INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

CHRISTMAS 2

NEW YEARS’ 3

KWANZAA 3

DIY—ALTERNATIVE

GIFTS

4

GRAMMAR GOOFS 5

NEWS FROM SCHOOLS 6

BEST OF 2013 7

ISSUE 8/13

DECEMBER 2013

Whatever your holiday plans

may be, make sure to enjoy

yourselves. And if you’ve no

place to go... Let it snow, let it

snow, let it snow!... and you

tuck yourselves in with a cup

of homemade eggnog or

chocolate punch and some

figgy pudding and read Spar-

kles© while you’re waiting for

the man with the bag. So

have yourself a sparkling little

Christmas and may your

hearts be light and may 2014

bring you even more love,

happiness and success than

you have ever dreamed of. ▪

M.I.

DID YOU KNOW? - HANUKKAH

And here it is! It’s the most

wonderful time of the year...

Shiny lights everywhere, the

smell of cinnamon and vanilla

in the kitchen, families gath-

ered around the fire... It’s

Christmas time! We are all

excited because the semester

is almost over and holidays

are just around the corner – a

well deserved break for both

the students and the teachers.

It’s a chance for all of us to

catch up on some reading,

maybe visit some relatives or

just turn into a real couch

potato and watch Christmas

films all day long...

Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers in Bjelovar-bilogora county 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

Contributors

to this issue:

Matea Gredelj

Ali El Baghdadi

Nikola Nesvadba

Lucija Piršljin

Mihovil Sudar

Lea Matošević

Svjetlana Brkić Milivojević

School of Economics

and Tourism Daruvar

Ivan Lukovečki,

cartoon artist

GOOD TIDINGS WE BRING...

MOODLE 8

People light candles in a candelabra

called a Menorah, which has nine

candle holders – one for each night of the festival and one for an extra candle

called a Shamash which is used to

light all the others.

That candle is lit every night along with the equivalent number of other

candles depending what night of the

festival it is. The Menorah is usually

put next to a window so those passing in the street can see it. People have

celebrations and exchange gifts and

they usually eat food fried in oil,

which commemorates the miracle with the everlasting oil, like doughnuts and

latkes (potato pancakes). The dates of

the festival change every year,

according to the Jewish calendar. This year Hanukkah began in the evening of

Wednesday, November 27 and ended

in the evening of Thursday, December

5. ▪ M.I.

Chanukah – or Hanukkah is the Jewish

festival of lights, or feast of dedication.

The festival commemorates a period in Jewish history over 2,500 years ago

when the Jewish holy temple was

taken over by Syrian-Greek forces

whose king, Antiochus, ordered the people to renounce Judaism or face

death. A small group of Jewish rebels

known as the Maccabees, led by

Jewish priest Matisyahu and later on his son Judah, fought back and

eventually recaptured the temple, only

to discover when they did that there

was only enough oil left inside to keep its holy light – which must never be

extinguished – lit for one more day. By

some miracle it remained burning for

eight days till new oil could be made. That is where the concept of lighting

candles for eight days came to be.

Santa Claus

In Great Britain and the United States people prepare for Christmas weeks before the 25th. Cities and towns are beautifully decorated with Christmas symbols: the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, colourful lights and much more. Shop windows are full of presents for every-one. People sing Christmas carols on the streets or go from house to house singing for money they usually give to charity. The modern Christmas tree originated in western Germany long ago. The Ger-mans put up a fir tree in their homes and decorated it with biscuits and candles. They took this tradition to North America in the 17th century from where this cus-tom spread out. The most famous Christ-mas tree in America today stands in the Rockefeller Center in New York City.

town asked for money at Christmas. They went from house to house on De-cember 26th and took boxes made of wood with them. At each house people gave them money as a present. Boxing Day is now an extra holiday after Christmas Day. Christmas decorations are taken off on January 6th; the Epiphany. This day marks the arrival of the Magi to Bethle-hem to show respect to baby Jesus. It is the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the Christmas season. People believe that it is bad luck to keep the decorations up after this date.▪ M.I.

On Christmas Day in the morning children open presents from Santa Claus and after Christmas dinner families watch special Christmas television programmes. In Britain people listen to the traditional Queen's Speech in a ten-minute television broadcast when the Queen speaks di-rectly to her people and some also go for a swim in the sea or in a lake. December 26th is Boxing Day; it is St Stephen’s Day for Roman Catholics. The name doesn’t come from the sport of boxing, it comes from wooden boxes. Traditionally boys from the shops in each

of Christ in a stable, surrounded by ani-mals and visited by the Three Kings. At midnight they usually go to church, and children go to bed early to wait for Santa Claus. The figure of Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, a 4th century Christian bishop of Asia Minor. He was famous for his generosity and kindness. Also known as Father Christmas, he is an important part of the Christmas tradition. He is an old man with a white beard, dressed in a red suit. He drives a sleigh pulled by reindeer and comes down the chimney with toys for the children. Children hang their stockings on the fireplace so Santa can put presents inside. This image of Santa Claus was created by the Ameri-can cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1863.

In Britain the Christmas tree became popular after 1840. The German Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, took the Christmas tree to the British Royal Family and soon it became popular all over the country. There is a big tree every year in Trafalgar Square, London. Today almost every Christian family has a decorated tree at home or in the gar-den. It is usually put up on Christmas Eve, 24th December, but some families put it up in the beginning of the month. Christmas Eve is the night before Christ-mas Day. On that day people prepare for the celebration of Christmas. They put up a Christmas tree, decorate it with lights, baubles, tinsel, bows and in the end they put an angel on the top of the tree. Many families put a Nativity scene under the tree which represents the birth

CHRISTMAS

PAGE 2

Santa Claus and his reindeer

on Christmas Eve

THIS MONTH’S BUZZ

Christmas is a holiday celebrated all over the world on December 25th. It is the biggest holiday on the American and British calendar. The word Christmas comes from the Old English 'Cristes maesse', Christ's mass. On this day Chris-tians celebrate the birth of Christ. On 21st and 22nd December people cele-brated the winter solstice so the Roman emperors chose the 25th as the birthday of the sun, because after the winter sol-stice days become longer and the sun is higher in the sky. In ancient Rome that was the time of merrymaking. The oldest known traditional decorations in this time were made up by Yule, the pagan tribes of northern Europe. Those were cakes, fir trees, holly, mistletoe and presents. Fir trees and holly are still symbols of Christmas, but today, a branch of mistletoe in the house has an-other meaning: when a boy and a girl meet under the mistletoe they usually kiss.

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was

stirring, not even a mouse.

Clement Clarke Moore

Mistletoe

For example, a family may have both a Christmas tree and a Kwanzaa candle stick on display in their home. This enables them to include both Christian and African inspired traditions in their lives at this time of year. Except for NewYear’s Day, the days on which Kwanzaa falls are not public holidays. It is mostly a private celebration observed by individuals, families and local communities. The main symbols of Kwanzaa are a mat, on which to put the things needed for the celebration, the unity cup used to pour libations, a candle stick holding seven candles, the seven candles, ears of corn, the Kwanzaa flag and a poster depicting the seven principles of Kwanzaa which are: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, co-operative economics, purpose, creativity and earth. The colors of Kwanzaa are red, black and green. The Kwanzaa flag consists of three blocks, one in each of these colors. Three of the seven candles are red, three are green and one is black. Each candle represents one of the principles of Kwanzaa. The candle holder is carved from a single piece of wood and its shape was inspired by the form of the Ashanti royal throne. ▪ M.I.

A week-long holiday honoring African culture and traditions, which falls between December 26 and January 1 each year, was first proposed by an African-American leader Maulana Karenga, and it was first celebrated between December 1966 and January 1967. The idea of the holiday was to give the people of African descent a holiday to celebrate their own cultural heritage and the key values of family and community even away from their home. Kwanzaa is celebrated by people from a range of African countries and their descendants. It consists of a week of celebrations, which ends with a feast and the exchange of gifts. During the celebrations, people light candles and pour libations— a ritual of poruing a drink as an offering to a god from a wooden unity cup. A Kwanzaa ceremony often includes performance of music and drumming, a reflection on the Pan-African colors of red, green and black and a discussion of some aspect of African history. Women often wear colourful traditional clothing. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for people to mix elements of Kwanzaa with Christmas or New Year celebrations.

KWANZAA

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne,

we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”

NEW YEAR'S On 31st December everyone celebrates the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. In Scotland New Year's Eve is called Hogmanay and it is the most important celebration of the year. In America and Britain many peo-ple like going to parties or organizing them in their homes, some peo-ple celebrate in restaurants or night clubs, some go to masked balls. Young people stay at home or go to a celebration in a disco. Cheers, noise, music, dancing, colourful decorations, festive food and drinks are all a part of New Year's Eve. People like throwing confetti on the last night of the year. They wear their best party clothes on this exciting night. At parties everyone wears funny paper hats and blows toy horns. Parties start in the evening and continue until the next morn-ing. When the clock strikes midnight everyone joins hands and sings the old Scottish song 'Auld Lang Syne'. The favourite place to go to on New Year's Eve in New York City is Times Square. At midnight the words 'Happy New Year' appear on an electronic sign, people cheer and bells and sirens ring to make a lot of noise. The favourite place to go to in London is the Trafalgar Square. All British people wait for Big Ben to strike midnight. Everyone kisses and cheers. Making a lot of noise on New Year's Eve is an ancient tradition of frightening evil spirits of the past year. On New Year's Eve the Americans and the British make New Year's resolutions or promises. They promise to eliminate bad habits during the new year. Children write down their resolutions, sign themselves and give the paper to their parents. The adults also have their own resolutions, but they often forget them by January 2nd. In some American cities office workers throw their old calendars through the window as if they are throwing out the old year. After midnight people visit their friends and relatives and they take a present – a piece of coal. Traditionally the first visitor of the year must bring coal into the house. It is believed to bring good luck. This custom is called 'first footing'.

Different ancient civilizations began their New Year in different times, usually depending on the season, or some other change or activity in nature. In 45 BC the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar created a calendar with January 1st as the first day of the new year. The word January comes from ‘Janus,’ the Roman god of beginnings and endings. This calendar is still used today and January 1st is the be-ginning of the new year. It is called New Year’s Day.

New Year’s traditions come from different cultures. Many people give presents and send cards for New Year’s Day. This was part of Roman and old English tradition. In Britain most families have a big lunch and spend a quiet day at home. In the United States many families have ‘Open House’ on New Year’s Day. This custom was introduced to the people by their first president, President George Washington. During ‘Open House’ the front door of your home is open all day long. Friends and relatives come to say ‘Happy New Year!’ They eat and drink something and then leave. On that day most of the United States is covered with snow, but in California and other southern states it is warm and sunny so people have parades and play football games. These football games are called Bowl Games and each region has its own parade and football game. For example: Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California which is the biggest sports event of the year. Their parade is called ‘Tournament of Roses’ and it is the biggest and oldest New Year’s event. More than 3 million people visit this event every year and more than 70 million watch it on television. They have spectacular floats made of fresh flowers that show storybook characters and animals and they also have a queen of the parade who is called the Citrus Queen because of all the citrus fruits that grow in southern California. When the parade ends everyone goes to the stadium to watch the Rose Bowl game. Another famous New Year’s Day parade is the Macy’s Day parade in New York City, which many Americans watch on television. ▪ M.I.

The symbols

of Kwanzaa

In England, Christmas is more / less important than Easter or Guy Fawkes Night. For young people in England, Christmas Eve is a time for present giving / going out with friends. On Christmas morning, there is a sermon / salmon for practicing Christians. A mince pie / Roast turkey is a typical main course on Christmas day. Gravy / Christmas pudding is a typical dessert. If you stand under the tinsel / the mistletoe, the host has to kiss you. Young children hang their stockings / baubles for Santa to fill with presents. People leave refreshments / a cracker for Santa. Jingle Bells is a popular Christmas song / a traditional Christmas carol. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day / Fighting Day.

Christmas quiz 1 Father Christmas and __________ are two names for the man who brings children presents at Christmas. 2 Most families have a small pine tree – a Christmas tree – which they decorate with __________. 3 Santa Claus puts the presents for children into their__________. 4 In Great Britain, children open their Christmas presents on __________ __________. 5 Christmas dinner usually consists of__________, __________ and __________. 6 Christmas pudding is a sweet __________ made with __________ __________. 7 What do we call special songs sung at Christmas? __________ __________. 8 It is very prestigious to be number 1 in the British pop charts at Christmas. Bob Geldof’s Band Aid made it in 1984 with a song to help the starving of Ethiopia. The name of the song is__________.

SO, YOU’VE DECIDED—XMAS BEST OF…

DIY—Give but don't buy!

Why not have some fun, learn something about Christmas in the UK and practice English at the same

time? Send us your answers via Facebook and we'll publish the names of those with most correct answers.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS SONG OF ALL TIME

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York

THE BEST TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS SONG

Silent Night

THE BEST CHRISTMAS FILM OF ALL TIME

It's a Wonderful Life (1946; Frank Capra )

THE BEST CHRISTMAS BOOKS OF ALL TIME

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr. Seuss

STUDENTS’ CORNER

PAGE 4

We all want to show our loved ones that we have been thinking about them. Christmas gifts are a way of doing it. However, this doesn’t mean we have to spend a fortune to get them. What we are trying to say is that we care for someone and is there a better way to do it than to make a gift on your own? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece or something grand. A simple token of appreciation usually speaks volumes. Here are a few ideas for alternative gifts. Perhaps we'll make checking your Christmas list easier. Put together a compilation of old family recipes into a handmade recipe book. Make them really nice and sturdy to withstand the heavy use. A perfect gift for sisters, mothers and aunts. Make a calendar for the family with everyone's photos and birthdays. Grandparents will be espe-cially grateful since it's a great reminder as well. For the elderly members of your life, research news-paper and magazine articles from their youth and present them in a creative fashion. Organize a pre-Christmas party with cookie ex-change. Have everyone bring cookies or treats and ask for RSVPs so you’ll know how many cookies to make. You'll end up with many different kinds. Collect quotes that make you think of someone and write them down in a notebook that can be turned into a diary. Frame a piece of your artwork. If you have baby sisters or brothers, paint their hands and feet and ask them to make hand-prints and foot-prints which can be a start of amazing artwork.

If you are skilled in a particular area, offer a lesson

or class or create coupons for a massage, spring

cleaning, child-minding, manicure, etc. ▪ I.P.

PAGE 5

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

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" was

written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in

1984 to raise money for relief of famine in

Ethiopia. The original version was recorded

by Band Aid - a charity supergroup

featuring 44 leading British, Irish, and

American musicians and recording artists.

The song became the biggest selling single

in UK Singles Chart history, selling a

million copies in the first week alone. The

song was re-recorded in 1989 by Band Aid

II and in 2004 by Band Aid 20, again

raising funds for famine relief. ▪ I.P.

Christmas carol

Paying tribute to one of the best

authors of all time, Robert Zemeckis

created an animated retelling of

Charles Dickens' classic novel about a

Victorian-era miser taken on a journey

of self-redemption, courtesy of several

mysterious Christmas apparitions. In

this adaptation of the story of the same

name, Jim Carrey stars in a multitude

of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge (a

bitter, miserable, cold-hearted,

tightfisted, frugal old moneylender

who despises Christmas and all things

which engender happiness) as a young,

middle-aged, and old man, and the

three ghosts who haunt him. ▪ I.P.

Letters From Father Christmas

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Every December an envelope bearing a

stamp from the North Pole would

arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children.

Inside would be a letter in a strange,

spidery handwriting and a beautiful

colored drawing or painting. The

letters, telling wonderful tales of life at

the North Pole, were from Father

Christmas. They documented the

adventures and misadventures of Father

Christmas and his helpers. The stories

include descriptions of the massive

fireworks that create the northern lights

and how Polar Bear manages to get

into trouble. Tolkien's children

collected the letters and published them

after his death.▪ I.P.

3/3

Though we can only assume, our wild

guess is that there are many schools all

over Croatia with walls decorated with

all sorts of trees. Oak, birch, maple...

Whatever sort they are, they have one

thing in common - leaves with words in

English. British Council organized a

competition asking students to surf

their web site (which they do anyway),

choose their favourite English words,

each write their word on a leaf tem-

plate and then jointly produce a tree of

the class’s favourite English words.

Here are the trees from High school

Čazma. If you also took part in the

competition, send us your photos and

we'll publish them on Facebook. ▪ I.P.

There is a competition?

Of course we want to take part!

NEWS FROM SCHOOLS

My letter to Santa was clear, and as honest as it could be: to bring me true

love which will put a smile on me. On Christmas morning, when I looked un-

der the tree, there was the cutest puppy looking at me. The love made just to

make me happy.

by Matea Gredelj

“It's almost morning. Honey, what if they don't like them??”

“We've taught them not to be hung up on gifts.”

“I know, but still... I want them to be happy... Just look how peaceful they are

while sleeping... If only I could give them the world... That's my Christmas

wish.”

by Maja Ivanović

New Year is near

Seeing old friends, makes me shed a tear

Snow's falling, Christmas is in the air

I'm whispering my Christmas wish, but nobody's there

My words go quietly into the air

But when I close my eyes, all I want is there

To be home at last

by Ali El Baghdadi

It's winter, that time of the year

Mayans say, the end is near

Snow is falling, usually the wrong time

And yes, I'm using rhyme

It is cold, but it's ok

Because it's not hot, and that's gay*

I wrote a poem, I don't know why

It's so lame, bye-bye *happy and full of fun

by Nikola Nesvadba

They're taking us to the mall again. Apparently, this time we should find

something we like and write to Santa about it. We'll find presents under the

tree on Christmas morning. What she doesn't know is we've already got all

we've ever asked for:

her and daddy – our new parents.

by Anonymous

50-word Christmas stories

The Comenius project Hidden talents has

successfully entered its second year. Stu-

dents and teachers from England, Ger-

many, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and

School of Economics and Tourism Daru-

var participate in it. Three fruitful meet-

ings were held in England, Hungary and

Slovakia during the first yearof this bilin-

gual English-German project and the

second year started with the partners’

visit to Daruvar from October 21-25,

2013. School of Economy and Tourism

Daruvar celebrated its 85th anniversary

the same week and presented its work

through a variety of songs, dances, recit-

als and a theatre performance showing

our students’ hidden talents.

“We are very satisfied with being part of

this very successful project in our school.

Our future plan is to search for hidden

talents of our students which they will

show by writing a story Hidden treasure

whose main character will be Buco, the

official project mascot. We also intend to

make a students’ free time questionnaire,

foreign languages competitions and a

new talent show“, says the project coordi-

nator Svjetlana Brkić Milivojević. ▪

S.B.M.

above:

Participants of

Hidden Talents in Daruvar

on the left:

Croatian team

on the right:

Mascot Buco

HIDDEN TALENTS FROM

6 CONUTRIES

“Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling.”

Edna Ferber

PAGE 7

Make a yogurt cake.

Wear underwear, two tights, skirt, boots, two shirts,

sweater, jacket, boots... never mind, you’ll freeze any

way.

Put on playlist: All I want for Christmas (because

everyone knows it).

Spend it with someone you love.

Make a lot of coffee and buy a lot of sparkling water so

you can dry out those who don’t know their limits.

by Lucija Piršljin

Celebrate it with your closest friends (make a party).

Wear something crazy and rememerable.

Cook something easy and tasty, something that

everybody loves.

Playlist, ugh, put only cheerful songs, you don't want

your people to get sad on a new year's eve.

How to organize the party? Just invite your friends and

tell them to bring at least three useful things for the

party.

by Mihovil Sudar

If you have a boyfriend / girlfriend, you can spend New

Year`s Eve the best way possible. Instead of thinking of

evening gowns and suits, buy beautiful pyjamas for

both of you. Find a chalet, arrange it as you love and

spend the night next to a fireplace. Bake your favourite

cakes (e.g. Zaher Cake, Muffins, Bingo Cake, Cream

Cake, Mozart Cubes) and make a lot of food. I suggest

soup, stuffed cabbage rolls, roast meat, French salad

and French potato. Drink natural juice and champagne

at midnight. When you choose your playlist, don`t for-

get Mejasi, Bosutski becari, Colonia, Gazde, Begini,

Kumovi, Slavonia Band etc.

~ HAVE A LOT OF FUN AND HAPPY NEW

YEAR~

WHO: you and your boyfriend / girlfriend

WHERE: in a chalet, next to a fireplace

WHEN: New Year`s Eve

WEAR: pyjamas

EAT: soup, stuffed cabbage rolls, roast meat, French

salad, French potato; Zaher Cake, Muffins, Bingo Cake,

Cream Cake, Mozart Cubes

DRINK: natural juice, champagne at midnight

LISTEN TO: Mejasi, Bosutski becari, Colonia, Gazde,

Begini, Kumovi, Slavonia Band

by Lea Matošević

LET’S TRY THIS!

Best of 2013 : songs

Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines

Daft Punk, Get Lucky

Imagine Dragons, It's Time

Robbie Williams, Go Gentle

Pink & Nate Ruess, Just Give Me a Reson

James Blunt, Bonfire Hearts

Justin Timberlake, Mirrors

Rihanna & Mikky Ekko, Stay

Maroon 5, One More Night

Icona Pop, I Don't Care

Best of 2013 : films

The Great Gatsby

Elysium

Warm Bodies

Flight

The Impossible

Cloud Atlas

Oz the Great and Powerful

Before Midnight

Man of Steele

We're the Millers

Dan Brown, Inferno

Stephen King, Dr. Sleep

Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Curtis Sittenfeld, Sisterland

K.C. Hilton, My Name is Rapunzel

Henriette Gyland, The Elephant Girl

Philipp Meyer, The Son

Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed

Andrew Smith, Winger

Graham Joyce, Some Kind of Fairy Tale

Best of 2013 : books

The end of the year - December - is the time for

setting the bills straight and checking out what has

been good and what has been bad throughout the

year. Making 'best of' lists is an essential part of it.

Everyone would like to know what will be remem-

bered from the previous year and which ideas peo-

ple will have in a few years' time when they think

of that year. Here is your chance. We compiled the

lists of ten songs, ten films and ten books that

came out during 2013 and we'll publish polls on

Facebook for you to vote. The results will be an-

nounced in our January issue. We're looking for-

ward to see your votes.

PS If we have forgotten something you think is

worth mentioning, feel free to comment on our

polls.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

CELEBRATION IDEAS

What is Moodle? Moodle is an e-learning system that has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. To work, it needs to be installed on a web server somewhere, either on one of your own computers or one at a web hosting company.

It enables you to create and manage a

course website for posting documents

(reading lists, PowerPoint slides, images,

etc.); managing online discussions and

running quizzes, polls, and surveys. How

you might choose to use some of these

tools in your teaching is entirely up to

you; your course website will be as

individual as you, your subject, your

teaching, and your class. Many teachers

love to use the activity modules (such as

forums, databases and wikis) to build

TEACHERS’

CORNER

richly collaborative communities of learning around their subject matter (in the social constructionist tradition), while others prefer to use Moodle as a way to deliver content to students and assess learning using assignments or quizzes.

Moodle is an open source community

system. This basically means that it isn't

owned by a company, but is developed

and improved by some of those who use

it. And, as it seems to be the most

important thing today, it's free.

Finally, there aren't any reasons why not give it a try. Although the interface may be new to you, you'll quickly familiarise yourself with Moodle and find out about the advantages when it comes to teaching your course.

What are the benefits of using Moodle Posting your own tasks online, linked directly to relevant websites. Posting exemplar work/model answers for pupils online together with skills ‘toolbox’, essay planners etc. Posting homework online, which means no excuse for forgetting/misinterpreting tasks. Flexible content structure which means you no longer have to stick to the linear structure for materials. Providing lesson information, resources, syllabus for long term absentees. Providing ordered lists of course requirements for students but also for parents. Better quizzes with more features, whistles & gizzmos.

Better file management since editing

files that are already on the system is

easy. ▪ I.P.

HAVE YOU TRIED??? AUDACITY

Audacity is an amazing teaching tool can be

used to make listening recordings to use in

class. You can record your own voice or you

import sound files –recordings made on a

dictaphone, a podcast or something similar.

The speed of the recording can be adjusted

easily and pauses can be insterted. There is

also a selection of sound effects to add in. For

detailed instructions on how to do all these

things, visit

http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

audacity1/index.html. ▪ I.P.

If we still haven't convinced you continuous profes-

sional development is important, in this month's sec-

tion CDP in 10 minutes or less, we give a link to a

guide developed by University of Southampton

which explores how professional development op-

portunities can be used by teachers to enhance and

develop their practice. It gives advice and guidance

to teachers about how to balance their personal train-

ing priorities with whole-school issues and shows

how the performance management process is an inte-

gral part of planning professional development.

http://www.linksintolanguages.ac.uk/sites/default/

files/resource/10-min-guide/10%20minute%

20guide%20CPD.pdf

CPD IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS

TEACHERS’

CORNER