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jcsp juniorcertific at eschoolprogramme newsletter issue 5 september 2007 see inside stars read make a book 2007 welcome initiatives 2007 resources and materials competition

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launch of stars read reading campaign on 30th april last there was great excitement in croke park not because there was on all ireland about to kick off but because jcsp was about to witness the launch of the stars read campaign by an taoiseach bertie ahern featuring five of the nationally best known gaa stars jerry mccarthy eoin kelly an taoiseach bertie ahern seán kelly bernie kiely and aideen cassidy ciarán whelan member of the dublin senior football team who is an outstanding midfield player and a leader on the pitch came to represent the players at the launch eoin kelly is a member of the tipperary senior hurling team and a dynamic and prolific score-getter making him one of the most exciting forwards to have ever played hurling he is a past pupil of a jcsp school scoil ruain in killenaule who were well represented at the launch eoin also came to the launch to represent the players colm cooper is a member of the kerry senior football team and widely regarded as being one the greatest gaa players ever henry shefflin is a member of the kilkenny senior hurling team hurler of the year in 2006 and already considered to be one of the greats of hurling confirmed by the team s recent win seán Óg o halpín is member of the cork senior hurling team one of the famous o halpíns and has been a successful dual player for cork and for his club na piarsaigh all these great players have given so generously of their time to encourage others to reach their dreams all heros for the students both boys and girls |2 jcsp newsletter

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ann gribbon synge st ann-marie everiston palmerstown sr anne navan an taoiseach mr bertie ahern addressing guests mary o hanlon aileen o sullivan paul mcdonnell isabel baker heather keane cork eoin kelly jim windsor mcglynn banagher/ciarán whelan,gerry barry limerick maria allen ted o mahony limerick suzanne barrett new ross clare kinsella gorey maeve waters limerick eoin kelly with jcsp school librarians issue 5 september 2007 |3|

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sports stars read is part of the wider stars read project sport stars read a collaborative project between the junior certificate school programme gaelic athletic association and the limerick school of art and design college/lit many jcsp students regularly attend gaa games and list inter-county players as their sporting heroes the highprofile of gaelic games among students led the jcsp support service to consider how these stars could be part of a campaign to recognise and celebrate positive role models for reading some sporting heroes were approached and invited to participate in the project to produce a set of posters and other resources using the players images to emphasise and highlight the importance of engaging with reading to support successful learning in schools the aim of the project is to increase awareness of the benefits of reading for pleasure and recreation recognise and celebrate the work of sporting stars as reading role models change negative perceptions and overturn the myths associated with reading eoin kelly ciarán whelan and adrian byrne with students from limerick s school of art and design elevate the status of reading for pleasure support schools that value reading disseminate good practice for promoting reading for pleasure many thanks to the gaelic athletic association its former president seán kelly and all the players who participated namely seán Óg o halpín cork eoin kelly tipperary henry shefflin kilkenny colm cooper kerry and ciarán whelan dublin also thanks to the limerick school of art and design/lit s graphic design department course co-ordinator adrian byrne and final year students ivor gillian eric iorna billy and mandy who undertook the project as part of their client project assignment the students worked in collaboration with fiona richardson and jerry mc carthy of the jcsp support service |4 jcsp newsletter

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sudents day out at launch of stars read campaign students from coláiste chathail naofa dungarvan co waterford and scoil ruain killenaule co tipperary travelled to dublin to meet a select number of gaa stars who participated in the junior certificate school programme stars read campaign and also the taoiseach mr bertie ahern for the students of scoil ruain it was a very exciting and proud day as they arrived to meet their hurling hero and former student of their school eoin kelly the students from coláiste chathail naofa wearing waterford jerseys following on from waterford s magnificent league win the previous day were congratulated by members of the public along route including some kilkenny cats we were made feel like vips on arriving at croke park we were greeted by former gaa president mr seán kelly our presence was requested for a photo shoot with the taoiseach mr bertie ahern a large media presence awaited the taoiseach s arrival after his announcement that weekend of the date for the forthcoming election tv3 s television cameras captured mr ahern shaking hands with us and we featured on its evening news slots we were then asked to stand in again with the taoiseach alongside the jcsp team and gaa players dublin s ciarán whelan and tipperary s eoin kelly student reporting before lunching in the ash suite the students visited the gaa museum where much was discovered on gaa past and present from the ash suite the students could step out onto the hogan stand and take in the size and magnificence that is croke park the students did the school and their families proud at this memorable event display of signed jerseys students from coláiste chathail naofa with eoin kelly ann o donnell jcsp co-ordinator and jane o loughlin jcsp school librarian students from scoil ruain and coláiste chathail naofa with jason sherlock eoin kelly and ciarán whelan ciarán whelan with student from coláiste chathail naofa issue 5 september 2007 |5|

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jcsp initiatives 2007 ­ 2008 since 1997 schools participating in the junior certificate school programme have enhanced their students experience of the junior cycle through the use of initiatives the initiatives programme provides schools with support to run and measure the effectiveness of innovative teaching strategies the evolution of jcsp initiatives during the past ten years and the documented impact of these on students and teachers alike reflect the range of elements considered to be integral to developing a culture of life-long learning the jcsp initiatives offer teachers the opportunity to adapt or devise teaching strategies that entail active learning and that focus on whole child development the procedure built into the programme whereby teachers review the process of conducting initiatives and disseminate their findings through evaluation reports and inservice seminars has created a jcsp knowledge network that encompasses supports and provides for students teachers and schools as well as for the wider community in recent years the concept of adolescent literacy has been identified and investigated as a key to ensuring positive educational outcomes and addressing social exclusion adolescent literacy is seen as crucial because to participate fully in society and the workplace in 2020 citizens will need powerful literacy abilities that until now have been achieved by only a small percentage of the population being literate in contemporary society means being active critical and creative users not only of print and spoken language but also of the visual language vacca 1998 p.5 research has shown that traditionally the focus of pedagogical concern has been on early childhood and adult literacy with active reading education ending at the primary school level bean and readence 2002 damico 2005 groso de leon 2002 moje 2002 since 1998 the jcsp as an integral component of its whole school approach to literacy has supported the creation evolution and expansion of initiatives that directly address the literacy needs of students the impact of established jcsp literacy initiatives such as the reading challenge readalong and who wants to be a word millionaire is evident not only in students improved reading test results but also by the number of schools that continue to use and develop these interventions from year to year the scope for a creative approach to general literacy is illustrated by the array of new jcsp initiatives that schools have been encouraged to try this year including drop everything and read and digital storytelling in jcsp the development of literacy skills is coupled with empowering children to become numerate the importance of addressing numeracy is highlighted not only by the extensive range of everyday life activities that require calculation skills but also by the evidence of an increasing rate of developmental dyscalculia in schools throughout europe shalev auerbach manor and gross-tsur 2000 jcsp numeracy interventions offer a variety of strategies for developing students numeracy based on the position that arithmetical and numerical knowledge can only be achieved through the balanced integration of procedural and conceptual knowledge baroody 2003 resnick 1982 van lehn 1990 research suggests that an informal approach to numerical concepts and procedures results in more effective learning copley 1999 nunes 1992 mathematical games and active instructional interventions components of the jcsp numeracy initiatives have been shown to have a range of benefits including increasing children s motivation supporting positive attitudes towards mathematics allowing student s to try new strategies and stimulating logical reasoning blum and yocum 1996 de la cruz cage and lian 2000 quinn koca and weening 1992 while the critical emphasis on literacy and numeracy is demonstrated in the development of specific initiatives the jcsp s whole school approach philosophy is evidenced in the wealth of cross-curricular and subject specific initiatives that are taking place in schools throughout the country initiatives as varied as christmas celebration trips to an art gallery physical education initiatives and samba music are being developed and personalised by teachers to impact not only on student s academic outcomes but on their holistic long-term development the opportunity provided by these initiatives for students to engage directly in an active learning experience contributes to both their selfesteem and self-efficacy the long-term benefits of developing these areas are clear in that children s beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning activities and to master difficult subject matters affect their academic motivation interest and scholastic achievement bandura barbaranelli caprara and pastorelli 1996 p 1206 research in child development has shown that the strength of a child s efficacy beliefs will determine the extent of their occupational aspirations the degree of effort they will invest in developing an educational basis to pursue a range of careers as well as the effort and success of their academic work betz and hackett 1986 lent brown and hackett 1994 the jcsp students who traditionally would have had limited chances in school to gain beliefs in their own abilities are by taking part in initiatives able to explore their individual potential set and achieve personal goals and in so doing perhaps gain an enhanced vision of their own membership in an inclusive knowledge society |6 jcsp newsletter

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jcsp initiatives 2006 ­ 2007 this year we are delighted to be able to offer schools the widest range of initiatives yet the more established initiatives such as readalong and paired reading continue to grow in strength while new and innovative initiatives are continually being developed a full listing is provided to jcsp co-ordinators at the start of the school year schools can now apply on-line ­ jcsp@iol.ie for the following initiatives schools can only apply for a maximum of eight initiatives and the christmas celebration schools will be informed of the initiatives they are successful in getting initiatives will be granted based on the proposal and are subject to funding being available new schools are confined to a number of particular setting up initiatives have you returned your evaluations from last year if not please let the support service know if the initiative is still underway however if the initiative is finished please do return the initiative evaluation on ­ line if you have not already done so remember it will affect your successful application for initiative this year so go on ­ line to get in line subject specific initiatives gaeilge irish morning schools host an irish morning simulation simulating real life eg village street etc gives opportunity for practicing irish gaeltacht jcsp students turn their school/class into a gaeltacht or visit a gaeltacht region software software purchased for use with jcsp students in the irish department ceili host a ceili with a snack shop `as gaeilge storytelling bilingual storytelling with an outside storyteller seanachaí bodhrán initiative combining music and irish cultural studies disposible camera initiative gaeilge student photos to generate interest in creative writing and project work in irish bodhran ­ kylemore college english english ­ pen pal can be used with english statement no.8 and theletter writing workbook english jcsp readathon a day s celebration promotion of reading for pleasure english disposable camera initiative schools can use the student photos to generate interest in creative writing and project work in english readathon issue 5 september 2007 |7|

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literacy initiatives story-telling ­ st tiernan s community school balally dublin reading interventions who wants to be a word millionaire a short-term reading intervention which challenges a class group of jcsp students to engage in recreational reading at home with the support of their parents and to collectively read a total of one million words support materials are provided to schools who wants to be a word millionaire top up initiative enables schools to acquire additional reading materials to repeat the initiative reading challenge initiative a short-term reading intervention developed by a jcsp school co-ordinator students are challenged to read a book a week for six weeks parental involvement is an element of this intervention reading challenge motivates students to read and review books they also track their reading and are awarded for successfully meeting the reading challenge support materials are provided also reading challenge top up readalong initiative a short-term reading intervention where students read while listening to the book being read on tape or cd students can also review the books and track their reading support materials are provided also readalong top up paired reading initiative a short-term reading intervention student reading is supported by a tutor paired reading runs 3 to 4 times a week for six weeks a paired reading initiative can work where jcsp students act as tutors to a primary school class or senior cycle students are reading tutors for a jcsp class or parents work with students as tutors support materials are provided also paired reading top up paired reading |8 jcsp newsletter

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reading programme in the english classrooms initiative for this initiative schools are asked to consider the most appropriate reading laboratory e.g sra and to use it outside of the learning support context with a first year jcsp class group schools run a six week programme using a reading laboratory resource aimed at accelerating reading and providing students with a regular opportunity to read at their own level and track their progress keyword initiative students are challenged to learn keywords and key spellings across subject areas support materials are provided spelling challenge subject teachers interested offer students a challenge in order to motivate the learning process spelling journals are available for the challenge author in residence initiative this programme would particularly focus on creative writing skills development where an author would work for a period of time with a group of students schools could link with poetry ireland writers in schools residencies scheme storytelling storytelling with an outside storyteller seanachaí who will introduce the art of storytelling drop everything and read dear promoting reading across the whole school or year group at a set time everyday for a week everyone reads together digital storytelling and oral language development everyone has a story to tell digital storytelling revolves around the idea of combining telling stories with any of a variety of available multimedia tools digital stories are short films made by students using computers and photographs drawings sound etc the short film/video can be created by an individual or group of students book reviews students given book tokens and supported in buying books to be reviewed general literacy initiatives this will allow schools to come up with their own imaginative response to the literacy difficulties that they are encountering among their students end of year clebration ­ inver college new schools literecy project drop everything and read dear primary picture books jcsp students link with a primary school class and choose an appropriate picture book to read to the students reading corners this initiative can be used to create a classroom reading corner bean bags and walkmans could be a feature of the classroom reading corner issue 5 september 2007 |9|

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numeracy initiatives numeracy ­ arklow community college co wicklow paired maths initiative the paired maths initiative provides opportunities for schools to develope a framework for linking fifth year/ty students with jcsp students to support the development and enhancement of mathematical and numerical competencies among jcsp students maths games initiative this initiative provides opportunities for teachers to source and acquire maths games and/or maths activity packs make your own opoly initiative using and adapting the make your own opoly starter pack which is based on the monopoly boardgame teachers can construct and develop their own boardgames to generate interest in maths make your own opoly ­ firhouse community college dublin cross aged paired maths initiative the establishment and implementation of a cross-aged paired maths programme make your own opoly ­ firhouse community college dublin general numeracy initiative enables schools to acquire and use age-appropriate experiential resources and games in mathematics and numeracy 10 jcsp newsletter

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flash master maths initiative flashmaster maths initiative this initiative introduces a new piece of maths equipment that has been used successfully in the states for a number of years the flashmaster is a handheld device that looks like a calculator but does much more it allows students to practise their maths facts multiplication tables division tables addition flash master maths initiative tables and subtraction tables in a fun way students can set goals for speed and accuracy at different levels in any of the 4 table areas teachers can monitor and customise the flashmaster to practise particular skills or revisit special problem areas the flashmaster can be set to `remember the areas that cause difficulty developing the arts initiatives samba music in a cross curricular initiative students learn to perform samba music and participate in a crosscurricular project related to brazil and/or carnival trip to an art gallery aims to enrich the students artistic and aesthetic education in a stimulating and inspiring environment where they are allowed to interact with and respond to works of art drama or dance initiative schools look to local or regional drama and dance groups who offer workshops to schools in areas such as performance improvisation mime clowning dance and movement storytelling etc samba ­ larkin college dublin issue 5 september 2007 11 |

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jcsp make a co-ordination initiatives team building initiative developing profiling meetings and the cross-curricular dimensions of the jcsp jcsp student folder photographs co-ordinators purchase a photo printer and cartridges for jcsp student and teacher use this adds an exciting dimension to student folder work and displays of students work modern language modern languages initiative purchase of relevant software magazine or website subscriptions/materials modern languages camera initiative schools can use the student photos to generate interest in creative writing and project work in a modern language home economics/materials technology wood materials technology metal developing creative approaches to the teaching of these subjects to jcsp students humanities ­ geography/history /ess projects developing creative approaches to the teaching of these subjects to jcsp students general twinning with another school includes a joint collaboration on a cross curricular project christmascelebration ­ jobstown study skills and guidance initiative developing study skills and transfer programmes christmas celebration this enables jcsp students their parents and teachers to join in a celebration field trip initiative students to work on a field trip statement in geography history science or ess physical education pe initiative students complete statement 6 for physical education by participating in one of the following activities hill walking canoeing rock climbing orienteering sailing or windsurfing science science initiative developing creative approaches to the teaching of science to jcsp students fieldtriptotheburren ­ salesian secondary school limerick subject topic boxes topic books and resources related to individual subject areas are gathered project box only available for new schools the jcsp project box is a very useful and practical initiative schools put together a box of materials ­ markers/pritt stick pencils paper clips staplers etc to support the students in their various projects science ­ colaiste mhuire co kilkenny 12 jcsp newsletter

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a book 2007 student exhibits 13 jcsp newsletter

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jcsp make a

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a book 2007

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