2012 - We Bid Adieu

If, like me, you've spent your holidays sniffling, sneezing, snorting and generally suffering head-cold induced misery or are just unmotivated to venture outside while the Irish weather combines monsoon and hurricane conditions you may be in need of some good reading material.

I'm a sucker for nostalgic end of year reviews. I think we all like to feel that we've made some progress as one year ends and another begins and looking back over all that has happened reassures us that the year wasn't wasted.  There are tons of reviews of 2012 online at the moment and to save you trawling through the morass I've compiled the best I've found here.

So make some hot chocolate (with marshmallows), huddle closer to the fire for warmth and let your mind take you on a few adventures....

1) Brain Pickings

One of my favourite websites is brainpickings.org, a collection of weird and wonderful articles on art, philosophy, creativity, science and much more.  You can subscribe for weekly digests of their best stuff  for free and here are two of their end-of-year pieces that are worth a look:

• Best-of Reading Lists Compilation 
• Best Articles from 2012

2) Wired.com

One for the techie-minded or gadget lovers out there, Wired.com covers entertainment, science, technology and gaming.

• Best of TV, Movies and Music of 2012
• Best Science Images 2012

3) Thejournal.ie

Sitdown Sundays on thejournal.ie, which compiles '7 deadly reads' from the week just passed, are always excellent and they've just compiled their own 'Best-of' for 2012 - every single article in this is a fascinating read - clear your schedule!

• Sitdown Sundays: The 20 deadliest reads of 2012.

4) Or maybe you hate end-of-year reviews and faux-nostalgia - in that case David Mitchell of The Guardian has just the article for you.  He skips the long slog of living through 2013 and gives you its end-of-year review now.  On the money as per usual...

• Bored with 2012 retrospectives? A look back on the year yet to come...

Happy New Year everyone!

Ms. Dobbyn

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

Calasanctius College is starting to feel very Christmassy indeed and in the final week before the holidays there's sure to be some Christmas poetry echoing in the English classrooms.  With that in mind we ask you - what's your favourite Christmas poem?

To get the ball rolling here's my own particular favourite: 'The Night Before Christmas' by Clement Clarke Moore:

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

Ms. Dobbyn.

List of Great Education Resources

Today's Irish Times gives a list of education websites full of useful resources and tips in Ireland.  It also suggests some interesting people to follow on Twitter in relation to education issues.

Find and bookmark all these websites here: Irish Times article 12th November 2012.

Creative Writing at Calasanctius

Calling all budding writers!

The Creative Writing group run by Mr Caden meets every Tuesday in Room 102 at 130pm and all are welcome to drop by.

The Cala Journal is also looking for stories, poetry, drawings or other artwork by the end of term for the next edition.  Submissions can be dropped into Room 102 at any time or emailed to submissionscalasanctius@gmail.com.

Song for Malala Yousafzai

Some of you may be following the story about education rights activist Malala Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education recently in Pakistan.  Despite an attempted assassination at the tender age of 15 she's currently stable in hospital and doctors say she may make a full recovery.  The Pakistan Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack and have vowed to kill her if she recovers.

In the last few weeks she has rapidly become a global symbol of courage in the face of oppression.  The I Am Malala petition set up by the UN Special Envoy for Global Education is approaching a million signatories and rallies of solidarity have been held for her in Karachi, Pakistan.

In an interview with CNN in 2011 she said the following:

"I have the right of education, I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up.

I shall raise my voice. 

If I didn't do it, who would?"

You can read her original diary for BBC Urdu here: Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl which recounts how the Taliban took over her homeland, the Swat valley, in 2009, forcing men to grow beards and targeting schools for girls.

A teacher from Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Eamonn Quinn and his students have written a beautiful song in tribute to the courageous campaigner.  The musical talent in this school is amazing and it really is a very special tribute to someone who was prepared to make huge sacrifices for the rights some of us take for granted. Listen to it here and share with your friends on Facebook or Twitter to show your support:

An Introduction to Dermot Bolger

Possibility

Just leave yourself open to the possibility
That one dawn you wake to find your mind clear, 

One dawn you win back the love you derailed,
One dawn you kick the habit of blaming yourself.

One dawn you will wake to hear a clear signal,
A wavelength unmuffled by inference or static,

You will recognise the DJ’s voice as your own
Advertising a unique extravaganza treasure hunt
Where each clue is a signpost through your past.

You will walk through a maze of sleeping estates,
Collecting golden tickets concealed amid mistakes
Made when addiction stopped you thinking straight.

That dawn, when figures emerge amidst the chaos,
You will walk forward, unafraid to embrace happiness.

Dermot Bolger is fast becoming one of my favourite current Irish writers and not just because I got to enjoy one of his wonderful creative writing workshops at the INOTE (Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English) conference yesterday.  A prolific writer of plays, novels and poetry as well as a generous teacher of creative writing, his writing is always gripping, vivid and honest.

The poem above comes from the Night & Day Project which aims to capture a day in the life of contemporary Dublin.  It is full of arresting poems and images such as Neilstown Matadors and Flowers Mark the Spot.

To teen readers I would highly recommend his thrilling novel New Town Soul described here:  

"It’s a gripping thriller set in the south Dublin suburb of Blackrock. It’s an unsettling supernatural horror story. It’s a tenderly evocative look at teenage friendship and romance. It’s a reminder to be careful what you wish for. And it’s the story of Joey, a shy teenager whose ambitious musician father died in a car crash when Joey was a baby."

Find out more about his other writings here.

Really Good Radio

There are amazing resources in radio storytelling and documentaries available free online.  You can stream from websites or subscribe to various podcasts for free on iTunes. Never be bored on a long journey again - get downloading!


Here are some of the best:

 

This American Life
Produced by Chicago Public Media, This American Life is a hugely successful radio program on NPR that brings its audience amazing stories based around a specific theme every week.

Memorable episodes include: Act V and Middle School.

Snap Judgement

 Snap Judgement is also from NPR and also features brilliant storytelling - as it says itself - with a beat.

RadioLab
 For those with an interest in Science or just fascinated by the world around us RadioLab is a treasure trove of mad facts and gripping stories.

Episodes include: the Bad Show and What a Slinky Knows.


BBC Radio 4
There are mountains of great stuff available from BBC Radio 4 from documentaries to drama to great comedy...Find some funny here.

Let me know if you've found any other great radio podcasts out there and enjoy :)

The Art of the Short Story

How on earth can someone write a good short story in the short time available in either the Junior or Leaving Cert English exam? It's a herculean task but a few basic rules can definitely help and here they are summarised as best as I could:

A Short Story in 5 Easy Steps

1.    Introduction:

Establishing setting and characters.

a.     Describe the place where your story begins.

b.     What is life like for people there?

c.      Give the year/month/season/time of day or night.

d.     Who are your main characters? Give them names.

2.    Trigger:

Kick-start your story with something surprising…

a.     An event out of the control of the protagonist

b.     Reveal some interesting facts about your characters so the reader cares about them in some way.

3.    Development:

Develop the plot with some of the following options:

a.     A problem to solve

b.     Conflict between characters

c.      A quest

d.     Have your characters grow or develop in some way.

4.    Climax

Build up the tension to a dramatic climax

a.     Have main characters have to make a critical choice

b.     This is the highest point of drama in the story

5.    Resolution

Bring the story to an end with a satisfactory resolution:

a.     Have a reversal in the fortune of the main characters

b.     Resolve conflict or problem

c.      Give the reader a sense of a proper ending

d.     Have a surprising twist that catches the reader off guard.

Why does this formula work?  Well if you break down most of the stories we read/watch on a regular basis you'll find similar patterns at play - Here's my favorite writer, Kurt Vonnegut, talking about The Shape of Stories:

That's not to say you can't throw the rule-book out if you want to - but at least know the rules before you break them!

Similes or Metaphors?

Stealing a post from the wonderful Drogheda Grammar School English Blog as my first years also need to practice the difference between similes and metaphors!

Play the game to test your knowledge: Similes vs Metaphors

Great Speeches in Action

Ever wonder how the really great speech-makers do it? How they somehow convince, inspire, motivate and entertain all in one go rather than boring their audience to turpitude as most politicians tend to do? 

Well here's a great insight into a great speech in action from the Buzzfeed website: the text of Bill Clinton's speech from the Democratic National Convention with amendments and additions. The planned speech is in black, with deletions in red and additions in blue.

He brought the house down at the convention (admitedly the audience was biased) even after a magnificent speech the previous day by Michelle Obama.  Watch the two of them in action in the videos below:

Long-form Legwork

Plath the Poetic Minx

Preparing for Leaving Cert English is all about Shakespeare, poetry, novels and yet more literature - right? No doubt you're getting that impression from your hard-working English teacher who is stuffing your school bag with notes on all of the above in order that you won't be caught out with a tricky question about Banquo or stuck if Plath has the brazen cheek not to appear on the paper two years running.

In fact only 45% of your exam paper in June will comprise of literature that you have previously studied.  A whacking 55% of your marks will be graded on your response to material you've never seen before.  You can have studied Macbeth till the Scottish cows come home and still be floored by an unusual Paper One theme or composition titles that don't quite fit your amazing story about getting signed to Real Madrid.

Your English teacher does know this and will undoubtedly be practicing comprehensions, compositions and unseen poems with you throughout the year.  Wouldn't you like to have the edge over other students however? Wouldn't you like to know a secret that will make Paper One a doddle for you and, make study, dare we suggest it, fun?

Here's my answer: 

Read long-form journalism on the internet. 

Wha-form journalism?I hear you ask

Long-form journalism.

Basically it's the anti-soundbite - long, well-researched, well-written articles on fascinating stories, events and happenings that take somewhat longer to read than the average tweet but reward you with new insight, entertainment and hopefully something gruesome to tell the family over dinner.  This website will tell you a little of the value of long-form: ReadMatter.

There are tons of great articles freely available on the internet if you know where to find them.  Follow this 3 step programme and you will be well on your way to a mind-blowingly brilliant Paper One:

Step 1: Get the Pocket App for your computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or digital sunglasses (you don't have a pair? they'll be everywhere in 2013).  It's a very simple but fantastically useful app that saves any great article, video or webpage that you stumble across but don't have time to read right that second to your device.  It displays your selected content in an easy to read manner and when you sit down with a nice cup of tea after dinner you can kick back and read a fascinating article the 50 coolest book covers ever, a profile of Aurora shooter James Holmes or watch a video about a father who made a home-made roller-coaster. Yes the internet is truly a wonderland.

Step 2: Set up a Twitter account if you haven't gotten one already and subscribe to newspapers, magazines and websites that feature this sort of journalism or track down websites and bookmark them or subscribe to RSS feeds where possible.  Some examples:

Great excuse for 'borrowing' parent figure's iPads

• Wired.com (@wired)
• Longform.org (@longform)
• Brainpickings.org (@brainpickings)
• The New Yorker (@NewYorker)
• Poynter.org (@poynter)
• The Millions (@The_Millions)
• The Spectator (@Spectator)
• Men's Journal (@MensJournal)
• The Verge (@verge)

3: Make time for reading from your Pocket app at least once a day for half an hour and make it enjoyable.  Big cup of tea or hot chocolate, comfy armchair by the fire or sunniest spot in the house, tell your parents you're studying and want no interruptions (milk Leaving Cert sympathy for all it's worth this year) Believe me - it will beat Home & Away hands down.

***** Optional*****

Step 4: For the really hungry writers out there - why not have a go at writing in this style yourself? Very few students (not to mind professional writers) can produce a really good short story in 70 minutes in an exam and yet most attempt the story over any other form.  Reading an article on something a student has researched or is well-informed on is usually much more interesting and enjoyable to the teacher/examiner than yet another story about the time you got signed to Man Utd. (We really do get a lot of these essays).

And there you have it - 3 (or 4) steps to a better Paper One AND you get to drink lots of tea - Simps.  

Good luck!



E.Dobbyn

Tackling the Sonnets

Intimidating as the old-fashioned language may be, Shakepeare's sonnets are some of the most studied, analysed and loved poems ever written. There are tons of resources online as a result and below are linked some of the best ones I've found:

• Shakespeare-sonnets.com 
• Shakespeare Searched - a Google for Shakespeare 
• Skoool.ie notes 
• Shakespeare-online.com 
• No Sweat Shakespeare 
• BBC Shakespeare