Apps that help literacy

Have you more suggestions on apps that help literacy?

• Words with Friends
• Ruzzle

Ruzzle

Hi Folks,
I'm obessed with an new app called 'ruzzle'. It's like boggle and words with friends mixed together-look it up on Play and let me know what you think!
EOS

To kill a mockingbird notes

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/

To kill a mockingbird

http://prezi.com/bfgkds7bf7r4/to-kill-a-mockingbird/

Fed up with school?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1010/breaking10.html

Dickinson's Themes

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5781552/Emily_Dickinson

10 Ironic 'Speak English' Signs

A few years ago the Tea Party showed us how truly ironic protest signs could be, but the cream of the irony crop has to be these misspelled and otherwise incorrect "Speak English or get out" signs we found online.
These ironic calls to action are mostly the work of anti-immigration "patriots" who want to protest the speaking of languages other than the one they can barely understand. Not surprisingly, many of them didn't check the accuracy of their signs, decals or other messages before introducing them to the world. Luckily for us there's photo evidence!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/22/13-ironic-speak-english-signs_n_1906008.html

Goodnight Mr Tom

http://prezi.com/lgcc0jen3xkk/good-night-mr-tom-by-michelle-magorian/

Cynthia Nixon to play Emily Dickinson

Tuesday 11 September 2012

It has been reported that former Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon is set to play poet Emily Dickinson in a new film, A Quiet Passion, by director Terence Davies.

Cynthia Nixon - set to play Emily Dickinson

The Hollywood Reporter says the film will follow Dickinson's life from childhood through to her reclusive years. During her life the poet only saw seven of her 1,000 poems published.

Davies said "I wrote the screenplay with Cynthia in mind. It was the kind of dream casting you hope for. I never, for a moment, imagined my wishes would materialise. Cynthia has such a strong feeling for the work - and now she is our Emily Dickinson. I'm over the moon."Nixon added "When I read what Terence had written, I was consumed by the character he had so beautifully put on the page. Emily Dickinson's words and Terence's somehow dovetail to create a heady elixir. When I put the script down, I knew it was a story that I simply have to be part of."Hurricane Films are set to produce the film.

Miriam Meets.... Rory, Ita and Roddy Doyle

Miriam O'Callaghan interviews Dublin writer Roddy Doyle and his parents Rory and Ita

pod-v-miriammeetsitaroryandroddydoyle-pid0-2815944.mp3

Old Men Are Jealous by Jennifer Johnston

 

Jennifer Johnston's response to WB Yeats's "Deirdre Of The Sorrows".. ...

pod-v-oldmenarejealousdramaonone-pid0-2425248_audio.mp3

The crying games

Jared Diamond, sports writer with The Wall Street Journal, on why they published stats on which countries and athletes cried the most at the 2012 Olympics

pod-v-29081213m50smooneycryinggames-pid0-830376_audio.mp3

Welcome Back!

Sometimes you have to forget whats gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what's coming next.

Need help with LC paper one composition?

An 'A' student recommends listening to the following on itunes to help with paper one composition

Podcasts

Freakonomics
More or Less
Philosophy Bites
PRI's The World in Words


iTunes U

Political, Economic and Social Thought - Uni of Wisconsin

A generation who can’t spell – thanks to spell check

TECHNOLOGY has left many people unable to spell words like "definitely" and "separate", a survey has found.It has produced an "auto-correct generation" that relies on computer spell checks.
The poll, which questioned more than 2,000 adults, found that around a third could not spell "definitely" while a similar proportion failed to pick the right spelling of "separate". And around two thirds (65pc) picked a wrong spelling for "necessary" from a list that did not include the right spelling.

But while many adults struggle to spell these common words, the poll also found that three quarters of those questioned (76pc) think they are good at spelling, with 96pc saying that spelling is important.
And many people are relying on spell checks - 18pc said they use this all the time, while a further 21pc said they rely on it most of the time.Fewer than one in 10 (9pc) said they never use a spell check.

The survey was commissioned to mark Mencap's Spellathon Championships, which take place this week.Mencap chief executive Mark Goldring said: "With over two thirds of Britons now having to rely on spell check, we are heading towards an auto-correct generation."This survey has highlighted that many Britons have a false impression about their spelling ability.

"Today's tough economic climate means that poor spelling on a CV is fatal, as it says that an individual cannot produce work to a given standard, no matter how highly qualified they might be. Language used by a company or person is a reflection of their attitude, capabilities and skill."

:: The ICM survey questioned 2,005 adults online between April 25-26.

THE BEST EXAM REVISION TOOL

THIS WEBSITE FILTERS ALL THE EXAM QUESTIONS UNDER VARIOUS TOPICS AND IS VERY USEFUL THIS TIME OF YEAR

www.studyclix.ie

Soliloquies in 'Hamlet' - a Wordle slideshow

http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/01966ddfa2

Revision of Hamlet

Alan Stanford essential study guide to the Shakespeare's Hamlet

(Click the link and they episodes are muddled up at the very bottom of the page!)
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_dramaonone.xml

Shakespeare and Hip-Hop

MOBO award winning Hip Hop artist Akala demonstrates and explores the connections between Shakespeare and Hip-Hop, and the wider cultural debate around language and it's power.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY

Adrienne Rich dies at 82; feminist poet and essayist

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-adrienne-rich-20120329,0,4258797.story

Shakespeare Vocabulary: More Hamlet Vocabulary

http://dynamo.dictionary.com/games/42999/shakespeare-vocabulary-more-hamlet-vocabulary/match

Paper One Leaving Cert-Topic of Corruption

After 15 years of investigation, the Mahon Report has exposed what it calls a "culture of rampant public corruption". Ian Kehoe examines the contents of the report and its findings and Paul Murphy reports specifically on the section of the report concerning former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and what lasting effect it will have on his legacy.
http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2012/0322/primetime.html#

Watch the video above keeping this exam question in mind

Write an article for a newspaper or magazine, outlining your vision of a better future. (LC2005)

Hamlet Revision Podcasts

http://www.sccenglish.ie/search/label/Hamlet%20Revision%20Podcasts

6th year useful links for composition

•Education  http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1139039

•Job Creation

•http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1140144

•Environment

•Cycle to work scheme & Dublin bikes http://www.independent.ie/health/health-news/real-life-the-chain-gang-1997652.html

•Irish Culture

•http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1141201 

The Isle is Full of Voices

Poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney in conversation with Olivia O'Leary as part of The Royal Irish Academy's 'Voices in the Ether: Irish Writing on the Radio' Conference which was recorded at St Anne's Church, Dawson Street on February 2nd, 2012 http://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A3232677%3A10366%3A19%2D03%2D2012%3A

How to Speak English Like the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! To help you get closer to your Irish heritage or simply celebrate as if you were Irish, I’ve asked Benny Lewis to help us speak English like the Irish.

How to Speak English Like the Irish

Benny is an Irish polyglot I met at BlogWorld who travels the globe while helping people learn new languages.

Why Do the Irish Speak Like That?

Despite there not really being a single Irish accent, there are commonalities that stem from a combination of factors, the most important being that just a few generations ago, “Irish Gaelic” (Gaeilge) was the dominant language of the country. Even though fewer people use Gaelic these days, its influence on their English is huge.

How to Sound Irish

English grammar is pretty consistent, but the standard spoken form in Ireland takes on a life of its own.

For example, rather than rely on "to have just done" for a recently completed action, we would say "to be after doing." For example, instead of saying “I’ve just found a Euro on the road!” an Irish speaker would say “I'm after finding a Euro on the road!”

Why Don’t the Irish Use “Yes” and “No”?

Another interesting influence from Irish Gaelic is its absolute lack of the words “yes” and “no,” so when our ancestors were speaking English as a second language, they would speak English as they would speak Gaelic--without these words!

Although international English influences mean young people do this less nowadays, a lot of us Irish still simply don't use these words. In the Irish language (and in other languages, like Thai, for example), the issue is resolved by simply repeating the verb of the question. Can you swim? I can! Do you like tomato juice? I don't. Are you coming? I amn't.

Amn’t

Yes you read that right: amn't. It’s a contraction of “am not.” This is one I'm surprised other English speakers don't use! You say “isn't,” “don't,” and “aren't.” “Amn’t” is logical if you ask me!

Singular and Plural “You”

Also, come on rest-of-the-English-speaking-world. One word word for both singular and plural “you”? What were ye (pronounced “yee”) thinking? Like pretty much every other language in the world, Irish Gaelic has a word for addressing one person (“tú”) [too] and a word for addressing a group of people (“sibh”) [shiv]. So when we speak English, we keep the handy separation. “We say “ye,” “yis,” or even “yous” (depending on the part of the country) to speak to a group of people, and “ya” to speak to one person.

What Are Some Irish Phrases?

How about some fun phrases?

Story? Don't give out about your man! Where's the yoke?

These are very common things you would hear from an Irish person, but sadly I've had to water down my English over the years to be understood when abroad and avoid such interesting words.

“Story?” or “What's the story?” Is a translation of the Irish “Aon scéal?” or “Cad é an scéal?”--where "story" means "news." In other words, “What's going on?” or “What's up?” It’s usually used as a greeting. The more rural of us prefer "How's she cuttin’?" (“She” being used in Ireland more than in other places for inanimate objects.)

“To give out” has nothing to do with distributing leaflets. This is from the Irish “tabhairt amach” and means “to complain.” This is another phrase that Irish people are always surprised to hear isn't international!

"Your man" is a nice avoidance technique for not using someone's name. It is usually clear from the context who you're taking about, and the "your" definitely can't be taken literally, he may have no connection whatsoever to you and even be a complete stranger (although a close friend is just as likely). If we’re talking about a woman, she’s “your one.” “Don’t give out about your one,” for example, if you’re telling someone to stop complaining about Lady Gaga.

“Yoke” is a synonym for "thing" and usually refers to something that we may not be too familiar with and don’t know the actual name of. It’s like “thingamajig” and “watchamacallit,” but we use it way more often.

Carryovers

Then, of course, there are Irish words that we use even when speaking English. The most famous of these is “craic,” which means "fun" or “enjoyment,” but is also used to ask how things are: “How's the craic?” “Any craic?”

The Lovely Accent

Our Irish accent is what really sets us apart from the pack though!

Other English speakers have this strange thing they do where they put their tongue between their teeth and blow a buff of air over the tongue. They call it the “th” sound.

We do away with that unpleasant noise in Ireland! To us, the “th” sound is simply replaced with a “t” (unvoiced) or a “d” (voiced). So do ya see de tirty tree and a tird trees over dere? Dat's roy! Sounds way better, doesn't it?

My friends across the pond (both the Atlantic and the Irish Sea) seem to love putting consonants together that never belonged next to one another in the first place--l and m, for example. How can you say these so quickly at the end of a word? It's totally unnecessary! So to us Irish, a film is pronounced “fill-um.” The Irish name Colm has two syllables, “Coll-um.”

Further, you end words in hard consonants! It's like an abrupt and unexpected car crash! Let's take things easy shall we? The “t” at the end of the word “right” is softened almost to a “sh” sound in the Emerald Isle, or even done away with altogether in North Dublin, and pronounced “roy.”

We also "ch" up our t's and "j" up our d's in certain words. So the second day of the week is “Chooseday”; a tube is a “choob.” “Due” (d-u-e) is pronounced just like “jew” (j-e-w).

And if you are spelling words for us, instead of imitating a pirate when you get to the 18th letter (aaaarrrrgh!), just say it like “or” please.

This article is only a small summary of the many differences between Irish English and other brands of English, but hopefully it explains why we Irish sound so charming when we speak. So, soften your consonants, "trow" away your 'th's, and stop giving out that you don't understand us.

                  

It’s no to newspapers but yes to TV and internet for the class of 2011

By Independent.ie reporters

Thursday October 20 2011

LESS than 10pc of secondary school students read newspapers and most access news from television and the internet, new research from the Central Statistics Office shows.
Just 9.4pc of students read newspapers compared to 39.5pc who access news on TV and 19.3pc who use the internet.

The most popular stories included celebrity, music/film and sport.

A total of 87pc of students have access to a computer, with 50pc owning their own computer. Half of all students surveyed have a games console.

Text messaging is the favoured form of communication among all teenagers with 44pc of girls and 36pc of boys opting to text rather than talk.

The majority of boys said PE was their favourite subject and listed the most popular football teams as Manchester United, Ireland , Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

A total of 7,211 secondary school students were interviewed for the survey which took place between August 2010 and June 2011.

- Independent.ie reporters

Why do we capitalize I?

Why do we capitalize the first-person pronoun, I?

The short answer is because we do. But that’s not a very satisfactory answer. Even though it feels natural to English speakers, capitalizing I is unusual. In fact, English is the only language that does. Germanic and Romantic languages typically have some conventions for capitalizing proper nouns, like Deutschland (in German) or Place de la Concorde (in French), but English is the only one that selfishly insists on capitalizing the personal pronoun. We do not, you will recall, even capitalize we.

Wondering why we capitalize letters at all?

It turns out that this unusual convention was a bit of an accident. In Old and Middle English, the word for “I” was closer to its German cousin, “ich,” and it was often spelled “ic.” At this point, the word was not capitalized. However, the pronunciation changed over time and so did the spelling, losing the consonant c.
At first, the new word, i, was left lowercase. However, it began to grow taller than other words. It grew for a silly reason: a single letter looks bad. Look at it: i. How sad. By the time Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the late 1300s, I, the personal pronoun, was slightly taller than its lowercase equivalent. From that point on, it was typically capitalized.
The only other accepted single-letter word in English, a, is a larger presence on the page. Its appearance isn’t as offensive as the thin i.

Today, though, some of us are regressing. In e-mails and instant message conversations, capitalization conventions are backsliding.

Do you think the capitalized I will go extinct?

When Mr. Brown Met Miss Fox: A Love Story

"When Mr. Brown Met Miss Fox: A Love Story" by Rich Russell was the first runner up in the 2011 National Grammar Day short story contest.


Quickly, Mr. Brown jumped ahead of Miss Fox in the queue. “Excuse you,” she huffed.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” Mr. Brown apologized. “I didn’t realize you were all ready in line.”
“Well, I was, and––did you say––did you just say ‘all ready’ as in two words, ‘all’ and then ‘ready’?”
"No, I mean––how would you know if I said already (one word) or all ready (two words)? And even if I did say all ready (two words), would it be so uncouth, seeing as how you were ready, all of you completely, to be in line, which I failed to realize––?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Miss Fox insisted, “but––I really think that only the adverb would do in such a case.”
“Well,” Mr. Brown began to acquiesce, “then I defer to you and your most exquisite attention to detail, Miss––Miss––?”
“Fox. Glossy is my first name. And some would call my attention to detail more my being a horrible stickler. I’m supposed to be trying to disabuse myself of the habit, actually. My boyfriend––my now ex-boyfriend used to say, ‘Glossy, why can’t you ever unwind? You won’t even let me split the occasional infinitive, even when we’re alone, even when it’s now perfectly acceptable. You’re so stuffy,’ he would tell me. And it wasn’t just him. I’ve lost a few friends because of my correcting instinct, Mr.––?”
“Gerund––I mean, Gerald. Brown. Gerald Brown is what I am called. And I think it’s charming, Miss Fox. Here, can I help you convey your groceries on to the check-out belt?”
Miss Fox smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Brown. I have always depended upon the kindness of––”
“Oh, I’m an accountant,” Mr. Brown offered. “A numbers man.”
“Well, I have always counted upon such kindness, then.”
“It’s quite alright, Miss Fox,” Mr. Brown said.
Glossy’s face pinched. The cashier began ringing up her purchases. A tense em-dash hung in the air between them––Miss Fox was the one to walk the tightrope.
“Sorry, I know I shouldn’t ask this,” Miss Fox began. “But did you say it’s quite alright?”
The boy behind the register stuck his head into one of the brown bags as he packaged up the purchases. Mr. Brown, a bit buffaloed by the call for clarification, conceded, “Yes, I did. I said, It’s quite alright.”
“Yes,” Miss Fox confirmed, handing over her bank card to the check-out boy, who looked like a scared little misplaced comma caught between two intractable independent clauses. “Well,” Glossy Fox continued, “I know that––I know that I shouldn’t ask this but, it sounded like––”
“Here it comes,” said the comma, handing back the bank card to the woman.
“It’s just that it sounded like you said alright as one word instead of two.”
“Yes, I did. I think alright as one word is very modern and efficient. Character space is at a premium these days, after all.”
“Hmm,” Miss Fox mused a moment. “I’m not sure that that is something I could ever put up with,” she said, maneuvering her cart out of the check-out lane.
Mr. Brown called out after her: “Are you just going to let that preposition hang there?!”
Miss Fox turned back, shaken; then, she smiled at him. “I should learn to appreciate the suspense,” she said, leaving the lazy dog to dangle.

English is easy

English is easy.....

1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) The farm was used to produce produce. 3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He was reading as the train sped through Reading 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time topresent the present. 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 10) I did not object to the object. 11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. 13) They were too close to the door to close it. 14) The buck does funny things when the does are present. 15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. 16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.. 19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

21) If the lead weight was removed the lead would be lighter

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig..

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?

You lovers of the English! language might enjoy this ...

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wakeUP ?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is itUP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can addUP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many waysUP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may windUP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for a while, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP,
so........it is time to shut UP!


You still think English is easy...?

Seamus Heaney

RTÉ celebrated Seamus Heaney's 70th birthday by broadcasting a  documentary on Heaney's life and work
Click here

Looking for a good book?

Looking for a good book? Then look no further!Here are some recommended reads for middle to late teenagers


Stig of the Dump, by Clive King (Puffin, £6·99)

When Barney falls down a dump the last thing he expects is to meet a cave boy. Stig was an eco-warrior before the term was invented. Sprightly, comic, classic.

Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild
(Puffin, £5·99)

Adopted sisters Posy, Pauline and Petrova Fossil train as a dancer, an actor and an aeroplane pilot. A bally treat.

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
(HarperCollins, £5·99)
The Witch of Waste puts Sophie under a spell. To break it, she must brave the castle of the Wizard Howl. Imaginative and terribly funny.
Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling
(Walker, £9·99)
Learn how the leopard got his spots and the camel his hump. And remember "The Elephant's Child" - whose "satiable suriosity" turns his "bulgy nose" into a trunk?
The Borrowers, by Mary Norton
(Puffin, £6·99)
First published in 1953, this remains a deserved favourite. The Clock family live beneath a floorboard, making do with what "human beans" drop, until one day one of them allows herself to be seen…
Struwwelpeter, by Heinrich Hoffman
(Dover, £6·99)
These pungent 1840 morality tales are not to be taken literally: in one, a boy gets his thumbs chopped off.
The Magic Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton
(Egmont, £5·99)
Jo, Bessie and Fanny climb to the top of a magical tree, above which are endlessly circulating worlds: the Land of Birthdays, or, more unluckily, of Dame Slap.
Danny, the Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl
(Puffin, £5·99)
Danny and his hard-up father bond over poaching pheasants from nasty Mr Hazell's land - before moral dues are paid.
George's Marvellous Medicine, by Roald Dahl
(Puffin, £4·99)
To cure his grumpy grandmother, George Kranky concocts a medicine from shaving foam, sheep dip, engine oil and brown paint. Granny grows huge. The ending is dark even for Dahl.
Underwater Adventure, by Willard Price
(Red Fox, £4·99)
Willard Price invented zoologist brothers Hal and Roger Hunt to get children interested in nature. Underwater Adventure takes them into shark-infested seas. Some sharks are human.
Tintin in Tibet, by Hergé
(Mammoth, £6·99)
After Tintin reads of a plane crash in the Himalayas, he dreams his friend Chang has survived. Uniquely, there are no villains - just a tender yeti and acres of snow.
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
(Chronicle, £11·99)
Sourced from medieval German folktales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century, these sanguinary stories deal with abduction, cannibalism and worse.
Erik the Viking, by Terry Jones, illustrated by Michael Foreman
(Puffin, £5·99)
Erik tells his wife that he must go to "the land where the sun goes at night"; off he travels on an atmospheric adventure, terrifically illustrated.
When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs
(Penguin, £7·99)
Jim and Hilda Bloggs's preparation for a nuclear attack remains enthralling. First comic, then moving.
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by TS Eliot
(Faber & Faber, £4·99)
This delightful collection of verse sees cat-loving Eliot capering about with his trousers rolled. A perfect introduction to the pleasures of poetry for children.
The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes
(Faber & Faber, £4·99)
Since it appeared in 1968, the late Poet Laureate's children's book has become a classic. Benign iron bloke falls from sky, battles space-bat-angel-dragon, saves world. Bliss.
The Owl and the Pussycat, by Edward Lear
(Corgi, £5·99)
Edward Lear's bizarre story of inter-species elopement and gastronomic adventure still charms and diverts. Runcible.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
(Egmont, £5·99)
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." But reading about Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger runs it a close second.
The Worst Witch Collection, by Jill Murphy
(Puffin, £16·99)
Before Harry Potter there was Mildred Hubble, the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. A tale of flying broomsticks, rivalries and magical pedagogy.
Peter Pan, by JM Barrie
(Puffin, £4·99)
JM Barrie's Neverland adventures were first performed as a play, and later turned into a novel. Clap your hands if you believe.
Mr Majeika, by Humphrey Carpenter
(Puffin, £4·99)
Mr Majeika, with his tuft of hair, is ever ready to cast spells on unruly pupils - most notably Hamish Bigmore, whose rudeness gets him changed into a frog. Charming and funny in equal measure.
The Water Babies, by Charles Kinglsey
(Wordswoth, £1·99)
Tom the sweep drowns after being chased from a rich household and falls into a sub-aquatic purgatory. But once he proves his worth he is allowed wonderful adventures.
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
(Wordsworth, £1·99)
Seven-year-old Sara Crewe is sent back from India to Miss Minchin's Seminary for Young Ladies in England, to discover she has lost her fortune to a swindler and her father to disease. A stirring tale.
I'm The King of the Castle, by Susan Hill
(Penguin, £7·99)
A powerful and claustrophobic study of bullying, this has a real narrative grip and a frightening message. No reader remains untouched.
The Wave, by Morton Rhue
(Penguin, £5·99)
Teacher Ben Ross doesn't think his students understand what it was like to live in Nazi Germany, so he devises an experiment. A powerful story about the risks of conformism.
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
(Oxford, £14·99)
Pippi is impulsive, irrepressible, red-haired and so strong you won't believe it. Her bizzare adventures delight children and confound health and safety.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
(Puffin, £5·99)
Charlie Bucket's adventures in Willy Wonka's factory - the chocolate rivers, the minia-tuarisation room, the Oompa Loompas - will live for ever.
Bambert's Book of Missing Stories, by Reinhardt Jung
(Egmont, £4 ·99)
Shy Bambert sends his half-written stories into the world attached to balloons for whoever finds them to finish. Stories come back from all over the world, and the final story is heartbreaking.
The Firework-maker's Daughter, by Philip Pullman
(Corgi, £4·99)
Lila's father doesn't want her to follow his career in fireworks so she must prove herself on an epic quest that takes in dragons and pirates.
Tom's Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce
(Oxford, £5·99)
As Tom lies in bed preparing for the most boring holiday of his life, the clock strikes 13. Racing downstairs he sees daylight and a beautiful garden where there should be darkness. Incredibly exciting.
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
(HarperCollins, £5·99)
A bored young boy pushes his toy car through a toy tollbooth, and finds himself in the kingdom of Wisdom. Genius wordplay, slapstick and a real sense of fun.
The Silver Sword, by Ian Serrallier
(Red Fox, £4·99)
Just after the Second World War, a group of children navigate war-torn Europe armed with little more than a letter opener. Tense, demanding and adult.
Cue for Treason, by Geoffrey Trease
(Puffin, £5·99)
After Peter Brownrigg chucks a stone at his landlord, he has to flee to London. Here he meets Shakespeare and uncovers a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth. Tudor derring-do.
The Sword in the Stone, by TH White
(HarperCollins, £6·99)
The trials of Arthur have never been more amusingly described. Merlin is the archetype for all dotty wizards.
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K LeGuin
(Puffin, £5·99)
LeGuin's fantasy lands are scrupulously realised, but it is emotional complexity that makes her books so engrossing. Here a young wizard has to come to terms with the destructive power of his magic.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by JK Rowling
(Bloomsbury, £5·99)
The third book may be the best in JK Rowling's series. All the usual Potter tricks are here, but the highlight is the Dementors, the terrifying guards of Azkaban prison.
The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set, by CS Lewis
(Collins, £49·99)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe isn't the only Narnia story worth reading. The Silver Chair is a powerful allegory of mental slavery; and Voyage of the Dawn Treader sees a talking mouse paddle over the edge of the world.
His Dark Materials Box Set, by Philip Pullman
(Scholastic, £22)
Pullman's riposte to CS Lewis is a trumpet-blast against dogma - but, above all else, a gripping adventure.
The BFG, by Roald Dahl
(Puffin, £5·99)
At the witching hour, a giant blows sweet dreams into children's bedrooms. When orphan Sophie sees him one night, he takes her to his cave. Beware whizzpoppers!
Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome
(Red Fox, £7·99)
Childcare used to be a bit less hands on ("Better drowned than duffers. If not duffers won't drown") and one cannot read the adventures of these four children in a lost Eden without a lump in the throat.
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, by Lauren Child
(Orchard Books, £7·99)
At first glance one for the girls, but boys should read it too. Over the series Clarice has matured from an infant with a quirky vocabulary into a complex, engaging teenager.
The Railway Children, by E Nesbit
(Oxford, £8)
When their father is accused of treason, Bobbie, Peter, Phyllis and their mother move to the country. They pass the time watching trains go by and proving their father innocent, which is nice.
The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde
(Puffin, £5·99)
Wilde's giant wants to keep children out of his garden so that he can have it to himself. But it stays shrouded in snow until one day, when the giant's hard heart is softened by one of the boys…
Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell
(Puffin Classics, £4.99)
One of the greatest books ever narrated by a horse, with a fine message: be kind to animals, and they'll be kind to you.
Just William, by Richmal Crompton
(Macmillan, £5·99)
The classic naughty schoolboy, William wages a gentle war of attrition against parental and teacherly authority.
Jennings Goes to School, by Anthony Buckeridge
(House of Stratus, £6.99)
Catapults, grazed knees, and mischief of the best sort. Hogwarts may have revived our appetite for boys-school stories, but Jennings was there first.
Comet in Moominland, by Tove Jansson
(Puffin, £4·99)
Moomin is a peculiar fellow, but through him and his equally peculiar friends the Finnish author Tove Jansson explores the big issues: friendship, alienation, fear, loss and meteors from outer space.
The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket
(Egmont Books, £6·99)
This magnificently black-hearted book introduced us to the Baudelaire children, orphaned in a fire and trying to keep one step ahead of the predatory Count Olaf, who is after their inherited fortune.

Link to Written Word Supplement in the Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/the-irish-independent-presents-the-written-word-2529878.html

Bottoms up for books in schools?

SCHOOLBOOKS could soon be a thing of the past. Technology giant Microsoft has teamed up with publisher CJ Fallon to use 'cloud computing' to deliver textbooks on a computer.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/textbook-revolution-on-way-3015867.html

Personal" Versus "Personnel

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/personal-versus-personnel.aspx

Need help with grammar?

This is the best english blog I've ever seen! Any grammatical question can be quickly solved with grammar girl!
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Teacher's recommend books

Mr. Connely recently read 'Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twaine and says he really enjoyed it!

Miss O'Sullivan is half way through 'The Hare with the Amber Eyes' by Edmund de Waal and really enjoys the blend of infomative and discriptive writing. An unusal book that leaves her longing for the past!

Free graphic novels

http://free-online-novels.com/graphic.html
above is link to graphic novels

The language is aimed at kids with below average reading age but the content was more targeted at their actual age. They are excellent books, particularly for boys. Might be worth taking a look at.