The mother of all experts

Language learning is often thought of as a process in which teachers enlighten pupils, but in every class there are experts in language and culture: the pupils themselves. As International Mother Language Day approaches, what better time to explore your pupils’ native languages?

TES partner Newbury Park has shared a number of resources tracking a “language of the week” project where pupils share basic information about their family’s culture andor language. It suggests language games to engage learners in the culture of their peers. Pupils could also present the national flag, anthem, population figures and proverbs from the country they or their relatives originate from. Why not invite guest speakers into school to teach pupils about languages and cultures present in their local community?

Alternatively, create your own “language of the week” display or introduce pupils to various languages by using the podcast and video files provided by Newbury Park. The extensive collection includes: Makaton, Lithuanian, Gujarati, Yoruba, British Sign Language, Finnish, Slovak, Tagalog, Catalan, Greek, Afrikaans and Albanian.

For all links and resources visit www.tes.co.ukresources021.