Quote for May

"Start by doing what's necessary,

then what's possible and suddenly

you are doing the impossible."

St Francis of Assisi

Great Poetry!

So often Teachers search for poetry that is modern and fun, but that is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Try this:

Doo-Wop Girls of the Universe-A collection of poems by Fiuala Dowling. It is published by Penguin Books. Geared more for High School level, but sharp and witty. I thought I would share this one with you:

Well

When I am down my well,

the one with the slippery black sides,

no toeholes, and only a pinhole

of light 3000 compass turns above,

I still describe myself as "fine".

I am thinking of saying "well"

instead. Yes, i think in future

I will definitely reply,"I am well".

"Well" is more accurate,

and more of a cry for help.

Finuala Dowling is South African and from Cape town. Another poem to read is The lime-green clasp. Do yourself a favour and get the book!

Copyright

I was recently at the ISASA media conference at Hilton, and one of the talks that I attended was on Plagiarism. Although this is a serious problem, it made me think of the age old topic of Copyright. Having been a Media teacher for many years, I am fully aware how many teachers copy work from books, fully aware that a copyright exists.
Ever since I have been in the publishing business, I have been exposed to a number of teachers who have created workbooks of their own which they are marketing. Most of these books took many years to create and the only way that they receive a reward for this hard work, is through the sale of their books. It is therefore criminal in more ways than one to copy their work.
My appeal to teachers is to think of the person whom you are stealing from. We need talented people creating workbooks, but they also need to make a living!

Quote for April

If you can conceive it,

and believe it,

you can achieve it!

New English Workbooks

From the first of March 2008, two new English Workbooks will be available for purchase from the Cat Books range. The first is aimed at Grade four and is centred around the theme of plants,while the second is aimed at grade five with a theme on water. Each workbook has 32 pages of PHOTOCOPIABLE worksheets that are outcome based.

Something to think about?

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

- Kathy Davis

The possessive apostrophe

Here is a wonderful powerpoint presentation showing how to use the possessive apostrophe. It has clear explanations, as well as interactive exercises that are followed by the correct answers. This exercise can either be done with the entire class as a lesson, or can be used as a reinforcement exercise where the learner works on his/her own. http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/powerpoints/possessive_apostrophes.ppt#1 This is suitable for grade 4 and 5 level. Enjoy!