language skills | ELT inspired

The European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September, as an initiative of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans represented in the Council of Europe’s 47 member states are encouraged to learn more languages, at any age, in and out of school. Being convinced that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent, the Council of Europe promotes plurilingualism in the whole of Europe.

The European Day of Languages celebrates plurilingualism and encourages the 800 million Europeans in the Council of Europe’s 47 member states to learn more languages.

For the day, a range of events is organised across Europe: activities for and with children, television and radio programmes, language classes and conferences.

Modern foreign language education aims to develop multilingualism and intercultural awareness. In this theoretical framework, the foreign language can be used as a bridge among the students’ languages and serve as a tool to develop translinguistic competence.

This year, I’ve decided to write, about the activities our local “English Language Teachers Association” created, for the European Day of languages event, which was held in the local Public Library, on 26th September 2016!

Also, I used most of those activities in my class, the very next day, with huge success!

Here we go…..

BRAINSTORMING TIME !!

Children aged 8-12 , had the chance to know a lot about the different languages spoken, not only in Europe but, all over the World, by watching several videos, singing and taking part in a discussion .

They shared their experiences concerning their mother tongue and all the foreign languages they had been exposed to.

GAMES TIME !!

Later, they worked in teams and played a Quiz game. They answered questions about different Languages, testing their knowledge and having fun ! A bomb timer was used ,to add more excitement to the game!

In the next game, a representative from each team , had to wear a special hat, with the name of a language written on it. His/her fellow players, had to help him/her guess the name of that Language, using miming, key words, descriptions, movement and more…That was fun!!

“BOOK TREASURE HUNT”!!

Then, it was time for our Book Treasure Hunt, in the Library!

The teams, had to move around the room, and look for 12 books, well hidden in the shelves, with titles written in many different Languages! There was a musical background during the Treasure Hunt and a time limit…..3 Songs ,with lyrics in 3 different European languages!

GIFTS!!

All the kids, were rewarded with the “European Day of Languages” bracelet and special stickers !

ARTS AND CRAFT!!

The next activity, enhanced the kids’ artistic expression!

The children had to create the Multilingualism Tree , full of cute Owls, speaking many different Languages.

“Hello” IN ALL LANGUAGES!!

The final activity ,was to write “Hello” in as many Languages as possible, on special mouth-masks!

And , of course, they greeted each other in all those Languages, holding their mouth-masks!

I used most of these activities in my class, the very next day! My students loved them and had so much fun! Here are some photos…

With my older students, we also played a favourite game I have written about, in a previous post:“ The multilingual game” !

With my very young learners, we played several circle games practicing “Hello” and “Goodbye” or “Goodmorning” and ” Goodnight” . But, the most fun thing we did, was to have our mascot Hippo, talk to us about his hometown London! We made beautiful drawings of Hippo’s most favourite places in London! We even asked Hippo lots of questions about his life there and learned so many things about life in a different country, in Europe ! It was a fun-fun day!

And don’t forget: WE ALL SMILE IN THE SAME LANGUAGE!

“The best way to improve your knowledge of a
foreign language is to go and live among its speakers.
The next best way is to read extensively in it”
(Nuttall, 168).

Setting up and running a school library is one of the most satisfying jobs a teacher can perform. As a teacher-librarian
you will be able to develop children’s love of books and encourage them to read. This in turn will improve their literacy
skills, which they will enjoy, remember and share long after their school days are over. You can also show students how
to find out information from the books in the library, and this too is a skill for life. People need information to educate
themselves and develop their true potential, and for this they need literacy skills and access to books. The library
provides access to books; it is a place where information is shared.
Setting up a library is also a great challenge. It can be hard work, so it is recommended that you work closely with
many other people at your school. In this way the library will belong to everyone at the school and can be made to
benefit many generations of students.

Our English bookcase notebook where all the books are listed!

The biggest change has been in the children’s confidence and willingness to read, which they have carried back into the classroom. During lessons, particularly guided reading, the children who actively borrow from our library, have been more enthusiastic about taking part and, more importantly, their comprehension of what they are reading has improved measurably too. Their growing confidence and increased exposure to language, grammar and punctuation has also lead to a significant improvement in their written work too

Unfortunately, in my school, I found NO english readers or magazines when I started teaching there! I decided to set up and run an…english…bookcase myself, by donating my own books to the school first and then by asking parents, students, friends, publishing houses and my PLN to offer us as many books as possible!

The list of books, is always somewhere visible in our classroom, for every student willing to borrow a book, to be able to chose the title which interests him/her the most!

Today, 7 years later, our small ” library” has about 400 english books and I am really very proud of that! Children are encouraged to borrow books regularly, on a voluntary basis! At the end of each term, the three most frequent readers in each class, are awarded complimentary bookmarks in front of their classmates!

“We learn to read by reading”
(Nuttall 168)

What is important too, is that I place a piece of paper inside each book , for the students to write a short book review on, and share it with the rest of the class! Students who bring this review back , are awarded a sticker for their english stickers collection!

At the end of each term, the three most frequent readers in each class, are awarded complimentary bookmarks in front of their classmates!

The readers who read the most titles are given a special award,too at the end of each term . The competition brings challenge to reading and it is associated more with fun than learning and we therefore do not consider it harmful.

I sometimes, hand them a different handout ,where they are asked to write a different ending to the book story and maybe draw a picture which has to do with it!

The most basic activity is the book report, in which students are asked about their
personal experiences of what they read e.g. whether they found the material enjoyable or
interesting and why, whether they liked some characters from the book or what did
reading make them think of. They can also be asked whether the reading was easy or
difficult for them.

Most teachers who are asked to set up and run a library are not trained librarians – and neither am I…

Our small ” library”, has about 400 english books and I am really very proud of that! Children are encouraged to borrow books regularly, on a voluntary basis..

The steps,one has to follow to set it up in the first place, are the ones below!

• select books for the library
• make a written record of the school’s books, pamphlets and other library stock such as newspapers, magazines,
audio tapes and videos.

• divide the library stock into subject areas

• choose the best method of letting students borrow library books.

• repair damaged books.

The most basic activity is the book report, in which students are asked about their personal experiences of what they read.

“We want our students to be able to read better: fast and with full
understanding. To do this they need to read more. And there seem to
be two ways of getting them to read more: requiring them to do so
and tempting them to do so”
(Nuttall, 168)

The major problem in order to get that started, was…financial!Every school year, I do everything mentioned below, to be able to finance my library:

I sometimes, hand them a different handout ,where they are asked to write a different ending to the book story and maybe draw a picture which has to do with it!

a)I ask my headmaster to allocate some money for the program. I am prepared to present budget and the organization of the programme (lending
books, time devoted to ER etc.)
b) I ask each student to contribute money for one book. This is a good start
but more titles have to be added later therefore, I usually ask my students at the beginning of each year to offer at least one second-hand english book to our library!
c) I also appeal to local donors (individuals, firms, organizations)
d)I gain money from grants – school bazaars
e)I contribute books from my personal library or ask my
colleagues to lend books

“Libraries should be the beating heart of the school, not mausoleums for dusty books.”
Stephanie Harvey

Extensive reading (ER) is obviously crucial when it comes to EFL but….why don’t teachers use ER more often?

A good question. When I ask such a question to fellow teachers worldwide, the answers come down to these:

a) Insufficient time.

b) Too costly.

c) Reading materials not available.

d) ER not linked to the syllabus and the examination.

e) Lack of understanding of ER and its benefits.

f) Downward pressure on teachers to conform to syllabi and textbooks.

g) Resistance from teachers, who find it impossible to stop teaching and to allow learning to take place.

Everything depends on how teachers feel about extensive reading. Unless the teachers are of the view that extensive reading is beneficial in promoting English language development among their students, they are not likely to exert their efforts to make the program a success.

I am not saying here that, ALL my students are eager to read extensively! What I am saying is that, I give them the CHANCE to take up this reading habit! I motivate them, I award them for their efforts, I offer them a free choice of books!

“School Readers, in essence and origin, are an attempt to make it possible for children to learn something without teachers, or without competent teachers; and they tend to create the conditions they presuppose. Thus, if I were a teacher teaching some subject by means of a School Reader, I should be under a constant temptation to say,‘Get out your reading books’; and the end of it would be that the children would know only the book and not the subject.” Fr. Drinkwater

The biggest change has been in the children’s confidence and willingness to read, which they have carried back into the classroom.

I am passionate about getting children excited about books when they’re as young as possible, at a time when books and stories seem magical to them and their imaginations are expanding and they are forming language skills. I am staggered when people don’t see how important that is.