Project: Bilingualism is cool – EAL Parent and Pupil Support Group

HOW DO WE WORK:

The project is based on a 45 minute pupils-parents session; run every fortnight in the school.  The pupils’ age range is 3-12, a group up to 10 members. Each session is focused on different areas; music, family, emotions, symbols, traditions, food presented through different activities, games and role-plays. For the first 15 minutes of the session parents are introduced to the theme of the session, its aims and the ways they can practice it at home. Then there is a 30 minutes session with the children. There are 2-3 activities practiced, depending on the theme and pupils’ engagement. The aim of the session is to communicate in the first language. Parents and children communicate between themselves in their own languages,  English is required only in crucial communication.

WHO CAN JOIN US:

All pupils with English as an Additional Language and their parents are welcome. As we work together the group should be up to 10 people

All children- exposed and not exposed to their mother tongue are welcome.

 We base our activities on:

-Multilingualism at school. Teacher’s guide. How to motivate children to use languages.  www.multilingual-families.eu.

-30 Activities to support Multilingualism at home. Parent’s Guide on how to motivate children to use family languages. www.multilingual-families.eu.

 

MUSIC ACTIVITIES AND EAL

It seems that some external factors such as race, culture, religion and family we are born into define us. However, despite of our individual identity we all share the need to belong.

Belonging generates a feeling of acceptance and connection.

In Angus schools we have a diverse community of nearly 700 pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and about 37 languages spoken by them collectively. We all learn from each other and this makes the environment in the schools vibrant and exciting.

The EAL Parent Group has offered support to the class teachers, as well as to the children an opportunity to learn how to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees  and Toes in POLISH. 

GÅ‚owa, ramiona, kolana, piety(Polish)

GÅ‚owa, ramiona, kolana, piety,
kolana, pięty, kolana, piety.
Głowa, ramiona, kolana, pięty,
oczy, uszy, usta, nos!

Head, Shoulders, Knees, Heels(English)

Head, shoulders, knees, heels,
Knees, heels, knees, heels.
Head, shoulders, knees, heels,
Eyes, ears, mouth, nose!

Definitely this learning experience provided an opportunity to all pupils a wider sense of community and belonging. It links to Polish language, culture and their community.  Besides, we had lots of fun and it was a good exercise for everyone.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

2016 THE CHINESE YEAR, THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY.

Our pupils in P5 welcomed the New Year with a lovely visit of a Chinese mum, who kindly introduced us to the Chinese culture.  

“The pupils were amazed at the intricate Chinese characters and had the chance to test their memory in a matching pairs game. It was lovely to see them trying to work out the word for ‘dog’ by seeing the image of a dog in the character. ‘How can you learn such difficult writing?’ – they asked.  And so many more questions and such a joy in the eyes of our new Chinese student in P5 as she shared her culture and her family.” EAL Teacher – Anne Goldie.

Mum left the school with a big smile – “I really enjoyed being in the class, speaking to the children and sharing my Chinese culture with them. Thank you so much!’ Lily Artur.

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This blog aims to encourage inclusive education support for learners with English as an Additional Language.

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