“.....This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.”

Third Years have just begun reading “Goodnight Mister Tom” by Michelle Magorian. A touching, emotional novel , it centres on the relationship between young William Beech who is sent away or “evacuated” from London during World War Two to live with widower Tom Oakley.

The book is historical fiction, being based on events in Britain during the Second World War. William comes from a poor family in the East End of London. Like many children in urban British areas at the time, he was sent away for his own safety, as the German air force, the Luftwaffe, were bombing these cities during the war as part of the Battle of Britain.

For an idea of what conditions were like for people living in Britain during the “Blitz”, check out these links below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2010/sep/08/the-blitz-in-colour-video

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/sep/07/british-pathe-archive-blitz

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/8021316/How-it-felt-to-shelter-from-the-Blitz.html#

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/7985957/Blitz-survivor-talks-of-her-lucky-escape.html

Remember too that this era is part of the Junior Cert History course as well, so it’s doubly useful to know.  The Republic of Ireland was known as The Irish Free State in those days. We were neutral then, so we didn’t take part on either side during the war. However, on the night of 31 May 1941, German airplanes bombed  the North Strand Road area of Dublin city, not very far from our school. The bombs killed 34 people. Three hundred houses were either damaged or destroyed. The German government apologized afterwards saying it was a mistake. But some people thought they did it deliberately to scare our country out of joining the war on Britain’s side. As Northern Ireland was considered part of the United Kingdom along with England, Scotland and Wales, it was bombed often by the Luftwaffe, especially Belfast which had many factories vital for the British war effort. Some people even argue that the Germans bombed Dublin because fire brigades from the city went north to help put out fires caused by the Luftwaffe bombs in Belfast.

When William arrives in the small rural village of Little Weirwold he is shy, timid and lacks self confidence. We find out that he led a very sad life in London. At first he is somewhat afraid of “Mister Tom” who can be blunt and abrupt. But as the novel goes on, their relationship develops...

You can learn about what life was like for these young children evacuated from the cities to the countryside during the Blitz here:

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/war/evacuation.htm

You can read some readers’ reviews of the book here:

http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=90

http://bcfreviews.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/goodnight-mr-tom-by-michelle-magorian/

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Night-Mr-Michelle-Magorian/dp/006440174X  

Finally, enjoy watching the trailer from the film version of Goodnight Mister Tom:

http://www.videodetective.com/movies/goodnight-mister-tom/251531

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. “

-William Shakespeare

“Why do we have to study Shakespeare..?”  If English teachers got a penny every time they heard this from their students they would be rich indeed.

Well picture this..Imagine you got home of an evening and there was no Fair City, Coronation Street or Eastenders on the telly...

Well, without Shakespeare we quite possibly wouldn’t have any of our most popular soap operas or dramas for a start.  A producer for one of these popular shows always keeps the works of Shakespeare handy when deciding on a new plot line. For example, two people fall in love, both from warring families...straight out of Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare was one of the first writers  to create the types of plots and characters we are so familiar with from our own books, TV and film.

We also study him for his contribution to our own everyday language. Along with the Bible, Shakespeare has given much form to the vocabulary we use today.

How many of these phrases have you heard before? ”Fair Play”, “It’s Greek to me”, “Into thin air” “Foregone conclusion”, “We have seen better days”, “One fell swoop”, “I’ll not budge an inch”....all from the pen of the Bard himself.

You can check out some more at this link below.

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-quotes.htm 

Shakespeare was one of the first writers in English to address the human condition, its joys and frailties, its hope and limitations.

Currently our Sixth Years are studying Shakespeare’s sonnets as part of their poetry studies. In Sonnet 60 we are reminded that life is indeed fleeting for all:

 “ Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end”

Yet despite time ravaging us ;

“Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow

Shakespeare himself will achieve a type of immortality as his name will survive through the ages in his words.  

“And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,
   Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.”

It is almost if, at the end of the poem Shakespeare and time have agreed a bargain. Time will take our physical bodies, hopes and aspirations away, but will allow us to live on in our words and spirit.

Shakespeare wrote a number of sonnets in which he lamented the passage of time and how eventually everything must give way to it. Sonnet 65 has a similar theme to Sonnet 60.

This Sonnet also talks about how time inevitably wears away everything.

Even sturdy objects like brass, earth, stone and sea are eventually eroded away over time just as flimsier things like plants and people are:

“Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea,

But sad mortality o’ersawys their power”

The poet then wonders how such a fragile thing like beauty can survive if even these solid objects can not:

“How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea.

Whose action is no stronger than a flower”

He reminds us again that even solid rock and steel gates cannot resist the ravages of time..

He seems also to worry about a lover or friend; “Shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid”

The tone seems one of despair.

But in the end, like Sonnet 65 he ends on an optimistic note;

“That in black ink my love may still shine bright”....

This implies that after his physical body is long gone, his words expressing his hopes, loves and dreams will survive in his black ink...and it is a nice touch that the poem’s final word is “bright”, in stark contrast to the gloomy images he uses elsewhere in the Sonnet.

To help study Shakespeare here are some good web resources:

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section3.rhtml

http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=4736

http://www.skoool.ie/skoool/examcentre_sc.asp?id=354

To enjoy some live Shakespearean language and action have a look at the following clips of Shakespearean plays:

 http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet

http://www.matttrailer.com/romeo_juliet_1968

http://www.zuguide.com/#Hamlet

Many modern writers and film directors also enjoy setting Shakespeare’s works in modern settings:

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/romeo-and-juliet/trailer 

http://www.moviemaze.de/media/trailer/159,hamlet.html

And...What about Shakespeare and Ireland? See what you think!

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79358

"Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.”
-Samuel Johnson

We all know who the great writers are...Shakespeare, for his contribution and development of the English language.  Joyce, for his post modern musings on the human condition.....

But, who do really read? And more to the point, what can we get students to read?

In a previous post we discussed how hard it is the modern world for any of us to find the time or indeed the concentration to sit down and read for an extended period of time.

Many of us think that reading seriously involves the great works of literature. But this isn’t always so.

To develop reading start anywhere. Read anything.  Read your crisp packet, your cereal box, the label inside your jumper.

In fact, a good way to foster reading is not to read at all...just listen instead.

This is what educators refer to as oral literacy. When young people hear words being used to express emotions they realise the value they have.

“Oral language competence is an important, yet often overlooked protective factor in young people”

http://www.olsel.catholic.edu.au/_uploads/_ckpg/files/Snow&Powell_Children%20%20Sociey_2008.pdf

Giving students exposure to a wider vocabulary gives them more verbal tools to communicate with...to better express their hopes, fears, aims and ambitions. They in turn can then access these words on the printed page in time.

Reading to students is great, as indeed are audio books. Here’s a great resource for some free audio books...they could bring out the writer in you! Happy listening!!

http://freeclassicaudiobooks.com/

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

Corribsiders v NoreSiders

Tomorrow, reigning All Ireland Hurling Champs Kilkenny face Galway at Croke Park.

The Noresiders from Kilkenny will be looking for revenge as the lads from the banks of the Corrib gave them a bloody nose in this summer’s Leinster Final (yes, Galway is in Leinster for hurling if not geographical purposes).

Much of Irish identity is defined by water. We’re an island nation, surrounded by it.  But we also have a multitude of inland waterways.  Many of our major towns or cities grew up on river mouths, for purposes of trade, transport and access to fresh water. Other inland settlements sprang up at easily fordable crossings.

For many years this poem was a staple part of the primary curriculum:

Dublin’s on the Liffey,         

Cork is on the Lee ,            

Limerick’s on the Shannon

with Lough Allen, Derg and Ree.

Waterford’s on the Suir and

Kilkenny’s on the Nore

New Ross is on the Barrow

We’ve heard of them before.

Wexford’s on the Slaney and

Drogheda’s on the Boyne

Belfast on the Lagan and

Derry is on the Foyle  

Ballyshannon is on the Erne and Ballina is on the Moy

Galway’s on the Corrib

So Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye.

Check out this brilliant interactive game from Scoilnet to see how good your knowledge of Ireland’s rivers are:   http://www.scoilnet.ie/Rivers_of_Ireland.shtm

This great site explains how rivers flow, and the features associated with them

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/rivers/whatis_river/pg_04_flash.shtml 

For very useful geography links in general, go to http://www.cjfallon.ie/geography-quest/weblinks4/

“Mam, Dad, what’s a pen?”

Picture the scene in ten years time...Your car tax is gone up to €5000, the IMF are still here, the Dubs are looking for a new manager...some things never change.

Well, maybe. But in education things are changing rapidly. Even in the next couple of years the way students learn will change rapidly. The old reliance on pen and paper will be increasingly less common.

Already most students are as good if not better with technology that adults. However some experts now argue that technology is changing not only the way students learn but also the way they think.

The task for parents and educators is to strike the right balance regarding technology. Technology nowadays is simply brilliant. The internet allows us to access information instantly, making life immeasurably easier for children  in the classroom. Social media like blogs, twitter etc. are a fantastic communication tool. New developments in IT have been a godsend especially for children with learning and emotional needs.

Literacy for the 21^st Century requires us to teach a lot more than traditional reading and writing:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/30757842?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0 

However, we must continue to ensure that students do not disappear into the virtual world completely. One of the world’s foremost experts on the effects of technology on humans and the brain is Susan Greenfield.

She warns about the dangers of overuse of technology as seen in the video from her website “The Effects of Computers”  http://www.susangreenfield.com/

She quotes an interesting statistic from the USA, whereby 50% of children aged from 13-17 spend more than 30 hours a week on a computer outside of school hours. She counsels that too much time spent in this way can affect a child’s social skills or ability to empathise with others. She makes a similar point in this BBC article:  "Could it be,and thus is just a suggestion which I think we should look into, could it be if a small child is sitting in front of a screen pressing buttons and getting reactions more quickly for many hours, they get used to it and their brains get used to rapid responses?" she said.

If children do not have stories read to them and have little practice of concentrating for long periods this could effect how they handle the sedate pace of school life, said Baroness Greenfield.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7564152.stm    “Is computer use changing children?”

It’s certainly worth considering. Adults often fall into two camps; those who hate and ignore technology, and those who overindulge in it, often wasting unnecessary hours on the web or on mobiles.

So finally as per Oscar Wilde, everything in moderation, and occasionally moderation itself.

For those of us of an older vintage relatively new to technology, check out this little game, which will “read” your mind.............  

 http://en.akinator.com/

 

"The fact that I have no future does not seem to disturb me unduly"

Alec Moore,
-How Many Miles To Babylon, Jennifer Johnston

In this quote in the novel's opening page we already realise that the end is near for Alec Moore. He is spending his last hours before execution tidying up his memoirs. The sense of foreboding in the opening pages is only matched by Alec's lack of interest in life. The war and the destruction it wreaks have broken him; he cares not that he will soon face the bullets of a firing squad.

Jennifer Johnston’s novel is an excellent book on many levels, and is part of the Fifth and Sixth Year English course here in St Mary’s. Framed by the background of the First World War,the book chronicles the relationship between two men, Alec Moore,  a “big house” Anglo Irish Protestant and Jerry Crowe, a local Catholic from a peasant background.

The two develop an unlikely friendship, when they bond as young men through their love of horses. Alec’s mother tries vehemently to break up their relationship as she considers Jerry to be beneath Alec. Johnston paints a vivid picture of life in the dysfunctional “big house” where Alec grew up. Behind the facade of upper class gentility we realise that daily life, especially for Alec, is cold and rigid. We also perceive the sense of growing panic simmering underneath the surface for the Anglo Irish community, as the growing realisation dawns that soon they will relinquish their position of power to the unstoppable nationalist fervour that is gripping Ireland.

Alec and Jerry meet up again in the front line and renew their friendship, even though Alec, as an officer, is not supposed to fraternise with the ranks beneath him. The novel exposes us to the sheer horror and unrelenting barbarism of life in the trenches. Alec falls foul of his superior Major Glendinning who disapproves of their “unsuitable friendship” Eventually Jerry is court martialed for desertion when he absconded to search for his missing father who was also in the war. Glendinning cruelly orders Alec to command the execution. Alec decides not to put his friend through the ordeal, and kills him himself to spare him from execution. He in turn is then sentenced to death.

The novel is bleak in many ways and relentless in its description of the depravity humans can reach, especially in wartime. But it is an excellent characterisation of the trials faced by a generation unluckier than ours, and its description of how a lifelong friendship can transcend all obstacles is heartwarming.

You can sample a clip from the film version of the novel here:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_many_miles_to_babylon/trailers/

There are some excellent teaching and learning resources to accompany the novel on the web.
Sample them here:

http://www.skoool.ie/examcentre_sc.asp?id=356

http://howmanymilestobabylonnotes.wordpress.com/book-summary-part-1/

http://msmccarthynotes.com/how-many-miles-to-babylon-quotes/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_campaign=how-many-miles-to-babylon-quotes

"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars"

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."

-The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby...one of the great American novels of all time. I have always felt it's a book best read in autumn, as the shimmering promise of summer fades away into the depths of another winter. And indeed, that is what The Great Gatsby is...a description of gilded moneyed America, its denizens dancing oblivously through the Jazz Age, liberated from the horrors and austerity of the First World War, yet knowing in their hearts that they would all shortly pay the price for their frivolous excesses.

Our current Sixth years have had the pleasure of studying the novel, beginning last year in Fifth Year. And indeed, students weren't long in recognising the relevance of the novel to modern Ireland, and the travails we face in the post Celtic Tiger era. Gatsby, on the surface a confident self made man of money, is revealed to have reinvented himself, perhaps often through somewhat nefarious means. At the end of the novel, he is exposed as a lonely hollow man, bereft of any real connections with anyone, the trappings of wealth mere baubles. It is not so hard to draw parallels with some of the stories of conspicuous consumption raked from the ashes of our late lamented Celtic Tiger here in this country.

It is timely to discuss this wonderful novel on a weekend when a glamorous slice of Americana arrives in Dublin as the city plays host to a college football game involving "Fighting Irish" Notre Dame and Navy.The book is a wonderful evocation of the concept of the "American Dream", the idea that everyone can reach his or her potential if they really want to. It was this very dream that attracted the forefathers of many "Fighting Irish" fans to American shores, to escape the deprivations of Europe. But the novel is unsparing in its critique of the flip side of this dream..Gatsby eventually dies alone, brutally. Only his father and narrator Nick Carraway bother to attend the funeral of a once venerated socialite.

Later this year Baz Luhrman will release his take on The Great Gatsby. Luhrman is no stranger to the English or Learning Support Departments here in St Mary's. Students and teachers alike have admired his works. Strictly Ballroom, the Australian rite of passage movie centred around the ruthlessness of competitive ballroom dancing  is often a component of Leaving Certificate film studies. Junior Cert students enjoy Luhrman's modern adaption of Romeo and Juliet, with Montagues and Capulets swapping machine guns for daggers.

Those of us of a certain vintage may remember Robert Redford as the eponymous Gatsby in the earlier film version. Leonardo DiCaprio does the honours in this year's offering. You can check out the trailer for this year's film here:    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/

There are some excellent teaching and learning resources to help students better understand the novel.
Here are some of them:

http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/

http://classiclit.about.com/od/greatgatsbythe/a/aa_greatgatsbyq_3.htm

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storyCode=6064341

For further help and resources in English pop over to the St Mary's English Department blog at http://stmarysenglish13.blogspot.ie/

Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine....

Are you afraid of numbers...even a teeny weeny bit? How many of us adults would be put on the spot if we were asked the apr rate on our credit card, the interest rate on our mortgage or bank loans, or even the change from the supermarket checkout?

Our previous post discussed recent findings in relation to our national standings in literacy and numeracy. So concerned were the government that they launched the national strategy for literacy and numeracy.

Numbers are all around us. They pervade our daily existence. We use them to tell the time, count money, put petrol in the car, measure our clothes, see how much weight we've lost/gained, set the time on the microwave...

But it is probably true to say that many of us use numbers without really understanding their intrinsic meaning. Do we really understand the "oneness" of one? Do we actually get minus numbers- apart from when they form part of a bank or credit statement and are written in red?

As part of the national strategy there is a drive to increase awareness of numeracy not just in the maths class but across all school subjects and indeed across all areas in life.

The internet is invaluable in raising awareness of number and numeracy. It also allows us to impart knowledge with a huge element of fun and enjoyment. Check out these great websites below with the younger members of your family. Then when you're finished work out how good you yourself are with numbers. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised!

http://www.mathplayground.com/games.html

http://www.mathplayground.com/games2.html

http://www.mathsisfun.com/new.html

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/ 

And this is where the kids get to see just how good the older folks are with the numbers!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9701000/9701303.stm

"I hate words."
"Words suck."
"If I wanted to read, I'd go to school."
        -Beavis and Butthead

You like to read... Well, the fact that you're reading this suggests you probably do. However, how many of us read as much as we should? The recent PISA study on international literacy figures hardly flatters Ireland.
Joyce, Wilde and Shaw might indulge in a little grave rotation were they to browse at http://www.educationmatters.ie/2010/12/14/pisa-study-results-an-urgent-call-to-action/

On foot of this research in 2011 the Department of Education and Skills published “Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011- 2020” .

The strategy sets targets for improving literacy and numeracy standards to be achieved by the year 2020.

You can check out its findings and recommendations here at http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Events/Literacy-and-Numeracy/

Here at St Mary's the Learning Support Department  with the various other subject departments collaborate to improve literacy levels across all subject areas. When a student encounters a new module in a subject, they need to understand the new language that the new material involves. Similarly, each subject has its own language "register" or key words which are most important to know.

This is why when you visit our school you will see the most used key words or phrases displayed in different subject classrooms. For example, in English, how many of us really completely understand the difference between terms like "Discuss", "Compare", "Contrast" or "Outline"?

If you would like to find out the reading age of the books you or your children are reading, be it for school or pleasure, you can apply a simple little formula called the "Smog Test". You can do it manually or online at
http://www.readabilityformulas.com/free-readability-formula-tests.php

In our modern world we are constantly distracted by the bells and whistles of laptops, smartphones and
other gizmos. It is becoming increasingly harder for us all just to relax, sit down and read for pleasure in an uninterrupted fashion.

Author Alan Jacobs discusses this in his book "The Pleasures of Reading an Age of Distraction" (you can buy it here or check out reviews http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pleasures-Reading-Distraction-ebook/dp/B004XVFLLU/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1/277-4002461-3073746 )

You can hear him talk about reading in the modern world here on the excellent blog at Saint Columba's College:
http://www.sccenglish.ie/2012/08/the-pleasures-of-reading-in-age-of.html