Salón do Libro

Next friday, 7 April, a group of our pupils will enjoy the opportunity to listen Polish Poet, Grażyna Wojcieszko, who wil visit our school as an activity promoted by Salón do Libro de Pontevedra.

She will be accompanied by Galician poet Yolanda Castaño, director of the event.  

Grażyna Wojcieszko

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C5%BCyna_Wojcieszko (Wikipedia in English )

Exalumna en Japón

Silvia Sancho, former student at our school and with a Fine Arts degree, is doing an interesting project in Japan which involves transmitting Galician legends to Japanese people through Manga.

Link to Silvia's Youtube channel

Teaching Methods: Blackboard or Slides

Differences between  Blackboard and Maximalist slides. (comment on teaching course material)

There is a surprising difference between the percentage of students in favour of the blackboard in the first and second surveys.  The survey doesn’t seem to have been carried out on the same group of students- different number- and not the same subject or teacher.  While I was reading the advantages and disadvantages of each device, I was imagining my students, and the way I explain, and realizing that everything depends very much on the way the teacher displays the concepts on the blackboard or the slide; whether the rhythm is suitable for the students; whether practical use of the concepts is introduced gradually, after each concept or group of concepts, or after explaining the whole content of a unit, etc.  It also depends on the students’ attitude.

I usually introduce “bits of grammar”, which I call grammar squares- as I tell them to copy them in the notebook, surrounded by a square- when they have problems to understand or put into practice a concept.  We practise it immediately- normally I introduce it in the middle of a practice, when they have problems- and the result is that only a small percentage of them remember that it is in their notebook.

As for the philosophy "the teacher works, the student works":

-It seems too obvious that it is the only successful way:

-Why doesn’t it happen?  Nice question:  what are the students supposed to do to succeed in a particular subject?  If the answer is : “pass an exam”, we already have a problem.  The goal is the exam, the learning process is not important for them, so the lesson is not important, only the exam.  And when they miss a substantial part of the process, they are missing a substantial part of the learning.  Practice is basic; maybe it is the only effective way of learning, and we have students who have been mostly taught that exams are the only compulsory obstacle to be overcome, anything else seems to be redundant.

Arturo Neira.

Myth of Procustes

In Greek mythology, Procrustes was a rogue smith and bandit from Attica who physically attacked people by stretching them or cutting off their legs, so as to force them to fit the size of an iron bed.

Being a teacher  in today's society implies much more than simply passing on certain contents. Our students are diverse, have different interests, learning styles, aptitudes and personalities because we are all different. Therefore, nowadays schools have to adapt themselves to that diversity instead of trying to stretch them or cut them off to make them fit perfectly in a standardised world.

For more information about the myth of Procustes click on the image below.

 

 

 

On the occasion of our school 'Culture and Science Week', last April 17th 1st-year ESO students took part in an interesting activity dealing with the animal kingdom. The idea stems from the English department so as to reinforce the contents of the unit of work students were working with at that moment and take it a step forward by means of oral presentations in English about several animals.

Prior to the presentations themselves, a group of 1st ESO C students searched the web for the most relevant  information about several  animals. The day of the presentation their partners from 1ºB learned a bit more about these animals first by listening to them and later  by working together to carry out a task about what had just been presented.

This activity allowed us to work not only contents of the English subject itself but also of Natural Science. Students also learned to search and make use of the information on the web, collaborate on a common project and they practised the oral sills.

To see some photos and a short video of the experience click on the image below.

 

 

Dubbing Project

Students of Bachillerato, here is an engaging, collaborative project that will give you up to 1.5 points in your third term English evaluation. Make sure that you follow the instructions carefully and that you make your work public in the way specified. Let's get dubbing!

Instructions (2nd BACH)

Instructions (1st BACH)

St Patrick's Day 2015 (Michael)

            On this past 17th of March, I spoke with a few of the classes about St Patrick’s Day, the national holiday on the island of Ireland, where I am from. When most people think of St Patrick´s Day nowadays, they think of the likes of what is celebrated in the Plaza de España here in Pontevedra – that is to say green hats, leprechauns, shamrocks, loud music and an excuse to drink lots of beer. However, there is a little more to the story of the day and who St Patrick was and I will try to explain some of the history.

            St Patrick, Ireland’s patron Saint, was not Irish. He was originally from either Wales or Scotland and named Maewyn Succat, according to historians, although when we are talking about someone who lived in the late 4^th Century, it is difficult to say things with certainty. What we know about St Patrick comes from a letter he wrote in Latin, called his ´Confession´, that is one of the oldest surviving texts written in Ireland in any language. You can see it at the famous Trinity College in Dublin.

What is clear is that Patrick was born to wealthy parents, and kidnapped from his family’s lands and taken to Ireland, where he was enslaved, working as a shepherd around the lands of Slemish Mountain, County Antrim (40km from Belfast). Patrick´s parents had believed in God, but he was not very religious. However, in his loneliness working in the fields, it is said that he turned to prayer and heard the voice of God call to him to escape from Ireland after 6 years there, which he did, and after a few years found himself home with his family. However, while home, he writes that he had a dream which told him to return to Ireland and teach the people about his Christian God. At this time, Ireland, like Galicia, was Celtic and Pagan, and missionaries were yet to convince the majority people to believe in the new religion.

Patrick converted and baptised thousands of people, and set up small churches all over the island, especially in the North. He also set up Monasteries in rural areas for people to study the word of God, establishing Ireland as ´The Land of Saints and Scholars´. This is really important, because during the Dark Ages which followed the Roman Empire, Irish Monasteries were one of the very few places in Europe where people were writing, producing beautiful manuscripts like the famous ´Book of Kells´. St Patrick died on March 17^th, and is buried at the Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down (which is the county I am from). This is why we celebrate on this day.

There are many myths and legends about St Patrick. The Shamrock is Ireland’s national symbol because it is said that Patrick used the 3 leaves of the plant to teach the people about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit when he was speaking to big crowds. It is also said that St Patrick rid Ireland of all of its snakes, and drove them into the Irish Sea. These are both nice stories that we learnt as children, but they aren’t true. However, in Ireland we have lots of myths and legends like these. 

             So now you know the Religious part, how did St Patrick’s Day become the celebration of Irishness that we know today? The key lies in the fact that the Irish, like Galicians, emigrated all over the world due to problems in their homeland, most infamously the Famines in the in the middle of the 1700s and 1800s. They especially went to Australia and North America. The Irish abroad looked for a day in which they could celebrate their culture. This is where the idea of St Patrick’s Day as a cultural festival came about. The first St Patrick’s Day Parades were held in Boston and New York City in the 1760s, and took on greater and greater importance as time went on and the Irish diaspora went out around the world. 33 million Americans today have Irish heritage, including 22 of the 43 Presidents up to Barack Obama, whose Great Grandfather was from County Offaly.

As the Irish emigrated, they took their culture with them. As a result, soon all over the World, from Sydney to New York to Madrid, festivals were held on March 17th with Irish dancing, language, music, Gaelic sports, and (most importantly perhaps) food and drink. This is the St Patrick´s Day we know today. The Irish people love to have a good time and people all over the world want to join in, wearing green and drinking pints of ´the black stuff´ (Guinness). Famous buildings, like Cibeles in Madrid, the Taj Mahal, and the White House, are all lit up in green for the day.

However the most famous parties and the best parades are, of course, in Ireland! We climb the mountains of Croagh Patrick in Mayo and Slemish in Antrim. We also have big parades in places like Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Downpatrick, and Galway. Everyone is off work and school, so the party starts before the 17th and lasts for a few days. Some people go to church, but most don’t, however everyone wears green. Hopefully, now you understand a little bit more about St Patrick’s Day and why it is by far the best day of the year. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh! (Happy St Patrick´s Day to You All in the Irish language)

International Women's Day 2015

Camellias are said to be the symbol of International Women's Day in countries such as Italy and Russia. Students of "A Xunqueira" took the opportunity of creating a mural where everyone was invited to contribute with their opinions. The question of what equality means and the importance of working together has been the main focus of this commemoration.

Anton Chekhov

A look at prison from the outside 

Una mirada al sistema penitenciario desde fuera

      Next 30th and 31st March 2015, IES "A Xunqueira" no. 1 will visit the town of A Lama and, more in particular, its penitentiary. A group of twenty students and four teachers will be given the opportunity of meeting inmates and educators from Module 8, and complete two workshops in collaboration with them.

After a brief presentation of the activity plan, one of the first points in the project's programme will involve inmates and students in the reading of a short story by Anton Chekhov entitled "The Bet". 

      We would like all of you, whether you take part in the school trip or not, to read the story, listen to the audiobook we have prepared for you, and leave your opinion in the comments section below. This is a story of voluntary imprisonment and its effects. What is the moral of the story? Is there one at all? Will it be interpreted in the same way by a student, a teacher, an educator, or an A Lama inmate? The floor is yours; read, listen, and comment.

The Bet English (pdf)
Audio Mp3 link 

Una Apuesta (pdf)
A look at prison from the outside (short version, 17 min)
A look at prison from the outside (full version, 48 min)

The Invisible Man - Salón do libro 2015

Intervention by members of IES "A Xunqueira" no. 1
Comeza o XVI Salón do Libro
Primeiro fin de semana no XVI Salón do Libro

Students and teachers of "A Xunqueira" presenting the school's work in Salón do Libro de Pontevedra (16th edition) at the end of February. The Invisible Man project has been the result of an interdepartmental effort, the collaboration of the school library, and the students' theoretical and artistic work.

Professor Lugrís' Lecture on Translation

Professor Alberto Álvarez Lugrís gave a lecture on translation and interpreting, speaking about the history of translation from very ancient times, its historical evolution and the development that new times and necessities involved for professionals of translation and interpreting.

Presentation
Follow-up activities

First Aid Activities

      Trainee teacher Tomás Costal carried out several tasks with upper-secondary and Bachillerato students on several different matters, which brought about English practice, good fun and nice moments. Here are some about First Aid ( I just hope we don't need students' help any time soon, at least until they don't improve their medical assistance skills a bit).

Street Art and First Aid  Text file.

Video recordings:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19Uk0zNDdld3g2SlU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19YzZub3dYaUJETkk/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19cVVFUkRncXNtbm8/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19Y0RmaEpCUEFyYlU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19YzNqMGtRdFZldlk/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19eGswWUM3Wmpva00/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19bkQ2ZHRqNFF3N3M/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19Zl9aT1B2SXR5N3M/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIAwVScjE19OGRQdXVMUkM2d0E/view?usp=sharing