Gwersi Cymraeg i staff!

Even your teachers are learning Welsh! Every Thursday after school, staff from all around the school come to the Welsh Department to learn Welsh. Staff are starting out with the basics - pronunciation, days of the week, the weather and basic conversation. They're doing a fantastic job so far, and would love to be able to practice their new skills with you! So if you see them around the school - SIARADWCH GYMRAEG! And tell them how bendigedig they are!

Beth weithiodd i chi? What worked for you?

What would be your suggestions for revision for pupils sitting their GCSE exams next year? What did you feel went well, or what would you have done differently if you had your time again?

What are your top ten 'wow' phrases? 

Final round of Spelling Bee - new words released

The countdown has begun for the final round of Spelling Bee, which will be held on the 19th of July in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

Manou Davies, who won the South Wales Regional Final of Spelling Bee, will be representing the school.

For the final 50 words that need to be learnt for the final click here.

Pob lwc Manou!

Get access to your GCSE resources ANYWHERE!

You can now get access to your GCSE Course Books and Revision Guides anywhere by visiting the Welsh Department Dropbox! Just click HERE to see all the resources you'll need for your course. We'll update it regularly, but if there's anything you need - let your Welsh teacher know.

Buzzing after Spelling Success

Llongyfarchiadau i Manou Davies am ennill rownd rhanbarthol De Cymru o'r gystadleuaeth Spelling Bee!

Congratulations to Manou Davies for winning the South Wales regional competition of Spelling Bee!

Lowri Williams, Sarah Jones and Manou Davies from year 7 represented the school at the competition held in Llanelli this afternoon.

For the Spelling Bee challenge pupils have 60 seconds to translate as many English words into Welsh as possible and then spell them - not an easy task. As well as Welsh, there was also a French, German and Spanish competition.

Manou won two heats before winning the final stage of the competition beating off stiff competition from pupils from Cardiff High School, Howells School and John Beddoes School. As regional winner she received a trophy as well as a cup which she'll keep for a year. She will be competing in the National Final in the summer. Pob lwc!

To watch Manou's Regional Final winning performance click here.

Manou Davies, Lowri Williams and Sarah Jones celebrating their success

Manou alongside winners of the French, German and Spanish competitions.

Mrs Ellis with Sarah, Manou and Lowri at Bryngwyn School, Llanelli.

Sesiwn Adolygu Uned 3

Daeth grwp o ddisgyblion Blwyddyn 10 ac 11 i sesiwn adolygu ar ol yr ysgol ar gyfer yr arholiad llafar grwp. Mae'r arholiadau'n dechrau wythnos nesa! Pob lwc!

Wyt ti'n cytuno? 3

Have a look at this opinion, it's about Cadw'n Heini (Keeping Fit). What other topics could you bring into your response? Leave a comment to let us know what YOU think!

Help!
llond bol   a guts full
cwyno       to complain
gwersi      lessons

Click 'read more' to see the comments and to add your own comment.

Arholiadau Llafar Grwp/Group Speaking Exams

GCSE Group Speaking Exams start on Monday 22 April! See your Welsh teacher to find out the exact date and time of your exam. Remember - this exam is worth a whopping 25% of your final GCSE grade! See your Welsh teacher if you need help with revision. Pob lwc!

Revision Tip 6 - Teach it

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...

Revision Tip 6 - TEACH IT

If you are feeling really brave, try and teach a topic to someone. This is the best way of finding out if you really know what your're talking about or if you understand how something works. This can be a really effective way of revising!What about teaching your Mam all the different ways to express opinions in Welsh? I'm sure your Dad would love to be able to speak in the past tense! Give it a go and let us know how you get on with a comment below! Pob lwc!

Revision Tip 5 - Mnemonics

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...

Revision Tip 5 - MNEMONICS

A Mnemonic is a word or phrase that you create to help you remember a list. For example you could use the phrase ‘3 OAPs’ to remind you to include 3rd Person, Opinions, Ambitious Patterns and Past Tense in your writing! You can create mnemonics to remember a list of important past tense sentence patterns, or link words/discussion words that you want to include. Use these mnemonics as a checklist in your exams!
 

Creating mnemonics is a great way of making sure you say/write what you want to - without missing anything out. Have a go at creating some mnemonics and tell us what they are by leaving a comment below! Pob lwc!

Spelling Bee - rownd 3

Mae disgyblion blwyddyn 7 Ysgol Gyfun Y Bont Faen yn cymryd rhan yng nghystadleuaeth cenedlaethol 'Spelling Bee'. Gall rieni helpu disgyblion i ddysgu sillafu'r 50 gair nesaf.

Cliciwch ar y tab Dolenni / Links uchod i glywed yr wyddor Gymraeg.

Year 7 pupils at Cowbridge Comprehensive School are taking part in the national 'Spelling Bee' competition. Parents can help pupils learn to spell the next 50 words.

Click on the tab Dolenni / Links above to hear the Welsh alphabet.

Before you start learning the next 50 words, test yourself on the first 100 words by clicking here to try the fruit machine.

To test yourself on all 150 words click here for the fruit machine.

Revision Tip 4 - Target Setting

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...

Revision Tip 4 - TARGET SETTING

It helps to have something to aim for, so you could allow yourself a target for how much you want to revise over a certain time and allow yourself a treat when you have achieved this. The best targets are SMART targets:

S pecific - set the actual topic for your revision.
M easurable- measure your progress towards your goal.
A ction- break down your study goal into specific tasks.
R ealistic- Don’t set goals you’re unlikely to achieve.
T ime- always study tasks in plenty of time for the deadline.
SPECIFIC

• Choose one topic to revise at a time.
• Use past papers and get your answers marked by your teacher. These will help you get used to the type of question or task the exam requires.

MEASURABLE

• Split your revision into 20 minute manageable chunks. Don’t try to do too much in one go.
• Set a time scale to complete the revision topic and have a reward waiting at the end of it.
• Include revision into your daily routine. This will make it fit into your day and give you a space to do it in.

ACTION 

• Set a target of what you want to achieve from your revision session.
• Have fun with your revision!
• Have a revision checklist - write down what you want to do and cross it off when you’ve done it.

REALISTIC

• Plan your revision for when you know you will do it. There’s no point writing on your plan that you will revise on Sunday morning when you know you’ll still be in bed!
• Revision needs to be a balance between working and relaxing.

TIME

• Plan enough time to revise everything before the exams. Effective revision isn’t cramming it all in the night before the exam and hoping it’ll stick.
• Do some practice papers in exam conditions, so you get used to how long it’ll take.
• Take breaks! All work and no play is just no fun.

Nos Sul - gwyliwch Gwaith/Cartref

Peidiwch ag anghofio i wylio cyfres newydd Gwaith/Cartref nos Sul.

Don't forget to watch the new series of Gwaith/Cartref Sunday night.

Eisteddfod Success - Llwyddiant yn yr Eisteddfod

Llongyfarchiadau mawr i bawb a gystadlodd yn Eisteddfod yr Urdd bore ma!

A huge congratulations to everybody who took part in the Urdd Eisteddfod today. Tomos Petty from year 7 and Ellie Aston from year 8 competed in the individual reciting. They both performed a Welsh poem entitled 'A gymri di Gymru?' which asks 'Do you accept Wales as it is?'. They interpreted the words wonderfully and received a warm round of applause from the audience. Ellie Aston won third prize - da iawn ti Ellie!





A group of year 9 pupils took part in the group reciting competition. They recited a poem about the Urdd camp, Glanllyn, where pupils can take part in all kinds of outdoor pursuits. After weeks of rehearsing they recreated the atmosphere of fun and laughter that pupils experience in Glanllyn! Each one of them played their part and we couldn't have asked for more from them. Da iawn! However, Howells School won the competition and they will be going through to compete in the National Urdd Eisteddfod.

All the pupils had a wonderful experience and were a credit to the school. Da iawn i chi i gyd.

Revision Tip 3 - Recording Yourself

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...

Revision Tip 3 - RECORDING YOURSELF

Some people find it very useful, especially for speaking exams, to record themselves talking about a topic on their phones and listen to it as often as the can! On the bus, in the shower, on the way to school - anywhere! This technique will definately get those sentence patterns stuck in your head!

Give it a go! Leave us a comment to let us know how you got on. Pob lwc!

Revision Tip 2 - Chunking

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...


 Revision Tip 2 - CHUNKING

Arrange your revision sessions into 20-45 minute chunks. The length of each chunk will depend on how difficult the topic is – if it’s difficult you’ll probably need more breaks to make sure your brain has time to absorb the information. Don’t force yourself to work for long periods of time without a break – you won’t work effectively! (Although sometimes you might find that you are really involved in the work and you can keep going for longer without a break – if that’s the case, then make the most of it and carry on!)

The diagrams below show why you make better use of your time if you arrange your revision into smaller chunks of time. The highest levels of concentration and brain activity are at the beginning and end of each revision session. Brain energy is higher then – it tends to slump in the middle of each session.
 

 

If you revise for 1 hour – your brain is working at its best twice (at the beginning and the end of the session). But if you chunk your revision into 3 x 20 minute sessions your brain will be working at its best six times!

 

Try it! Leave a comment to tell us if it worked for you! Pob lwc!

 

 

 

Revision Tip 1 - Mind Maps

Revising can be difficult (and boring!) - but it's really important. Sitting down for ages and reading over your notes might not be the most effective way of revising, so what are your options when it comes to preparing for exams? Here are some ideas...

Revision Tip 1 - MIND MAPS

Mind Maps are a great tool for visualising, developing and remembering topics. The best mind Maps are CLEAR, COLOUR-CODED, include PICTURES. Look at the advice below:

Start off with a central topic (Leisure Time, Celebrating, Family and Friends etc.) or idea (Expressing Opinions, Using the  3rd Person, Talking in the Past Tense etc.).Use the branches to develop your topic (thinking about what you have to do in the exam to get the grades you want). Think about QUESTIONS you want to ask, INFORMATION you want to give (e.g. When? Where? With who? etc.), OPINIONS you want to express, REASONS for your opinions, what you did recently using the PAST TENSE and so on. You may find it usseful to use the questions from your Green Course Book to form the branches with possible answers coming off.

Below are examples of 2 excellent Mind Maps used to revise the topics Amser Hamdden and Cadw'n Heini. They are detailed and clear - Warren would have no problem talking in depth about these topics.


Mindmap - Warren Ryland Yr.10

Here are some more revision tips in the form of a Mind Map!

Mind Maps are a really effective way of revising topics for speaking exams. If you need help creating yours - see your Welsh teacher. They'll be able to give you a hand.  Leave a comment below to let us know how you get on. Pob lwc!

Enillwyr y Gystadleuaeth Ffotograffyddiaeth/Winners of the Photography Competition

LLONGYFARCHIADAU/CONGRATULATIONS to our very talented winners!

Here are some of the amazing photographs taken by Yr 7, 8 and 9.


1st Place Year 7 - Dafydd Sedgwick



1st Place Year 7 - Lowri Richards

 

2nd Place Year 7 - Cissy Walmsley

3rd Place Year 7 - Amy Olding

1st Place Year 8 - Chris Rees



2nd Place Year 8 - Angharad Edwards

3rd Place Year 8 - Ceiran Hughes

1st Place Year 9 - Hetty Breed



1st Place Year 9 - Will Durrant

2nd Place Year 9 - Jacob Bunt

2nd Place Year 9 - Josh Peterson

3rd Place Year 9 - Ioan Wardhaugh

3rd Place Year 9 - Adam Jackson

 

Dydd Gwyl Dewi/St David's Day

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!



As you can see, there was plenty going on to celebrate Dydd Gwyl Dewi in school today! Winners of the St David's Day Photography Competition went to Waitrose in Cowbrige where they met the store manager and a photographer from the Cowbridge Gem and recieved their prizes! At breaktime, pupils got a chance to taste Cynnyrch o Gymru (Produce from Wales) - Picau ar y Maen, Bara Brith, Teisen Lap and Caws!