As part of  Languages Week Scotland, the Pupils of P5-7 at Dalmally Primary School created a word cloud of their favourite words in different languages including French, Gaelic, Spanish, Croatian and Japanese.

During Languages Week Scotland use the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages to share your favourite word in any language.

My favourite French word is pamplemousse In Gaelic it is damhan-allaidh

I just love the sound of those words!  What’s yours?  Also find out your pupils’ favourite words and share with the nation.

During Languages week you could find out how many languages are spoken in your school community and celebrate this.  For example, make a poster representing all the languages spoken by pupils and their families.

Why not use technology in languages- For example, try out Duolingo for schools in your class.

Learn a song in another language

Most importantly enjoy language learning during this special week and use the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages to share what is happening in your school.  Alternatively, send anything you would like to be shared to gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk

Do you think you could sing or rap in French? Do you have the skills to make a video clip for your song? If so, this competition is for you!

To find out more about this exciting competition for primary and secondary schools click HERE

Here are some new Christmas resources available on PowerLanguage Schools

French Christmas Resources

Spanish Christmas Resources

The current Argyll & Bute primary school menu is available in French and Gaelic and has been sent to all schools. This is a useful  resource to help embed your L2 into classroom routines. Click below for a copy of the menu.

2020-21 Autumn-Winter Gaelic Menu

2020-21 Autumn-Winter French Menu

Jackie Mullen, one of the tutors for the national Gaelic Language in the Primary School (GLPS) course, will provide two taster sessions for beginners on Tuesday the 29th October and Tuesday the 5th November, from 4.05-5.30pm. These sessions will provide a fun introduction to simple Gaelic phrases that you can use with your learners in class. You can access the sessions from your classroom using Google Meet. If you are interested in attending please contact gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk

Click Here to find out about all the available  French follow-on courses taking place, next term. These courses are suitable for those who consider themselves to be post beginners or have already completed the French beginners course.

 GLPS is coming to you

Jan Kersel, one of the tutors for the national GLPS course will provide GLPS training in Inveraray.

2 days beginners’ training-  18th Sept 2019 & 2nd Oct 2019

2 days follow-on training- 15th and 29th January 2020

This is a fantastic opportunity to access GLPS without traveling to Stirling for 18 days training. This training provides an accessible alternative. This condensed version will provide an introduction to Gaelic in the primary. Contact Gwen McCrossan- gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk  to enrol on this course.

Oban High School- Wednesday 28^th August, 1600-1730

Lochgilphead Joint Campus- Thursday 29^th August, 1600-1730

Education Scotland will deliver sessions which focus on progression from first to second level in languages with reference to the recently published guidance on the National Improvement Hub:       https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/modern-languages-progression-framework This resource brings together all the national documentation practitioners need to plan and deliver language learning. Please contact Gwen McCrossan gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk to register for these events.

6 week block of beginners’ and follow-on French training being delivered by a language specialist in your area. Courses starting in August 2019. Click HERE for more details.

Well done to Melody Elizabeth Clark-Want from Port Charlotte Primary School. Melody’s poem was highly recommended in the ‘Other Tongue’ category of this national multi-lingual poetry competition.

For this poem I used Gaelic and English. I used English because it is the first language I ever learned and is what I use to write in all the time and feel most easy writing in. The reason I wrote in Gaelic is because it is one of the the languages people use on the place I live in and love.  I also wrote in Gaelic because it was the first language of my grandfather who used to teach me Gaelic, I wrote in Gaelic to thank him for teaching me. Click here to read Melody’s poem. Click here to read the full Anthology.

We are all super proud of all our children at our Science InExpo which was held on Friday 15th March. Thanks to all our wonderful parents and community for coming along to share 0ur learning ideas. Lots of inventions on show for our entries into the Young Engineer Award 2019.  Tonnes of creativity and innovation from our wee school.

Click HERE to see Strachur Primary School’s fantastic performance.

Every year, the French Institute of Scotland organises ‘le concours de la francophonie’: a national French drama competition for learners across Scotland. This competition is designed to value creativity in French and allow a large participation of all primary and secondary schools. Learners are invited to film a short piece, dialogue, song, or play in French. The competition is organised in two phases: local authorities choose their local champions and then a national jury selects the winners.

A group of 15 pupils from Kirn Primary School have recently returned from a successful exchange trip to Germany.

Kirn was paired with Hardenberg Gymnasium in Fürth as a result of a long standing exchange programme that’s been in place between the German school and Dunoon Grammar, for more than 30 years.

The exchange was an opportunity to strengthen the link between the two areas, and the Kirn youngsters were partnered with German students the same age as them.

Continue reading Kirn pupils help to strengthen German links →

To discover the latest edition of the Argyll & Bute 1+2 Languages Newsletter click  HERE.

This contains all the most recent updates on resources, training and innovative language projects.

The pupils of Kilmodan Primary School singing in Spanish and Gaelic at their community tearoom.

Click HERE to hear them singing.

Nursery focused on Italy, with a real chef making pizzas, P1 Germany with saurkraut and frankfurters, P3/2 Switzerland with cheese and chocolate, P5/4 Portugal with custard tarts and of course P7/6 France – we had pétanque with positional language, a cafe with croissants, pain chocolat, cheese and sausage, home made French World Cup football swap cards and Lotto!

Each class had food to taste, games and activities and a song or some target language phrases. The children learned about the host country in their own classes in the morning and in the afternoon took turns to be Ambassadors and show children ‘around Europe’. Click HERE to see more photographs.

 Click HERE to discover a resource pack for the European Day of Languages which is taking place on the 26th September. These resources are easy to use and will help to raise awareness of the importance of learning languages.

The comic, “Na Gaisgich” was written by primary seven pupils from Islay, Jura, Mull and Tiree as part of a transition project for going into secondary school. The pupils were all learning Gaelic as a second language at school and were able to create the comic as a result of funding from the Scottish Government. The book is based on folklore and fables from the islands, and all ideas were collaborated to form the final product. Social Enterprise Company, Magic Torch Comics, travelled to each of the islands involved to deliver workshops to enable the children to adapt the stories, characters, illustrations and plots into comic strips. The comic is accessible to all as it is written in Gaelic and English. Click HERE to discover the comic.

Click HERE to find out about all the languages training opportunities available within Argyll and Bute this session. Short courses for beginners in French and Gaelic starting in September.