Book World Day

Céad Míle Fáilte A Chara,

13 may be unlucky for some but not for World Book Day as it celebrates its 13th year on Thursday, the 4th of March 2010. World Book Day is now firmly established as the biggest annual event promoting the enjoyment of books and reading in Ireland and the UK.

World Book Day

by Sharon Creese on March 4, 2010

Today is World Book Day – the ‘biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK’. When I was a child, there was no such thing as World Book Day, but I would have loved it if there had been!

I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, absolutely devouring anything I could get my hands on (whether it was age-appropriate or not!). I read my favourite books over and over again, to the point that I knew not only the story, but the actual text inside out and backwards. Each time I read it, I found something new and different; even in children’s literature, there were layers and nuances that you just couldn’t get the first time around.

Going back to a much-loved book is like visiting an old friend, and I still do it (different books, obviously!), yet I know a lot of people who can only read a book once – they have no interest in re-reading it. That just seems completely alien to me – I mean, how can you possibly expect to pick up everything on the first read? It’s like buying a work of art, but only looking at it once (I know, there’s a lot of ‘literature’ out there that you’d be hard-pushed to call ‘art’, but you get the drift). I love that thrill when you’re reading an old favourite, then suddenly find something you hadn’t picked up on before, simply because you know the story so well now, you don’t have to concentrate on what’s actually going on. It makes you feel like you’re part of the book, behind the scenes, in on all the secrets.

Maybe it’s a habit that has to be formed in childhood, and I’m guessing that not all children do it, since many sadly have little or no interest in reading at all (hence the importance of initiatives like World Book Day). I noticed the other day, though, that my friend’s eight-year-old daughter is fast wearing out the pages on her Harry Potter books – swap that for an Enid Blyton, and it could’ve been me!

Don’t you just love books!

From reading to writing...From fantasy to reality!

I find that writing frees me. I don’t know what it is, but even typing this is sort of freeing. I guess it’s just in me, like part of my soul. I’ve been reading most of my life and enjoy it. This has helped fuel my imagination, and lo-and-behold I now want to write. I was told not so long ago to keep a small notebook of things that popped into my head which, for some reason, I seem to have forgotten every single time I have a good idea. I have footnotes on pieces of paper literally everywhere and can’t find half of them. Apart from all this, I have started my first book and am enjoying it immensely. It is a fantasy/comedy/adventure/parody that tries to walk into clichés, but at the same time is quite original. The only clichés are the things I parody. I have read a good few fictional novels in my time and have wanted to point out flaws, or generally things that people don’t notice. For example, has anyone really considered that they regularly smoke what seems to be drugs in the The Lord of the Rings? Ok, to be fair I've never actually read The Lord of the Rings, but I’m told the film is extremely similar, so I thought “why not point it out?” I also base a lot of the main characters in my writing on people I know, myself included. Another thing I want to poke fun at is the way some fantasy books deal with death. Death is often seen as a man shrouded in darkness and evil - except for Terry Pratchett, who makes Death out to be comical; a being who doesn’t enjoy his job immensely and would rather read a book while waiting for it to happen.

My book will be based on another world, but in a Middle Ages theme, with dragons, dwarves, elves and of course humans. There will also be vampires, werewolves, spirits and many, many, other legendary creatures and monsters. I have so many Orders in it that it’s hard to keep track; for example, The Order of Celestial White Mages…and there are more White Mage Orders (they're like colleges, with different places to learn and different groups to hang out with). The idea is that no one will be fixed to a certain way of thinking (or as I make them think). I am working from Chapter 1 onwards (which is common with many writers) and not starting at the end or middle and working my way back. I am reading this book as I write it to seeing if I enjoy it as much as I hope other readers will.

One thing I want to do is pass beyond the characters themselves and make the reader believe that their world is real and that the places, people and creatures are real. I don’t just want to focus on the places that the main characters go, and instead try and branch out. I won’t try this in the first book, but I definitely in the future.

I’ve had these dreams all my life and I’m finally putting them together. I guess it’s just in me. I hope that soon you will be able to enjoy the results of these dreams in the pages of a book.

Seán Gallagher
Third Year
Carndonagh Community School
Co. Donegal
Ireland

We are Carndonagh Community School...Viva Comenius E-Read!

Welcome to Carndonagh Community School...More than 900 boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 attend CCS. We are one of the most remote, yet one of the best known schools in Ireland. Until 2001, CCS was the largest school in the country with just under 1600 pupils. We have a fine tradition of music and sport. There have been a number of developments in the school during the last decade. One is the school library. From the library we will bring the concept of Comenius E-Read to the whole school. To be continued...

Our LOGO

Selecting the image to represent our project has not been an easy task. It´s supposed to get the idea of the project, combining the representative elements regarding reading, books, the European dimension and the associate schools.
Thus, the logo created by Caroline and Elena from Germany wants to show the idea of the thress countries, three flags joined in an arrow pointing towards the final aim: the creation of a multilingual book with the cover of the European union, the name of the programme and the dates. All surrounding the world, highlighting the associate countries in Europe, trespassing frontiers by means of reading and writing skills.

Congratulations to the winners.

School video presentation

Our film for the foreign languages competition

Text: Our film for the foreign languages competition

On 2.11.09 we (the French class 8a) made a movie for a competition of foreign languages. Our movie is about a class who spent a night in the school with their French exchange students. But some strange things happened, the electricity failed, buglers broke in to the school and kidnapped the teacher. They concluded to search her and created groups. The groups went out and the rest of the class stayed in the classroom. One group found the teacher’s chain and one found out that the front door was closed. So the pupils were very desperate. In the end .... Look what happened!
Before we started with the shooting, we needed the script. We made groups of two and each group wrote a scene for the script. It was a little bit difficult, because we had to write all in French. And then the shooting started. We met two times for turning the movie. One time we invited some of the real French exchange students, for turning some scenes with them. It was really funny, but also exhausting. As we finished the shooting, we met for cutting the movie. We also made film music and wrote the credit. And then our movie was finished and we were proud of our work. And now we hope we will win the price, but if we won’t, we also had much fun.

LEER.ES

A useful website which tries to encourage to read and provide materials and resources for teachers, parents and youngsters. Visit: http://leer.es/

Nuestro centro desde Google earth

Este es nuestro centro desde Google earth.
¡Somos visibles desde el mundo!

German mobility-Feb 10

Unidad de trabajo / Working unit: German Mobility
Responsable / responsible: German coordinarion / Coordinación alemana
Duración / Timing: 11-16 febrero 2010

Objetivos / Aims

- Evaluar las actividades realizadas hasta el momento y cumplimiento
Evaluating the programmed activities and fulfillment.
- Plazos para la realización de tareas
Setting up deadlines for specific tasks.
- Conocer y visitar los centros socios del proyecto
Getting to know the partners and schools involved in the Project.

Actividades y plazos / Activities and deadlines

- Trabajar la dimensión europea y concienciación del proyecto/Presentación-video de cada centro (subtitulado).
To work on the European awareness and citizenship
Creating a short presentation or video file about each school (different countries)
DVD / Slide-share with subtitles.
- Creación de una web/blog de trabajo común
Presentation of the website to exchange information about books, places, librar-ies, writers, other topics: My place, my books, my area, “You are what you read”, recommendations on reading, surveys on reading topics or any others. A website (Our world…)

Resultados / Results

- Incluir un mínimo de entradas en el blog de cada país con textos relaciona-dos con la lectura, el hecho literario, autores, libros seleccionados.
A minimum amount of blog entries with the students and teachers’ collaboration related to Reading, stories, writers, selected texts, etc.
- Compromiso a conseguir una colaboración de un personaje significativo de ca-da país.
Commitment to get an important text from a famous well-known person in each country (representative, significant contribution)
- Selección de logotipo del proyecto.
Selecting the Project logo.
Evaluating the programmed activities and fulfillment.

PLAN LECTOR: I READ, YOU READ, WE ALL READ.

What can be better than reading a book? This semester our Business Administration students are reading these two books: Who moved my cheese? and Good Luck.

Perhaps you can also read these two books and we can share ideas and opinions about them with the Spanish students? They are simple books that transmit important lessons that you can apply to everyday situations.

And remember... reading is an indispensable source of knowledge! We´re waiting for your ideas!! Please tell us if you like or not these two books or not!!!

Below you will find more information on both books.

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?

Who Moved My Cheese? is the story of four characters living in a "Maze" who face unexpected change when they discover their "Cheese" has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their "Maze" differently. In fact, one doesn't adapt at all...

GOOD LUCK: CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS IN LIFE & BUSINESS

Good Luck is a whimsical fable that teaches a valuable lesson: good luck doesn’t just come your way–it’s up to you to create the conditions to bring yourself good luck. Written by Alex Rovira and Fernando Trías de Bes–two leading marketing consul-tants–this simple tale is universally applicable and uniquely inspirational. Good Luck tells the touching story of two old men, Max and Jim, who meet by chance in Central Park fifty years after they last saw each other as children. Max achieved great success in life; Jim sadly did not. The secret to Max’s success lies in a story his grandfather told him long ago. This story within a story has a tone reminiscent of the classic The Alchemist and shows how to seize opportunity and achieve success in life. In a surprise ending, Good Luck comes full circle, offering the reader inspiration, instruction, and an engaging tale.

The Irish in Nördlingen!

We're here and we love it...looks like Christmas! Liam, Sharon, Marie Therese and John say hello, guten tag, hola and dia duit (hello in Irish)...Viva Comenius! Viva E-Read!

Presentación Cuadernos del Mar 5-Cine

"Un proyecto con peso y larga trayectoria", así define Fernando Abascal, coordinador del proyecto Cuadernos del Mar, al nuevo trabajo colaborativo que ve la luz estos días y oficialmente se presenta en el IES LA MARINA el viernes 5 febrero.

El libro confeccionado gracias a las múltiples aportaciones de diferentes miembros de la comunidad educativa, consolida un largo camino de aportaciones literarias y ensayísticas dedicados a distintos temas. Este ejemplar está dedicado al mundo del cine y sus entresijos, los personajes, películas, emociones que el séptimo arte genera en el espectador/a y en este caso el o la lectora.
Desarrollado en consonancia con los planes del centro como "Vamos de Cine" y el Plan Lector, la gestación del nuevo proyecto tiene puestas ya sus miras en la música y la dimensión europea a través del Proyecto Comenius, dedicado también a la lectura (E-Read)
Con colaboraciones como las de Gutiérrez Aragón, ilustraciones de Mario Sardiñas, diseño de Manuel Mantecón y los textos de múltiples profesores/as, alumnos/as y padres/madres, Cuadernos del Mar 5 rinde un homenaje al mundo del cine. Confiamos que disfrutéis con su lectura.

Entrando en nuestro instituto

Esta es la primer apráctica de Photosynth de la clase. Es una aproximación al insti de muy pocas fotos pero es la que mejor a resultado con un porcentajede del 100 % utilizadas de una manera útil. Os animamos a usar este programa gatuito y muy interesante.

Video presentation: IES La Marina-Spain

English literature at IES La Marina

4 Febrero.

Esta semana vamos al teatro en inglés, Mejor dicho viene el teatro a nuestro salón de actos para disfrutar de la original literatura de Roald Dahl y sus "Cuentos en verso para niños perversos" / Revolting Rhymes interpretada en inglés por el actor Andrew Marshall.

http://blocs.xtec.cat/accionscoordinacio/files/2009/03/andrew.pdf

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,

``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.

He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.

Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''

``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''

Roald Dahl, Revolting Rhymes

The origins of the project: E-Read

Happy New Year

GUN SHOT by Danny Agüeros Dilley

Jack’s a great person, and a friend too. We’ve known each other since I was in university. We met in the street. We both studied in the same “uni”, but he left after the first year. He had always been a bit crazy or even mad. He had gone to the police station a couple of times. But not to his favour (he went with handcuffs).

Well, recently, he had joined a gang. He didn’t really like to talk about it. When I talked or even asked about it weird postures and noises (I didn’t know if it was on purpose or a tick). I think it was called P.R.A, whatever that meant. He was changing. Jack was turning more violent. When you tapped him fr4om behind he would attack you. I was getting quite scared.

I was in class, when I heard my phone ring. It was the police. Jack had been arrested for arms trade and up on face book how to make a bomb out of normal stuff, how to make a “kofftel Molotov” make a bigger explosion and how to make an entire block of flats explode only with a pin and a cigarette.

I went to help him but I couldn’t. I either had to pay two billion pounds or nothing. I wouldn’t have all that money, even if I won “Who wants to be a millionaire” ten times. He was so upset he tried to kill the police. But that just got him in more trouble.

I got back home feeling very guilty from my actions. -“If I had the money, I’d get him out of there.”-I said.

I kept on thinking about how to get him that money. I came up with some answers: first I could ask my parents for the money or I could ask for a loan from the bank. Even if I could do these things, it would be very difficult to pay it off.

Meanwhile, Jack was getting very mad. He wrote on the wall a trillion times: “must kill”, “must kill”, “must kill”…

I once went to visit him. He was so mad, he tried to steal a gun from a guard, and attack me. Because of that incident, they took him to a mental rehabilitation centre. A mad house really.

On the thirteenth of November 2009, I was in class. It wasn’t the most usual day, but it wasn’t the most unusual either. I got a message from the mad house. It said:

“They’re all dead here, and the next one is you.”

I didn’t know who sent it, but I was quite intimidated. I was so sacred, I went to buy a gun. But I wasn’t going to use it if I was attacked by words, but by physical action would be a different matter.

I hid it in my car box ( it was a box I got when I was born, and its in a shape of a car). I put it together with the bullets.

I had two hobbies: skateboarding and being in the skate-park.
I went to the skate-park and stated to skateboard. Right then I thought I saw Jack. I left there and went to the park across the road. On my way there I saw him again. I went back home and tried to see if I had a temperature. I was just as normal.

I thought I was getting mad by the second. I looked at the message again. It was from Jack. I tried to escape from my madness thanks to a gun shot through my head; when the door fell down. It was Jack with a hand grenade and a machine gun. I pointed my gun at him. He bit the washer off the hand greande. I shouted, while tears shredded down my face:

“¡ Stooooop!”

I shot him by mistake. He fell and the floor made the hand grenade explode.

DANNY AGÜEROS DILLEY 1ºD

Spanish Logo Contest: E-Read

Irish Proposals Logo Contest

Irish winners:

Lauren-2b and Hollie-1d.

Congratulations

NEW SPANISH GRAMMAR

Spanish King Juan Carlos, right, flips through one of the volumes of the "New Grammar of the Spanish Language" during the book's presentation at the Spanish Royal Academy's headquarters in Madrid on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2009. The academic overseers of the language of Cervantes unveiled their first Spanish grammar guidelines in more than 70 years. The fruit of their efforts is a nearly 4,000-page tome in two volumes produced by the Spanish Royal Academy and 21 sister organizations in Latin America and other countries where Spanish is spoken, including the United States and the Philippines. It has taken them 11 years to compile. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

German winners of logo contest

Here are the German winners of the logo contest:

1. place: Caroline Postler and Elena Fischer, class 9b
2. place: Anna Miehlich, class 11a

Congratulations!!

Comenius Logo Contest

AN IMAGE FOR OUR COMENIUS

As you know, our school is now involved in a Comenius Project. The name of the project is E-Read. This project intends to use libraries, books and the act of reading as a link between secondary schools and students from different parts of Europe, specifically Spain, Ireland and Germany. We are looking for a new and daring image for our project.
It is possible for all the students who go to these schools to participate through their drawings, ideas...
From all the projects being submitted a selection will be made and the ones selected will compete at an international level. This will help us to get a global image. We encourage everybody to present proposals.


Technical features:

Every project must be presented in the following format.
- On paper
- Maximum size of A4,
- Black and white or colour.

The anagram is to include at least the initials of the project E_Read.
It must be original and it must not have previoulsy won any in other competitons before.
The projects must be accompanied by a short report that explains:
- The elements used in the anagram
-The idea to be symbolized and the source of inspiration

- The projects must be presented in a closed envelope without personal identification with the following information inside:
- 1- CD-R with the design proposal
- 2 One copy size A4 of the printed proposal.
- 3 Information regarding the projet´s name and the personal details, name and surname of those involved in the project..
- 4 Submission: 11th December at the Arts Department

Une image pour notre Comenius

Comme vous le savez le projet Comenius a eté attribué à notre lycée. Le projet s´appelle e-read. Il vise à ce que les livres, les lectures ou les bibliothèques constituent un lieu d´union entre les étudiants et les lycées de différentes parties de l’Europe. Concrètement l¨Espagne, L´Irlande et L´Allemagne.

Nous cherchons une image nouvelle et audacieuse pour notre projet.

Tous les élèves des lycées concernés par ce projet pourront y participer en présentant leurs idées et leurs dessins.

Après sélection, les projets retenus participeront à un concours internacional afin d’obtenir une image globale.

Nous vous invitons à présenter vos propositions.

Caractéristiques techniques des travaux::

Chaque travail devra être présenté obligatoirement dans les formats suivants:

Au format papier A4 ( au maximun ), en noir et blanc et en couleur.

L´anagramme devra inclure entre autres les initiales du programme e-read.

Il devra être original et n´avoir reçu aucun prix.

Les travaux seront accompagnés d´un bref dossier qui justifiera l´élection des éléments qui font partie de l´anagramme. Il inclura également une explication des sources utilisées et l´idée qu´il veut symboliser.

Présentation:

Les travaux devront être présentés dans une enveloppe fermée, sans nom; ils incluront les informations suivantes:

1.- Un Cd rom avec proposition du dessin.

2.- Le matériel imprimé en A4

3.- Une enveloppe fermée, portant une étiquette avec le nom du travail et à l´intérieur l´identification de l´auteur ou des auteurs.

4.- Lieu et délais de présentation

Una Imagen para nuestro Comenius- Concurso

LOGO CONTEST

Como sabéis han concedido al centro el proyecto Comenius. El nombre del proyecto es E-Read. Este proyecto busca que el libro, las lecturas o las bibliotecas sean nexo de unión entre estudiantes e institutos de diferentes partes de Europa. Concretamente España, Irlanda, Alemania. Buscamos una imagen nueva y atrevida para nuestro proyecto.

Podrá participar con sus ideas y dibujos, todo el alumnado del los centros implicado en dicho proyecto. De todos los proyectos presentados se hará una selección que concursará a nivel internacional de esta manera conseguiremos una imagen global. Os animamos a todos a presentar vuestras propuestas.

Características técnicas de los trabajos:
Cada trabajo deberá presentarse obligatoriamente en los siguientes formatos.
En formato papel tamaño A4 (como máximo) en versión blanco y negro y en
versión color.
El anagrama deberá contener, por lo menos, las iniciales del programa E- Read
Deberá ser original y no haber sido premiado en otros concursos.
Los trabajos irán acompañados de una breve memoria donde se explique la elección
de los elementos que conforman el anagrama y una explicación de en qué te has basado, y cuál es la idea que quiere simbolizar.
Presentación:
Los trabajos deberán presentarse en sobre cerrado sin identificar, conteniendo la
siguiente información:
1 .CD-R con la propuesta del diseño
2. Material Impreso en A4
Sobre cenado etiquetado con el nombre del trabajo, y en el interior los datos
Personales (Apellidos y nombres) nivel y clase del autor o autora o en caso de ser varios de los autores o autoras.
Lugar y Plazo de Presentación:
IES La Marina- Departamento Artes Plasticas
11 diciembre 2009
Premio: Viaje a uno de los países socios del Proyecto: E-Read (Alemania/Irlanda)

Nuevo encargado!

Paddy O'Connell, Racing Club, 1922..........................Johnny Collins, Racing Club, 2009

photos first meeting

Some impressions of the north of Spain: The sea in front, the mountains in the back.

Meeting in Spain.Pictures

Official opening.Meeting in Spain

Within the programmed agenda of the firts Teachers´meeting in Spain, the Scondary school IES La Marina held the "Official Opening Event" for the project E-Read. This first coordinating event tried to redifine the main tasks and the distribution of activities for each team in the diferent countries, leading towards the involvement of students, teachers and families in reading and ICT. Setting up the sign "We are Comenius" was a symbolic act in which different authories such as the Town Mayor, European Affairs Counsellor and Administartion representatives and the coordinators and local team took part during the week o 25th to 30th of October.

A really nice kick-off for the project which looks for the collaboration of everyone involved in readng as the central topic...Great Expectations...