A network for all who teach languages to children

March 2009 Blog Posts (15)

Easter Balloons

I put a post on my blog about creating these. I used them as a team prize when teaching the topic of colours and facial descriptions but you could use them for an Easter Egg race. You can read it at this address: http://souffler.typepad.com/home/2009/03/easter-balloons.html

Joyeuses Pâques!

Added by Mark Purves on March 27, 2009 at 6:30 — 4 Comments

Making Grammar Fun

Thought I would start of fmy first blog post by copying a message I sent to the ELL forum earlier this week in response to a series of grammatically themed posts by John Bald. Here's what I wrote...

"Thanks for these postings, John. They've made really interesting reading. I think it is really important that we don't shy away from issues such as spelling and grammar at KS2 and your ideas show that it can be fun (I know of teachers who say they don't do any writing at KS2 coz… Continue

Added by Julie Prince on March 27, 2009 at 2:47 — 1 Comment

French Phonics

I have been doing a lot of work on pronunciation with my trainee teachers. I wanted to create a nice display of words with the same sound. I started by collecting words on a sheet of A3 card eg a card with OI words and getting the students to add a new word when it came up eg bois. This is a good activity but the resulting posters are not very attractive. I found some lovely Word templates on SparkleBox in a folder called… Continue

Added by Kay McMeekin on March 25, 2009 at 10:30 — 4 Comments

Mystudiyo

I'm sure many of you will already have discovered this multiple choice quiz making site but if not, then have a look at my first attempt to see what kind of resource can be made.

The program is really simple to use and not too time consuming (my quiz took about 30 minutes to produce.)

If you've already had a dabble at producing something similar, then why not reply by posting a link… Continue

Added by Jayne Jackson on March 18, 2009 at 15:55 — No Comments

Instant tricks for text

I came across a great little site called Teacher's Pet that provides you with a program that installs a toolbar into MS Word. This is a text manipulation generator that allows you to create fun language activities at a click of a button.

I have posted an explanation of how it works here, and there are links to the site. It would be useful too in any Primary… Continue

Added by Mark Purves on March 17, 2009 at 6:02 — 2 Comments

Check out my first animation!

GoAnimate.com: Planets 1

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and… Continue

Added by jane solloway on March 13, 2009 at 19:44 — No Comments

More Red Noses for tomorrow

Here's a copy of a post I sent to the NACELL forum, apologies if you've seen it already:

We’re all looking for opportunities to incorporate a little language into everyday classroom routines; on Friday children are likely to bring their Red Noses to school, so we might as well use them for our purposes:

The noses themselves make great finger puppets and this year’s seem pretty robust and malleable so could make useful additions as permanent… Continue

Added by Jan Lewandowski on March 12, 2009 at 10:08 — 4 Comments

Red Nose day - teaching colours

I have uploaded a few files here. I have been teaching colours and thought these might be of some use to someone.

Mark

Added by Mark Purves on March 12, 2009 at 5:25 — 2 Comments

Update on QCA SOWs

Hi All

For those of you who do not subscribe to the NACELL forum, here is an update posted there by Chris Maynard today:

`QCA key stage 2 scheme of work for languages

The complete scheme of work in French, German and Spanish is now available to order. Units 1-12 and the teacher's guide were published in 2007 both in print and on the schemes of work website: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3 . Draft units 13-24 were published electronically only. These… Continue

Added by Jan Lewandowski on March 10, 2009 at 18:54 — 1 Comment

You and Youtube - PLS 09

Here's my presentation from my Saturday session at the Primary Languages Show in Liverpool entitled You and Youtube.

The idea of the session was to give people ideas about how Youtube can be used in Primary Language Learning (PLL). We looked at alternatives to Youtube, how to use video clips if a site is blocked by downloading via one of a number of tools… Continue

Added by Lisa Stevens on March 10, 2009 at 10:18 — 7 Comments

Join El Carnaval de los Animales! - PLS09

I was very privileged to be invited to present this year at the Primary Languages Show in Liverpool, not once but twice!

I promised at my two sessions that I would post my notes and resources on my blog for people to download and use.

So here's my first presentation. If you download it, the hyperlinks all work - or did when I tried them. However, if they… Continue

Added by Lisa Stevens on March 10, 2009 at 10:00 — No Comments

Drama sketches

I have put a post about this on my blog page, together with a short script I prepared for a yr 7 group but might be suitable for yr 6 too. I am interested in getting any feedback from colleagues about this area as I feel it is really under explored. Does anyone else do this much?

Mark

Added by Mark Purves on March 8, 2009 at 14:49 — 3 Comments

Writing without a pen - Primary Languages Show 2009

Reading and writing are integral skills that are sometimes shied away from when introducing languages to young learners. Thank you to everyone who came along today & sorry the session was rushed! As promised here are the resources & I hope to get the whole ppt onto slideshare in the next few days & will post it at the bottom if anyone wants a copy. Anyway here are a few of my ideas of how to make the written word accessible to all children, wherever possible without… Continue

Added by Jo Rhys-Jones on March 7, 2009 at 0:30 — 6 Comments

Primary Languages Show Address?

Probably being really thick- but does anyone have an address for the Primary Languages show. Have just been on ACC website and the event isn't mentioned?! Wierd!

Added by Helen on March 5, 2009 at 15:21 — 3 Comments

OFSTED

Hi all - we had a subject OFSTED this week for Primary Langugaes -really scary thought but it went really well and am thrilled with the outcome. All that hard work over the last 3 years has definitely paid off! Off to Liverpool tomorrow -see some of you there.

Added by jane solloway on March 4, 2009 at 10:04 — No Comments