Learning Languages

It is sometimes difficult to evaluate our progress in a language. So let us state the obvious: to master a language, we need to learn words, grammar, and sometimes a different alphabet. Fluency then only improves with practice.

Our Ivrit Curriculum at Calderwood Lodge Primary School

• From P1 to P7, our pupils learn words by theme (colours, numbers, classroom, hobbies etc…) and also during classroom conversations. We mainly follow the ‘Ivrit beclick’ method to enrich our vocabulary.

• Pupils also have short formal grammar lessons, especially in the upper school.

• Pupils start learning to read and write at the end of P1. We then mainly follow the ‘Alef Champ’ method. We also work on our reading with the ‘STEPS’ method and with simple books from the ‘TALAM’ collection. From P4, pupils who are confident writing are given a Script ruler and encouraged to use the Script alphabet.

• Pupils also have a chance to be immersed in Hebrew in real-life situations: in the lower school, when pupils work in stations, the Hebrew teacher will sometimes lead one station (a simple game). In the upper school, some pupils will learn Maths in Hebrew once a week.

The Ivrit Blog

This blog is an important tool for parents to know what we are learning and for pupils to check their knowledge. Each class has a page. Click on CLASS BLOGS -) IVRIT, and look in CATEGORIES on the left for the relevant class. On each class page you will find 4 posts which are updated regularly:

• words

• grammar

• assessments (posted several days before the assessment in class) and corrections (posted after).

• learning from previous years (all the words and grammar already seen).

Please revise regularly with your child with short sessions of questions and answers about any of these posts, with a focus on the most recent learning.

Extras

• We have an Ivrit Library. Pupils are free to take a book and are trusted to bring it back. Do encourage your child to take books if he is comfortable with reading. If you have children’s Ivrit books you do not use, please give them to us!

• We have a partner school in Israel, Arazim school in Ma’alot. Throughout the year we will have several activities with them, such as playing chess online with each other, lighting Hanukkah candles, penpals writing letters, etc. If you ever are in the region of Ma’alot, do tell us, pupils there are hoping to meet Calderwood Lodge pupils.

• We have started a high school class on Wednesday evenings; we are aiming for some pupils to take up the Modern Hebrew GCSE from England.

• Remember, practising is the most important part of acquiring a language. Put on the Israeli radio as background nice, watch movies, listen to songs, make your keyboard bilingual (by adding keyboard stickers + Hebrew language in the control panel), add Hebrew to your smartphone… We strongly encourage families with Hebrew speakers to speak the language as much as possible at home.