constitution, etc. The segment is conducted

through workshops spanning two weekends. The second

segment, “Anticorruption education” introduces the teachers

with the phenomenon of corruption, its various forms and

ways to combat corruption. Special care is taken in order to

develop measures to make schools places with zero tolerance

for corruption and to inform students on the dangers of

corruption and ways of combating it. The third segment

“Mediation”, equips teachers with practical skills and

knowledge on conflicts and ways of resolving conflicts

through nonviolent means. During this segment, lecturers

are given basic skills in order to apply mediation in various

conflicts that usually happen in their schools. The fourth

segment, “Teaching European Union” informs teachers

about the European Union, its history, organization, ways

and areas of influence and it prompts them to introduce

discussions on the subject of the European Union in their

schools and curriculums. Each segment forecasts a set

amount of hours which teachers need to spend implementing

their newly acquired skills into their curriculum.

STUDENT EXCHANGE

The high school student exchange program is conducted by

the Forum for Freedom in Education in cooperation with

American Secondary Schools for International Students and

Teachers (ASSIST) and Davis International Scholarship

program from the United States of America and the

Headmasters and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) from

Great Britain since 1992. The program is aimed at second

year students. It is conducted in the best high schools which

are a part of ASSIST and HMC. Keeping in mind that the

reputation of those schools, the characteristics expected of

participating students are diligence, creativity,

communication skills, and sociability. The experiences of

students who participated in the exchange programs tell of a

unique life opportunity which brings new understanding,

meeting various cultures and developing dialogue with

colleagues from all over the world. At the same time, the

program focuses on developing the character of each student

and offers an exceedingly meaningful base for the future and

their further education. Up until now the program

sponsored over 150 students. Each year in October, new

applications are reviewed.

HISTORY

The Forum for Freedom in Education (FFE) is a

non-governmental, non-profit organization, active since

1992 and registered in 1998 as per Association Law.

Members of the Forum for Freedom in Education are

educational experts, experienced experts and academics,

professors and educators, parents, students and pupils who

are interested in problems in education. In the last 18 years

in which the Forum was active, its main activities include

creating and implementing educational programs for

methodical education of teaching staff, non-violent conflict

resolution, health education, integral citizen education,

student scholarship administration and improving teaching

methods.

MISSION

FEE conducts modern and quality educational programs

and impacts public policy guided by the values of equity,

nonviolence, open communication, lifelong learning and

critical thinking. Advancing and aligning education in

Croatia with the educational standards of contemporary

democratic societies, the Forum for Freedom in Education

advocates the freedom of choice and equal opportunity to

education with the purpose of one's self actualization.

VISION

The Forum for Freedom in Education sees itself as a leading

organization of civil society in the field of education which

through its activities and influences contributes to the

development of a society based on values of equity, critical

thinking, social intelligence, self awareness, tolerance and

dialogue. The Forum for Freedom in Education promotes

freedom and democracy, pluralist world views,

organizational principles, content and methods in education.

PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

The Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking project is an

all encompassing program of enabling educators who want

to liven up their curriculum by introducing principles which

promote active, independent learning and critical thinking

and who want to support democratic processes at all levels

of education. Up until now, over 3000 teachers from all over

Croatia have passed through the program. Considering that

the RWCT program is aimed at techniques and actions of

teaching and not the curriculum, it could be applied in both

elementary and high schools as well as in colleges – where

ever there is a need for an alternative to passive learning.

The RWCT project consists of eight workshops held during

one school year. Each lasts for one day. The workshops are

led by educators who have been actively utilizing RWCT

techniques and methods for a number of years. Each

participant is given eight guide books which explain in

detail how to utilize the described education methods. The

methods of RWCT contain steps of asking questions,

creative thinking, cooperative learning, conversation,

discussion and writing as resources of personal expression

and learning aids. Active Learning and Critical Thinking in

Higher Education is a program which was developed in the

scope of the international project “Reading and Writing for

Critical Thinking”.

Throughout the school year, teachers spend a lot of time getting the classroom

ready, planning lessons, and getting to know his/her

students. The following list includes the first 6 out of 20 ideas that you may not

have thought of that can help produce a successful classroom. Each item takes no

longer than an hour and can make a big difference throughout the year.

Adapted from:

20 Quick Actions You Can Do Today

To Set Your Classroom Up For Success

Posted by Julie DeNeen

Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/20-quick-actions-you-

can-do-today-to-set-your-classroom-up-for-massive-success/#ixzz3GqaH4Pjn

1. Set up your classroom in an “active learning” format (15-30’)

Traditional classrooms are normally arranged in a linear format with all the desks

facing one direction. Studies suggest that creating a room with no “obvious” front

helps students to take a more active role in learning, rather than looking to the

teacher. If your room allows it, arrange the desks in small groups with no obvious

front. You can do your instructing from the centre of the room instead.

2. Stop starting the day with roll call (5’ saved)

To get the day off on the right foot, start with an inspirational quote or quiet

meditation. Roll call is a tedious necessity, but you shouldn’t have to take up time

in your day to do this. The beginning of the day is the most crucial moment for

getting off on the right foot. Why not have a sign in sheet when kids walk in? If that

doesn’t work, assign a responsible student the task of taking roll while you are doing

the morning routine.

3. Set up a system for makeup work (30-60’)

With a class size of 16 or more, chances are one or two students will be absent at

least a couple times a week. Setting up a system for makeup work ensures you aren’t

wasting class time (or your precious after school hours) trying to compile worksheets

and assignments. In Harry Wong’s article about classroom management, he gives

examples of teachers who designed a bulletin board with envelopes that contained

the day’s work. When a student comes back, they go to the board and take the

assignments they missed.

4. Define Class Rules (15’)

When the school year begins, take a few minutes out of your day to sit with your

students and design the class rules. Students are more likely to follow class protocol

when they have been involved with the creation of it. Use positive rules like “speak

kindly to one another” rather than “Don’t make fun of other kids.” Once the rule

list is made up (i.e. on poster board), have each student sign the bottom of it like a

classroom charter.

5. Develop a plan for quieting the class (10’a day for a few days)

How many minutes are wasted trying to get a loud and noisy class to pay attention?

The best way to quiet a class is to develop a specific routine from day one. Once

you’ve come up with a plan, practice it several times – without further lecture and

instruction. For example, if your procedure is to clap twice and raise your hand, do

this and wait for as long as it takes until all students are paying attention. Keep

practicing until they’ve gotten it down to a reasonable response time. If you lecture

them in the middle of the practice, they will come to expect that.

6. Share control with your students (no extra time needed)

Create flexible lesson plans that allow your students some level of control. For

example, if your math lesson is about fractions that day, after your fifteen

minutes of instruction, provide a list of three different activities they can choose

from. Another way to share control is to list the topics for the day and allow

them to vote on which topic they would like to tackle first. The more involved

your students are in the learning process, the more likely they are to pay

attention and stay motivated.

TO BE CONTINUED...

TEACHERS’ CORNER