Tuesday 28 February 2012

Collaborative TYE Poem


 Each pupil contributed one line between 1 and 10 syllables



TYE Class Poem
Third year’s done, time for fun.
Put together at the start of the year,
The birth of new jokes.
We make this transition together
Making the most out of our TY.
The way we click,
You couldn’t pick,
A cooler bunch of kids.
The top of Mount Joust, TY rose,
1s and 5s in music brings us closer,
Class vs. Class soccer match with Greg in PE
The games in Corbett’s class.
We gel like the silicon in the windows.
We bond like a pack of wolves in the forest.
The banter in Bradshaw’s beats the rest,
The craic and the jokes are mighty.
It’s that time of day again, the sun is in its prime,
It’s very quiet and there’s never anyone in.
Our class is kind of mental.

TYE Class Poem (mp3)

#NC140 Short Story Competition

#NC140 - Short Story Competition

A famous Short Story by Ernest Hemmingway : For sale; Baby shoes, never worn
A great story does not always have to be a long story. With that in mind, NewEnglish is launching a Short Story competition called #NC140. The competition is open to all parents, teachers and pupils of the College but can only be won by a pupil.

All you need to do is set-up a student Twitter account, don't use your personal one, write a short story in 140 characters or less and end your tweet with #NC140. Once your story is on the hashtag page you will receive an e-mail confirming your entry.

For full details about how to enter click here.

Friday 24 February 2012

TY Drama Improv.

TY pupils put on an improvised drama performance. But who will win the day, Captain Goodness or the evil genius!?

TY Drama Improv. (mp3)

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Hairytale Land

 Hairytale Land is a TY drama production.




As the TY production of Hairytale Land draws closer, the production team give us a quick insight into what to expect!







 
Hairytale Land – TY Drama Production
Newbridge College is to host a new and exciting Transition Year drama production this forthcoming May.  Hairytale Land is a facetious story that relays the bizarre situation of two ordinary school kids who are thrown into a strange world with fairytale characters they have only ever read about.  Katherine Murphy will be playing the fashion fanatic Amy, with Tom Higgins as the rugby star Tommy.  Their lives are altered forever when they find themselves in the territory of the evil, Black Snow played by Sarah Coller.  The situation worsens with the presence of the philandering and slimy Prince Sleazeball played by Mark Sutton; he is always waiting for any opportunity to use his excessive charm.  Amy and Tommy find many obstacles in their path but also some comedic performances from various famous characters.  A weird and wacky experience will be had by all.  Watch this space!  






Mike Maher on Of Mice and Men

Steinbeck's classic investigates the fragility of both human dreams and life in the natural world.


Newbridge College second year student Mike Maher shares his review on Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men. Mike recently completed the novel as part of his Junior Cert. course. Below is a sample but click here for the full review.


OF MICE AND MEN REVIEW

by Mike Maher

The novel 'Of Mice and Men' is a tale of friendship, hope and tragedy. Set on a ranch in Salinas, California, it follows two friends, George and Lennie as they strive for a better life.
My first impression of the book was its excellent use of description. Steinbeck has a way of making ordinary things seem beautiful, such as making a sycamore tree's branches 'mottled, white, recumbent limbs'. Usually, when a person sees a tree, they just see an everyday object, and move on. Yet in just one - hundred and six pages, time is taken to let us visualise each scene and its contents. This level of detail is carried on throughout the novel, creating an image in our mind of what is going on.

Monday 13 February 2012

Storytelling on the iPad


Looking for something creative to do over the midterm? If you're lucky enough to own an iPad there are some great interactive Apps that can help you through the writing process. Just click here to see the Top Ten iPad Apps as listed by Technology Tidbits.

(Send us a link or copy of your finished work and we'll post it)

Saturday 11 February 2012

Games for English



In his book English Games for Children Alan Maley outlines some creative ways to teach pupils the basics of English.

Thursday 9 February 2012

Social Media and Education



Below is a creative slideshow by Cristina Costa on how I.C.T. can be used in education today. The last slide translates into English as...

"Traveller, there is no road; you make your path as you walk"



Wednesday 8 February 2012

Sky's First News

First News  gives a, child friendly, weekly round up of stories from around the world. Keeping up to date with current affairs can be helpful for that debate piece or functional writng homework that is just around the corner!


Tuesday 7 February 2012

Dickens 2012



 Dickens 2012.org

His books are celebrated as some of the best ever written in the English language. Today would have been Dickens' 200th birthday. Find out more about his work and life in the link above.

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Be sure to get in touch with any articles, news or links that you think would be of interest! Send us an interesting link on Twitter and we will give you a RT/retweet. You can also use any of the above methods to enter future competitions within the College.

Sunday 5 February 2012

Ciara Conaty on The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald's take on 'The American Dream'.
Book Review

5th Year pupil Ciara Conaty shares with us her review of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ciara recently finished the novel as part of her Leaving Cert. course. Read the full review here.


The Great Gatsby – Book Review
There are many boxes that a novel has to tick in order to be considered a truly great novel, an enthralling plot, sensuous description and absorbing characters to name but a few. The Great Gatsby, for me, more than achieves this feat. In what is considered to be one of the most amazing novels of the twentieth century, F. Scott Fitzgerald manages to create the perfect blend of enthralling plot twists, extravagant events and stimulating characters. The book, as a whole, explores dreams and the idea of pursuing your dreams but, on a more interesting level, also takes an in depth look at human nature.  Every single character, although some try to give off an aura of perfection, has a flaw or multiple flaws. This idea formulated by Fitzgerald of nobody's perfect makes the novel and the events that take place within instantly more relatable to the reader.

Friday 3 February 2012

Welcome to NewEnglishBlog !



NewEnglishBlog is a Blog created by Eoghan Evesson from the Newbridge College English Department to promote the work of the pupils and Department members in the School. I hope it will be a resource for pupils, teachers and parents of the past, present and future.

Enjoy!