TY Book Recommendation 4

Helene Peters has read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for her Extended Essay, and writes-

The Secret Life of Bees is about the life of a girl called Lily Owens in the 1960s. She runs away from home, from her dad who doesn't seem to love her and from the place she accidentally killed her own mom when she was 4 years old, when her nanny Rosaleen gets beaten up in the streets for being not respectful to a white man and therefore has to go to jail.

Lily is 14 years old and finds a place with Rosaleen in the big pink house of the Boatwrights - August, May and April, who produce honey. Lily thinks her mom had been there before she killed her but at first doesn't tell, because she is not sure. After that, the complications of a searching father, of love between black and white and of the guilt that seems to grow inside of Lily follow.

The book is very touching and shows how people can change if they are hurt. You can see how immortal love is and into what kind of monsters loving people can turn, even though they don't want to. On the other side you learn how important the love of a mother is the feeling of having a home. How to forgive yourself is an essential part of the book as well.

In this book there are so many different kinds of love, how they can make you stronger or destroy you, that one word for love is far too small to express the emotions in the book.

INOTE Conference 2011

Our notes from the recent Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English conference in Kilkenny are now online on the INOTE website, at www.inote.ie, as well as other notes and some photographs.

TY Book Recommendation 3

Sadhbh Sheeran has read The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks for her Extended Essay. Sadhbh writes:-

This is not one of those highbrow, complex-vocabulary novels that your parents tend to reccommend and yet it is not the junk that I often pick up in airports either. It is a very good book and is by no means trashy. An enjoyable read that appeals to all ages. Short and sweet.

And Inigo del Toro has read Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, and writes:

I enjoyed the book a lot because is a beautiful history. I think it is the best book I have ever read. The book is about the love between two boys in Afghanistan and how love can move people. I highly recommend this book because the sensation is so powerful when you finish that you will remember the book for all your life.

TY Book Recommendations 2

Pascal Dillenberger has read Elie Wiesel's Night as one of his books for the Transition Year Extended Essays, and writes:

It is a very good book although it is a about a very sad and grim topic. Night is an autobiography. Elie Wiesel tells his story of being captured because he was a Jew and tells the story of getting deported and put to work in a concentration camp (Auschwitz). 

One of the reasons the book is so good is because the author is writing about his own experiences and feelings, which makes it very personal and also interesting and grabs for the reader. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested nonfiction books with a darker mood.

TY Book Recommendations

Transition Year are now well into their reading for their Extended Essays, due in mid-November. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be posting brief recommendations from them based on the reading they've done so far. First is Juliana Huggard, who has read Emma Donoghue's 2010 Booker Prize shortlisted novel Room:-

I thought this book was amazing because it was such a different story, yet it happens regularly. I have never read a book like this before. The book is about a boy called Jack who has been born and has lived in this room for five years. and when he eventually goes out he can not really adapt. The book is from Jack's perspective and I have never read a kidnapping from a child's point of view. I think this is an excellent read and would recommend this to anyone but clearly not younger readers than me because it is quite disturbing and I am fifteen and I found it still hard to read at some parts.

Transition Year House Speeches

Alex Owens was the (excellent) presenter of this year's Transition Year House Speech competition on October 2nd. Here is her report on the process, and the evening itself:-

For the past week fifteen pupils were busily preparing their house speeches with the help of their classmates and English teachers. Throughout the process of building them up, those who were not picked contributed to them in class giving as much help as possible to improve each speech. Slowly but surely as the two weeks went by, the speeches gradually grew stronger and improved in content.

Before we knew it, it was the Sunday evening and tensions grew. Various speakers arrived at six thirty to have one last chance to practise their speech up on stage before the real thing later on that evening. I was there myself as I had been in the BSR practising my role for the night’s events as the presenter. As the speakers practised we all gave our last minute advice and tips, trying to reassure and calm each other down.

The moment finally came. Only five minutes before the doors opened to the public, Mr Canning casually entered the BSR with the final list of the ten speakers who were chosen to present their final pieces. Those ten were Helene Peters, Sean Freney, Alexander Bisgood, Harry Johnson, Tara McCormick, Juliana Huggard, Aidan Chisholm, Christina Alvarez, Oliver Glenn-Craigie and William Wood.

After the doors were closed I finally kicked off the evening by introducing and then going straight into it, calling up the first speaker of the night, Helene Peters speaking on what she found most important in life. Gradually the night went on with pupils speaking on a variety of different things such as allergies, grandparents, cows, being adopted, boarding and the truths about where they really live. The list goes on.

From the presenter's point of view on the night I felt that all speakers spoke extremely well. However there were some speeches in particular that won me over.

One of them was Helene Peters’s speech, which was on what she found most important in life. Her speech was very well put together overall and was very well presented seeing as she wasn’t even speaking her first language. Her views on what she found most important in life were both interesting to me and to the audience as there was dead silence throughout the whole of it. She made those listening think and question themselves on what they too found most important and also pointed out that things like money don’t actually matter later on but instead enjoying the moment when you are in beautiful surroundings, completely free and with the people that you love.

Another speech which I enjoyed immensely was Willy Wood’s on his home county, Cavan. He spoke about the truths and lies on his precious county, setting the facts straight including humour and interesting facts. Such as - that people in Co. Cavan actually have secret drawers in their tables so that when uninvited guests come around they slip their dinner into the secret drawer so they don’t have to share their food with them! This in fact was new to Willy himself, seeing that he had only heard it a couple of weeks ago which inspired him to do his speech on exactly that. Overall I think every member of the audience enjoyed it seeing as his speech ended the evening perfectly with everyone in stitches of laughter.

After the speeches ended the judges went off to tally the results. While that was happening we had a bit of entertainment done by a few members of the fourth form with Aidan Chisholm on guitar and Brendan Dickerson singing ‘Stand By Me', followed by Lasse, Tosan and Stevie dancing.

Mr McCarthy called out the final winners of the night who were Alexander Bisgood coming in third speaking on his grandparents, Christina Alvarez second speaking on Down Syndrome and Helene Peters the winner speaking on what she finds most important in life.

In order of Houses Hollypark came first followed by Iona and then Stackallan.

Websites for English Teaching

Put together for the annual conference of INOTE, the Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English, in Kilkenny, on Saturday 8th October, here is a start on a list of useful websites for English teachers (not as a foreign or second language, but as a 'humanities' subject).  'Useful' actually means recommended - this is a 'curated' list, and very much evolving.

The list will be updated frequently, so feel free to suggest more sites, with a brief comment, by the comments section underneath the post, or by Twitter via @sccenglish. Thanks to members of the EC Ning (see below), who are suggesting sites on this thread (sign up for free membership to access).

Shakespeare

1. Shakespeare Search Engine: a brilliant tool, a 'Google for Shakespeare'. Search by play, by character, by theme...
2. Word frequency lists: combine this with Wordle (see here for our own series of Shakespeare Wordles) for fascinating analysis and class discussion.
3. Folger Shakespeare Library: lots of resources, including teaching ones.
4. Royal Shakespeare Company: ditto, including their education section. 
5. 60 Minutes with Shakespeare: Sixty Speakers, Sixty Minutes on Shakespeare and his time, via short audio talks from experts (sign-up needed). For anyone who's interested in the cultural and historical background to the plays.

General Poetry

1. Poetry Archive: outstanding site with a stellar cast of contributors, which focusses on poets reading their own work. Highly recommended for classroom use.
2. Poetry Foundation: the American equivalent, from Chicago, with terrific resources, essays and, again, audio material.
3. Poetry 180: 'a poem a day' for American High Schools, from the Library of Congress, set up by Billy Collins when he was US Poet Laureate.
4. Poetry Ireland: back home now, with a useful educational section.

General English Teaching & Resources

1. The English Support Service for secondary schools - the best site for those of us who teach in Ireland to check on courses, events and resources.
2. Geoff Barton's site: 'Free English resources for students and teachers' - and a lot of them. Very helpful, from a top practitioner. And if you don't know it, you have to read 'Twelve Things that Great English Teachers Do.'
3. The English Companion Ning. Founded by Californian teacher Jim Burke, this is a social network of 30,000 English educationalists. An extraordinary resource, with instant access to support and help for teachers all around the world.
4. Times Educational Supplement English resources: the site from one of the world's best-known educational publications. A vast number of resources are available, including our own here.
5. New York Times Learning Network: as you would expect from such a distinguished publication, a lot of impressive material (in many subjects), such as their Great Gatsby microsite. 
6. BBC Learning for English: all the depth you'd expect of the world's top broadcaster.
7. Teachit ('English Teaching Online'): UK site full of teaching resources, advice and 'whizzy things' (such as this very handy timer for classroom activities and tests). Subscription for full access, some resources free.
8. Leaving Cert English is a site from Evelyn O'Connor from Claremorris: does what it says on the tin - lots of advice for the exam, with a strong emphasis on podcasting. 
9. WebEnglishTeacher: lots of links to lots of English literature and language resources.

Individual Poets

1. Wilfred Owen & WW1 Poets: oustanding site from the Oxford University First World War Poetry Digital Archive, with manuscripts of the poems and much more.
2. Billy Collins Action Poetry: these animations of the poems are great for class, at any age level.
3. Elizabeth Bishop: helpful commentary and critical paragraphs on the great American poet.
4. Seamus Heaney: excellent microsite on the Irish Nobel Laureate from RTE, with plenty of video material.

Language

1. Plain English Campaign: a good way to demonstrate to your classes how not to use language. Nice Gobbledygook Generator.
2. British Library Learning (Language and Literature): terrific resources, including 'Changing Language'.
3. Oxford Dictionaries: plenty of free resources here (as well as the subscription option), including 'How Shakespearean are you?' 
4. Word Dynamo, from Dictionary.com: lots of tests, word-lists and more.

Media & Film

1. Film Education: UK site with resources, training and microsites on films.
2. Association for Media Literacy: ' the impact of the mass media on contemporary culture' with plenty of resources (thanks to @msolomonteacher).

Writing
(hard to select: good writing can be found anywhere. But selections from these sites often provide valuable material for exemplars and class discussions, as well as our own pleasure).

1. McSweeney's Internet Tendency: quirky and often brilliant (including their parodies).
2. New Yorker: much of the magazine is also available online, including the fiction microsite (and podcasts of writers reading others' stories), plus articles like this one by Atul Gawande, which will make you think about your own teaching.
3. Longreads: exactly that - the best long writing on the web, curated.
4. Arts and Letters Daily: has been around for a while, just as good as ever. Fine writing gathered.
5. ReadWriteThink: suggested by several members of the EC Ning. Lots of resources from the International Reading Association and the American National Council of Teachers of English.
6. Storybird: designed for young children, but also a brilliant tool for older pupils, putting together a structured narrative. And great fun. 
7. Spellathon: one for your pupils - have fun and raise money in the 'global spelling event.' 
8. Writing Prompts: an excellent visual blog with regular ideas for prompting writing of all sorts. 
9. Following which: our list of visual prompts for writing on various sites.

Website Tools

1. Wordle: lots of uses for analysing and discussing texts - see here for our series of Shakespeare Wordles, here for 'Tintern Abbey', here for our series analysing the public and political use of language, here for the soliloquies in Hamlet.
2. Audioboo (also a mobile app): an easy way to record and podcast short talks - click here for our series on 10 Characters in Hamlet, here for the Patterns of Poetry series.
3. Lulu: the world's top self-publishing service. We've published two smart books based on this blog - Going Places and Outside the Frame (read how here). A great opportunity for showcasing pupils' work.
4. Diigo: perhaps the best bookmarking tool, and more - collect and annotate information, and share it with your pupils.
5. Twitter: here are reasons why it's great for English teachers.
6. Instapaper: Marco Ament's brilliant tool (with associated mobile apps) strips website articles down to the words and cuts out everything else, so that you can read them later on almost any device (including the Kindle).

INOTE IT Survey

Over recent weeks, members of the Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English (INOTE) have been filling in a form designed by SCC English on how they use technology. This is the first such survey of English teachers in Ireland, and here are some results prior to the annual conference in Kilkenny tomorrow:-

Question: 'For how long have you taught English?'

• Under 5 years: 16%
• 5 to 10 years: 27%
• 11 to 20 years: 35%
• Over 20 years: 22%

Question: 'How often do you use technology in teaching English?'

• Never: 5%
• Occasionally: 40%
• Frequently: 39%
• Constantly: 17%

Question: 'How important do you think technology is, in teaching English?'

• Unimportant/Peripheral: 5%
• Quite useful: 73%
• Vital/Central: 22%

Question: Which of these do you use in your classroom?
(multiple answers allowed, so % more than 100)

• Computer: 85%
• Digital Projector: 91%
• Interactive Whiteboard: 10%
• Smartphone: 5%
• None of the above: 5%

Do you use Google Docs?

• Yes: 29%
• No: 71%

Does your school use Google Apps?

• Yes: 19%
• No: 42%
• Not sure: 39%

Do you use Twitter?

• Yes: 13%
• No: 87%

Another post coming soon on the survey's comments about web and software use, recommended websites, and training needs.

INOTE IT Survey (Software and Web Use)

The first post today recorded some statistics from our online survey of English teachers in Ireland for the INOTE conference. Now here are some responses given to the question: What web tools and/or software do you use regularly and find helpful in your teaching? Here's an entirely disordered list, with several quotes:-

• Overhead projector is very useful. I often use visuals for poetry, for example or you may find the poem on you tube set to music and visuals. I also put the poem on the overhead and then write over it showing them important imagery or techniques used etc. Great for sample answers also, showing them how to structure their answers and so forth.
• SLSS
• Scoilnet
• Random searched sites
• YouTube (the most-mentioned tool)
• Microsoft Word (several times)
• Video websites
• Google (many times...)
• Very simple use of computers which project sites and information on screen.
• Playing DVDs on projector, using YouTube for clips, Powerpoint
• Active Inspire whiteboard and software
• Online adverts
• Wikipedia (a few times)
• Examinations.ie
• I just started using YouTube this year as it's available for the first time in our school. We just got computers and projectors installed in the classrooms!
• I don’t have a laptop.
• I use microsoft, emails etc on a desktop. Need to modernise
• I have the use of an i-pad in the Classroom. An excellent tool! Hundreds of apps for the classroom. All TY's use i-pads in our school.
• Shakespeare in Bits
• Powerpoint (several times)
• MS Publisher
• E-portal
• Wordpress
• Google Blogger, Microsoft Office, Keynote.
• Webtools: I don't really.
• Tarsia (puzzlemaker)
• Various websites for supplementary notes
• Digitised versions of books
• Edmodo
• Google images
• Unsure regarding 'web tools'
• Prezi
• Google for research
• Teaching English sites
• Wordprocessing notes.  DVD in the laptop.
• Just for research sometimes.  I use web more for History.
• Mediaconverter
• Email
• Music (online)
• Wordpress, Audacity for recording podcasts, YouTube, Edmodo (VLE).
• Powerpoint
• Promethean
• Powerpoint
• VLC Media Player
• RealPlayer
• Dreamweaver
• Skoool.ie
• Examinations.ie
• I use Powerpoint quite often and take images from Google Images. 
• Teachit.co.uk
• Flickr.com
• TV/DVD
• Google for posters for the Shakespearan plays over time to see what aspects of main chararacter are presented to an audience before they see the production.
• [continued - click Read More below]

INOTE IT Survey (Recommended Websites)

The third post today prior to the INOTE conference in Kilkenny tomorrow gathers together suggestions in response to our online survey question:- Are there any other websites you would recommend to other English teachers? Our own comprehensive list (constantly growing) is here. And now for other teachers' responses and recommendations:-

• YouTube (again, many times)
• Teachit.co.uk and the BBC site are both good, especially for interactive resources
• Dropbox for storage/back-up
• INOTE
• www.tes.co.uk
• www.slideshare.com
• Worksheet Library
• 'Don't know of any I'm afraid'
• Jstor for articles about poets etc
• www.sccenglish.ie (thanks!)
• TeachingEnglish.co.uk
• www.teachit.co.uk (many times - evidently many INOTE members)
• www.tes.co.uk (many times)
• www.scoilnet.ie (many times) 
• State Examinations Commission
• leavingcertenglish.net
• RTE- Podcasts/Live News/Realplayer 
• BBC 
• Sky News 
• Newspapers online
• CBI
• Not enough knowledge.
• skoool.ie (many times)
• bookrags.com 
• discoveryschool.com 
• sparknotes.com- for modern translations of Shakespeare- can be useful for TY and 1st year - re making Shakespeare more accessible
• not in Ireland
• www.independent.ie, Irish Times online
• I'm not familiar with any.
• None but I would love to find out more about using the web
• www.leavingcertenglish.net 
• www.brightsparks.com
• www.englishcompanion.com, 
• Twitter for Monday edchatie from 8.30 - 9.30pm
• BBC bitesize (several times)
• Webenglish teacher
• bbc.co.uk for background history on trenches (virtual tour) -useful for war poetry & literature associated with WW1
• teachingenglish.co.uk 
• EC Ning 
• Schmoop
• www.hotpotatoes.com
• SESS have great links to interactive projects etc, suitable for weaker students as well, and the TESS website was useful. Lyrics.com for poetry/song modules - I used the lyrics of "Strange Fruit" in class and it was great to be able to actually show them the background to the lyric, including photos.
• prezi.com
• Obviously, BBC and Channel 4
• exam-it.ie 
• www.wondrousworksheets.com 
• www.abcteach.com 
• www.k12lessonplans.com 
• www.softschools.com 
• http://shakespeare.mit.edu/ 
• www.plan-edresources.org 
• www.topmark.co.uk 
• www.slideshare.com
• www.just4englishteachers.com 
• www.worldofteaching.com 
• www.teachersparadise.com 
• www.myvocabulary.com 
• www.eslprintables.com 
• poemfinder.com
• Have been teaching for over ten years now, and teaching English for the first time in the last few years so would love to know the most recommended sites. 
• superteacherworksheets.com 
• Bookrags
• www.nofearshakespeare.ie
• Depending on which comparative texts you use there are extracts from film versions of novels on Youtube, sometimes an entire play, like Antigone - Ed Friedlander has an interesting Shakespeare site-why not enliven Lies of Silence by listening to Ian Paisley doing a fire and brimstone sermon (YouTube) and then go to Google images to look at the famous political murals of Northern Ireland.

INOTE IT survey (training needs)

The fourth post today from our survey of English teachers in Ireland. This one quotes responses to the question What areas of technology would you like training in?

• Interactive whiteboard (useful when I actually get one!)
• How to incorporate simple IT into my teaching of English.
• Just recently appointed Principal - ITC has been designated one of our priorities so any practical help on making ITC accessible and easily used in English classes would help. ITC needs to be part of daily teaching plans not the novelty item!
• Would like more on Google Docs and Apps
• Using i-pads, lists of useful web-sites, Moodle.
• Computers!
• I would really, really like to upskill in this area. I believe technology will be more important in the classroom going forward and I'm not that skilled. Looking forward to the presentation in Kilkenny.
• Presentations, animations, useful websites for english
• All and any!
• Not sure, but keen to hear about others.
• Anything that's going.
• Use of visualiser & other such equipment.
• Everything. I am a technophobe!
• I find that practice and experimentation are the best way to hone my technology skills, as, at 56, I don't feel that I'm as 'receptive' to learning all of these new skills as readily as some of my younger colleagues!  We had some very useful in-service in May as part of our Croke Park hours. What I need to do is to work on what we learned there, to master and perfect those skills.  Colleagues in my school are wonderful in terms of helping and teaching each other, as we slowly adapt our teaching methodologies to the new era.  Such 'gradual' learning suits me!  Interestingly, I asked my 6th year Higher Level students today if they would like me to use the Data Projector/Powerpoint presentation, in conjunction with my handout for teaching 'Literary Genre'  and they said no.  They preferred me to use the whiteboard + marker with the handouts, teaching in my traditional way!!!!
• Using laptop and screen to present and to engage pupils in texts and debate, etc. 
• Moodle, Visualisers, Educational apps.
• Any training would be great apart from the very basics! 
• Interactive whiteboards (many times).
• Using technology in a more interactive way for students.
• Day to day stuff - to make English more interactive - update skills
• Audacity - interactive whiteboards - recording/filming students doing recitals/presentations
• Use of interactive whiteboard (and to have one!!)
• Basics
• Downloading YouTube clips
• Loading notes/lessons onto the Internet 
• Interactive whiteboard & useful websites for english
• I don't tend to use technology in my English class other than showing a DVD on the projector screen, so I'd be interested in any ideas about how to use it.  Ideas need to be easy to prepare and to implement as I'm not an expert in using technology. One of the main reasons I don't use technology often is that I'm not confident I'll be able to fix a problem if something goes wrong, so some trouble-shooting ideas would also be good.
• Using laptop and data projector as an interactive resource in class instead of writing on white bard
• Using more technology in the English classroom in general
• How to safely and accurately download material from the net. 
• Information on available software & how to help students  make and upload their own videos
• Interactive white board (just very unsure about it)
• Troubleshooting when problems occur and I end up completely stuck. That's when I end up resorting to chalk and talk - sad but true. 
• Using interactive resources such as Moodle
• All areas
• Blogging with Blogger and/or Wordpress - Ways to self-publish one's own notes - Moodle
• Probably all of them - particularly the areas I have not even heard of!!
• Whatever areas will enhance the teaching/learning experience of English in my classrooms
• Using social media - could I use Twitter - How do I set up a blog?
• Powerpoint and YouTube
• Google apps and the various brilliant but confusing apps I see on SCC English!
• All of it!
• Scanning machine you can scan a picture into and then present to class via pc tv screen.
• Further expansion on IT in classroom - Collaborative projects for inter-school work
• Google docs / Google apps / Prezi
• (click Read More below for further responses)

TY Extended Essay Book Recommendations

Transition Year pupils should now start filling in this form (over the next 7 days), writing a paragraph or two recommending the Extended Essay book you have read or are reading. Link also on the top right column.

Come to our Open Day!

On Saturday next, October 1st, we at St Columba's have our annual Open Day, from 10am to 1pm.  All the things we and our colleagues over at the Frog Blog wrote last year apply again, so here they are again...

 

This is a genuinely open invitation. Just turn up and you will get a tour of the College facilities, led by senior pupils, and be able to meet teachers and current parents. Our website has a huge amount of detail about the school for your interest, and you can learn there about the very high academic standards (including recent exam results) and the excellent extra-curricular life.

 

However, we thought we'd get together with our colleagues at  the science Frog Blog and write a joint post on what we offer as English and Science Departments to our pupils. Both Departments, as can be seen from our blogs, are forward-looking, enthusiastic and technically-innovative. 

Here are some reasons to come to St Columba's from the perspectives of the Science and English teachers:-

English

• You'll become part of a reading culture. However technically-aware we are, real old-fashioned books are the core of what we do. Reading isn't a 'strange' activity here. Everyone does it. And you'll be able to write about the books you enjoy on the blog, too. 
• You'll also become part of a publishing culture. SCC English posts a huge amount of writing every year, and every two years publishes a book of the best writing (yes, that's a real book).  There’s also the Second Bell magazine, written by pupils each term, and also the excellent Library magazine The Submarine (full of good pupil and staff writing).
• Poetry is everywhere too- the Poetry Aloud competition, Teaching English national poetry competition, the annual poetry prizes, the Poems of the Week, and the Voices of Poetry evening.
• We have a brilliant Library, with over 11,000 books and a professional Librarian. It's a beautiful space, perfect for reading, with a superb fiction selection.
• Our Transition Year Programme will really stretch you. You'll write a 3000+ word literary essay, believe it or not, and develop your writing in this crucial year.
• You'll be able to see lots of good theatre productions in Dublin, including Shakespeare through our Shakespeare Society (The Comedy of Errors is on this November, and indeed there will be rehearsals on show during the Open Day)
• There's an amazing amount of drama taking part in the school, with plenty of involvement from English teachers and others. Within weeks of coming, you'll have a chance to audition for a part, whatever age you are.
• If you have problems with literacy or learning, you’ll be well looked-after by our Learning Support Department, which works closely with English teachers.
• Your learning will be supported by podcasts, especially as you come up to exam time.
• There's lots more – just surf around SCC English and find out for yourself.

Science

• You'll become enthusiastic about science and nature and be encouraged to explore, ask questions, investigate and experiment - not just remember facts and regurgitate them in exams (we believe exam success will come naturally through an inherent interest in the complexities of the natural world and a willingness to explore these complexities).
• You'll learn how science really works, see the simplicity of the scientific method and use it in the learning process.
• You'll spend your time learning about science in our purpose-built Science Building - complete with four dedicated laboratories, wireless internet access, computers, interactive whiteboards, an extensive DVD library, live (and dead) specimens and other resources.
• You'll get access to our Science Department Website, with weblinks, fully downloadable teacher notes, exam archive material and more. 
• We'll also ask you to contribute to the Frog Blog, our frequently updated blog and our principal means of promoting science within the school, encouraging you to become part of St. Columba's publishing culture.
• In Transition Year you'll be challenged to explore science beyond the confines of the Junior or Leaving Certificate syllabi, kept up to date with science news and be asked to produce projects on topics that interest you. Transition Year pupils also undertake an Astronomy Module, where the wonders of the solar system and universe are explored.
• You can take part in our Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Agricultural Science prizes - our annual science competitions for pupils. These competitions vary in their format but encourage exploration, investigation and self directed learning.
• You'll explore science beyond the boundaries of the schools gates with science field trips both nationally and internationally. As well as the annual Form I science trip to Northern Ireland and the Form V Biology trip to the Burren, members of all forms will visit science attractions like the Natural History Museum, the Science Gallery, the Bodies Exhibition, the Wax Museum and Dublin Zoo. Recently, the Science Department organised a cross-curricular trip to London and visited all the science attractions there (Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Darwin Centre)
• You'll gain access to our brilliant Library's extensive and ever increasing collection of science-related books and magazines and you'll be encouraged read and review them!
• You'll be taught by enthusiastic, experienced, dedicated, professional and (mildly) entertaining science teachers, many of whom are involved with in-service teacher training and leaving cert exam marking. We aim to make science interesting but also fun!
• There’s loads more, so please visit our Science Department Website, the Science Department Page on the St. Columba's website and explore the archives of our Frog Blog to find out more!

The Comedy of Errors cast

Auditions are complete, and rehearsals have now started for the 2011 Senior Play, the Shakespeare Society's The Comedy of Errors.

Below, the cast (as some may notice, one of two genders have switched...)

Solina, ruler of Ephesus : Kezia Wright

Egeon, merchant of Syracuse : Patrick Tice

Antipholus, a merchant of Syracuse : Zach Stephenson                                 

Antipholus, a merchant of Ephesus : Robin Fitzpatrick

Dromio of Syracuse, a servant : William Maire                                       

Dromio of Ephesus, a servant : Hamish Law                                         

Balthasar, a merchant of Ephesus : Eamonn McKee

Angela, a goldsmith : Jasmine Blenkins O’Callaghan

A merchant, friend to Antipholus of Syracuse: Leonhard Dihlmann                            

Another merchant : Seyive Hotonu

Doctor Pinch, a schoolmaster-conjurer : Richard Matuschka

Emilia, an Abbess : Aoise Keogan-Nooshabadi

Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus : Opeline Kellett                                

Luciana, her sister : Bella Purcell                                 

Luce, a kitchen maid : Katie Cogan

Courtesan :  Rachel Rogers

Officer : Konstantin Behr

Voiceovers : Catie McGonagle

'Jane Eyre'

Tonight, all Transition Year are going to the new film version of Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre. Below, the official trailer.

The Comedy of Errors

The St Columba's Shakespeare Society has produced many fine versions of the play over the years, including The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night (twice, including the most recent production in 2006). 

Now, the Society returns to the fray with its second production of one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors. A brilliant tale of two identical twins, it also has some interesting deeper qualities beyond the obvious farcical elements. The final audition is tonight, and rehearsals start tomorrow for its mid-November showing. Lots more here over the next couple of months.

TY Extended Essay choices

IV form should complete this form by Friday (also on the link at the top right), indicating their final reading choices for the Extended Essays.

A Poem a Day

Check out our Twitter feed: the aim is to tweet one great poem (the complete list here) a day during this school year. First three: Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Larkin, John Keats. More from Monday onwards. Suggestions are welcome via @sccenglish.