Primary Languages Direct ezine - Issue 2

Welcome to the second edition of Primary Languages Direct! Once more we are pleased to offer a range of articles that reflect some of the exciting developments in primary language learning today.

Primary Languages News

CILT Primary Languages Show
The 12th CILT Primary Languages Show, which took place on Friday 29 February and Saturday 1 March at the Manchester Conference Centre, attracted record numbers of delegates from the UK and beyond.

The sell-out show was attended by more than 1,000 delegates over the two days, offering over 80 sessions and the chance to browse resources from 38 exhibitors. Read a report by Helen Thomas from Stoke-on-Trent local authority.

The CILT Primary Languages Show got off to a roaring start with a Chinese Lion Dance.

CILT courses abroad in France
CILT is offering two courses abroad for primary French this summer. French for the primary school will run twice in Lille, France, from 20-26 July 2008 and 17-23 August 2008. The two-week Teaching French to young learners immersion course will take place in Besançon, France, from 13-24 July 2008.

Both courses offer a lively mix of language improvement classes and practical workshops designed to explore creative approaches to good teaching practice. You can apply for funding through the Comenius Professional Development programme managed by the British Council to cover most of the costs of the couses. The deadline for funding applications is 31 March 2008.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè - Happy Chinese New Year!
Chinese New Year in early February prompted a spate of Chinese-related activities in schools across the country, welcoming in the Year of the Rat. Elizabeth Malone, a Year 5 teacher, reports on her work teaching Chinese language through the topic of the Chinese New Year.
Find out more

Chinese display at Leigh St Peter’s Junior School

Farewell to Isabella Moore
After four years as the CEO of CILT, Isabella Moore will be leaving shortly to set up in business with her daughter. Read Isabella's message to all those involved in primary languages.

Find out more about the CILT News Service.

1-2-3-Los! Linking languages with PE

One of the many benefits of teaching languages at primary school is the huge potential for language work in other areas of the primary curriculum, and teachers across the country are already tapping into this. PE can be one of the simplest and most effective ways of doing this - as well as being hugely enjoyable. Find out more

What you're doing

John Newton, primary languages coordinator at St Matthew’s CE Primary School in Telford, shares with us how he encouraged the whole school community to embrace learning Spanish.
Find out more

Take a look at the NACELL website to get a taste of other exciting projects going on in schools around the country. New articles include the perspectives of children on their recent visit to France, a healthy eating project with a partner school in Japan and a scheme offering Latin to schools in Hackney.

Spanish Tapas at St Matthew’s CE Primary School

The Primary Languages website

A wealth of new material has been added to CILT’s Primary Languages website, the training zone for languages at KS2. New video clips exemplifying the KS2 Framework learning objectives illustrate best practice examples of assessment for learning (AfL), creative use of ICT, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and progression in learning new language.

New language support, in the form of downloadable transcripts and audio files for both new and existing clips, is now available additionally in Italian and Mandarin.

The Primary Languages website is a fantastic resource bank of activities, but that is not by any means its most significant raison d’être. As an online toolkit for teachers, it provides comprehensive access to a range of professional development (CPD) materials. Find out more about how to get the most out of this useful website.

The earlier the better: is there a ‘critical period’ for language learning?

From babies uttering their first words, to children chatting freely to their friends in a new country, sometimes it can seem that children are naturals at picking up languages. But do they really have it easy - is it genuinely a case of the earlier the better for language learning?
Find out more

PLUS: Get involved in research into bilingual books! Find out more

Primary languages resources

Information on new, recent and forthcoming resouces, including the latest French song packages and Spanish schemes of work. Find out more

Contributions

Thank you to all our contributors for this edition. We welcome contributions for future issues, please send your submissions to nigel.pearson@cilt.org.uk

If you have any feedback or ideas for future articles, information you'd like to see included in the ezine or indeed on our website, please let us know.

We reserve the right to edit items submitted. The views expressed in this ezine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect any view or policy of CILT.

Primary Languages Direct may be copied or printed for non-commercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.

Subscribing

If you would prefer not to receive our ezine, simply click here, send the message and we'll remove you from our list. If you've been forwarded this message and would like to subscribe to our ezine, please click here.