Recently, schools in Argyll & Bute hosted French primary student teachers from our partner institution the University of Picardy .  It was wonderful to have the students back, in person. Although virtual links were maintained over the last two years, nothing beats face to face. Students had successful visits at Kirn, Sandbank, Hermitage and Dunoon primary schools. It was a fantastic opportunity for cultural exchange and sharing learning.

Kilmodan Primary School recently won first prizes in the National Poetry Competition Mother Tongue Other Tongue. This competition has two categories- Mother tongue for entries from native speakers of languages other than English and Other Tongue  for children to write poems in a language they are learning at school. Kilmodan PS won both the P1-4 and P5-7 category of Other Tongue and received Special commendation for other entries. Well done on this amazing success. You can see the winning entries here-

Kathryn Morley P5-7 Winning Entry           Mabel Sainsbury P1-4 Winning Entry

Orin McKenna- Special Commendation    Gemma Black – Special Commendation

Giles Leigh

World Gaelic Week

20th -26th February 2023

Here are some resources to help your school celebrate World Gaelic Week:

Primary and secondary planners and resources for Gaelic Learners and Gaidhlig

GLEANS Challenge for Seachdain na Gàidhlig

Thinglink from Highland Council

Please share the learning with gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk 

30th January-3rd February

SCILT has put together lots of ideas to support you in celebrating Languages Week Scotland in your school-  Ideas for your school 

Also on this page take a look at the fantastic work that Hermitage Primary School did last year to celebrate Languages Week Scotland.

Join SCILT and guest speakers to learn more about language learning and teaching in Early Years. Click the image for more information and to sign up.

10-week course of live virtual lessons in French and Spanish for pupils. These lessons are suitable for learners from P4 onwards as the content bridges First and Second Level Experiences and Outcomes. The lessons would also suit as a standalone L3 topic. These lessons will be delivered using Glow Teams and will last 45 minutes. The same live lesson will run twice in the same week. You can choose to attend one, or the other. It is not necessary to stick to the same day. Lessons commence in January. The deadline for sign-up is 21 December 2022.

Click HERE for more information and to register your class.

Upcoming Languages CLPL

Click on the images for further information and to sign up

23rd January, 4-5pm

Introduction to Ukrainian language and culture

This is a free short course provided by the Open University. This online course is for everybody who is interested in finding out about Ukraine and its people and wants to get an insight into its rich cultural heritage. It is also for learners who interact directly with Ukrainian refugees and would like to take part in simple conversations.

Click HERE for more information.

Update– Menu now includes  4 week Beginners’ Spanish Course

Click on the images for further details and to book a place.

9th-30th Nov 3.35-4.45pm

7th November, 3.45-5.15pm

5 week course-3.45-4.45pm 

Monday 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th November, and 5th December

Click on the e-book to discover this practical and user friendly classroom resource

Schools in Argyll & Bute had a visit from our international partners, l’Université de Picardie.

Over the last 6 years many schools have benefited from hosting a visit from a French primary student teacher. This has provided a wonderful cultural and linguistic exchange for pupils and staff. During the pandemic this link has been maintained virtually and although not the same, several schools were able to establish successful communication. The aim is now to reinstate face to face visits in session 2022-23.

It was a wonderful experience for the two teacher trainers from the university, Helene and Corinne, to discover schools in Argyll & Bute. They visited some schools which had previously hosted student teacher visits or been involved in the recent virtual link. During their short stay they were able to visit Dunoon PS, Kirn PS, Sandbank PS, Tarbert Academy and PS, Kilmodan PS, Rosneath PS, Hermitage PS and Luss PS. The French visitors were highly impressed by all the schools they visited and remarked on how evident it was that the wellbeing of pupils was of the upmost importance in these schools. The schools involved really looked after our guests by showcasing all the learning and providing some special culinary and cultural treats from tasty sandwiches and cakes to bagpipes and Scottish country dancing!

Get in touch with gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk  if you are interested in becoming involved with the project next session.

Primaries 5, 6 and 7 of Kilmodan Primary are delighted to announce that they have been awarded second prize in the Concours de la Francophonie, a national school competition run by the Institut français d’Ecosse, to encourage all young French learners and their teachers around Scotland to celebrate the International Day of la Francophonie.

The children scripted and then produced a short drama set in a busy French café.  They showcased their language and drama skills in a humorous sketch involving all pupils.

Class teacher at Kilmodan Primary, Linda Shaw said, “The competition offered a great opportunity for the children to demonstrate their creativity alongside their language skills.  They were thrilled to hear of their success and delighted to receive their books and certificate, presented by Gwen McCrossan, Principal Teacher for Languages.  Language learning remains central to our curriculum at Kilmodan Primary as we strive to ensure our pupils are engaged in challenging and enjoyable activities as they learn about the language and culture of France.”

Are you hoping to deliver Gaelic as an L2 or L3 in your class next session? This is an opportunity to be guided through the resources available via the Northern Alliance to teach Gaelic.

Find out how these Northern Alliance resources (incorporating the Go!Gaelic programme) offer newly created support materials and where you can find them.

This is a chance for you to ask any questions about teaching Gaelic as a 1+2 language and also how you can help improve your own Gaelic language skills.

When: Tuesday 7th June 2022, 4-5pm

Sign up HERE

French Phonics- Getting to Grips with Pronunciation

Suitable for teachers of Primary who are delivering French as an L2 or L3 and would like to improve their own pronunciation and confidence as well as develop techniques for teaching French phonics in the classroom.

This learning space has been developed for the Argyll & Bute ELC to P1 transition project. It can be used to learn simple greetings and colours in Gaelic or French. Click on the objects in the image and have fun learning words through song and play.

Why not try out some of these French  or Gaelic daily check-in language challenges with your class in April?

Click HERE to discover all the Gaelic Week events and resources.

Why not try out the new challenge from the GLEANS network with your class-

Gaelic Place Names Around You

Unite for Literacy is is a  fantastic collection of simple e-books in English or Spanish which can be narrated in many other languages.  Try one of the stories below. Listen in French, German, Polish, Arabic……

How many friends?    What colours do you eat?

Adiós días        Grande y pequeño

Plus:

March Daily Activity Calendar for Languages. This month there is a focus on literacy to tie in with World Book Day.

This term’s Linking Learners and Languages Across the Curriculum Challenge  also focuses on literacy and stories.

Click HERE to see the fabulous multicultural and multilingual way in which Hermitage Primary School celebrated Languages Week Scotland. The whole school celebrated many different languages and cultures including Scots, Spanish, German, Gaelic, French, Chinese, Estonian, Russian, Hungarian, and Dutch. Each class chose a country to study- They looked at language, culture, customs, art, food and famous people.

The aim was to help everyone recognise the importance of language and culture within a rights respecting context. The week included literacy, language learning, numeracy, dance, song, poetry recital, cooking, model making and even pilates!

Four week beginners’ Gaelic course

The course will take place via Google meet, 3.45-5pm on the following dates: 28^th February, 7^th, 14^th, 21^st March.

The course will refer to the online resources Go!Gaelic and Gaidhlig nan Òg and will introduce the Gaelic language for introductions, feelings, numbers, weather & colours.

This is an ideal opportunity for primary and early years practitioners to learn some simple Gaelic language and use this in a fun way with their learners.

Please click HERE to sign up

Teaching Languages Through Songs, Games and Storytelling

Teaching Languages through Songs and Games – 2^nd March 2022, 4pm, Google meet

This is an interactive session which exemplifies the methodology of using songs and games for teaching languages in the classroom. The activities will demonstrate how versatile a song or a game can be. There will be a particular focus on simple, easily accessible songs and games which require minimal preparation but provide maximum learning potential.

Click HERE to sign up

Using Storytelling to Enhance your Language Teaching – 9^th March 2022, 4pm, Google meet

This session will provide an interactive introduction to storytelling where practitioners will learn how to use stories to deliver all 4 language skills, explore how to develop wider literacy and how to use storytelling as an inclusive practice.

Click HERE to sign up