Passionate and fluent speakers

If your pupils see language lessons simply as a fun break from other classroom work, how can you turn them into passionate and fluent language speakers?

The interactive website www.growstorygrow.com demonstrates how to encourage pupils to explore their target language through stories and games. Designed for key stages 1 and 2 (P1-7), it offers material for learners of English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Russian and Spanish.

Choose from a selection of fictional and non-fictional stories.

Stories include large graphics, audio and the script in the target and home language. Each element can be turned on and off, depending on the skill you wish to practise.

Most stories come in four levels, which helps pupils to develop vocabulary gradually.

Each story has a sentence builder and games to help pupils practise essential skills such as grammar, reading, speaking and vocabulary in an interactive way.

Extra resources such as lesson plans, worksheets and scripts are available to download.

Stories can be viewed on the website, which offers a free two-week trial. Annual subscriptions start at pound;65 for up to 500 licences.

What else?

If you are looking for a quick-reference guide for young learners new to foreign languages, the “My First 100 Words” series from b small publishing can help.

Compact, colourful reference books in French or Spanish, they introduce 100 key words. Each page contains only two words, each with a large image, vocabulary, pronunciation and English translation.

The books are divided into topic areas including clothes, toys, food, party, bathtime, cooking, playground, animals, transport, weather, colours and numbers.