Frequently Asked Questions about Language of the Month
Contents:
1. Why does your school have a language of month?
2. How do you teach the language of the month?
3. How much time do the children spend learning the language of the month?
4. How can I get the pronunciation right?
5. Do the programs help children learn their home language?
6. How many languages are you going to have on your website?
7. Can you send me the programs and resources on a CD?
8. Can I put the language audio files on CD or tape?
Why does your school have a language of the month?
There are many reasons including the following:
· To give bilingual children the opportunity to demonstrate the language skills they bring to school.
· To enhance the status of bilingual children.
· To broaden the horizons of monolingual English-speakers.
· To show respect for other languages and cultures.
· To give parents an opportunity to be actively involved in their children’s learning.
How do you teach the language of the month?
The “Language of the Month Activities” booklet accompanies the resources on this website and has 100+ ideas for promoting language awareness.
To download a free copy of this booklet click here.
How much time do the children spend learning the language of the month?
Learning a language of the month does not take up much time. Most of the activities in the “Language of the Month Activities” booklet are games which can be played for 5-10 minutes, once or twice a week.
How do you get the pronunciation right?
We realise that our pronunciation of some words may not sound correct to fluent speakers of the language we are learning. However, at our school we soon learned that it is more important to 'have a go' than to not try at all and that improvement comes with practice. The following are useful tips to help get the pronunciation of words right:
· Listen to the language of the month audio recording.
· Use the language of the month program.
· Search the Web for guidance.
· Ask fluent speakers.
· Learn a few words at a time.
· Use your own phonetic code.
· Note differences in pronunciation.
· Be brave and have a go!
Do the programs help children learn their home language?
The main aim of the project is to introduce everyone in our school community to a few words from one another’s languages. However, some children, not fluent in their home language, have been able to learn basic words and phrases of their home language. For example, children who are from a Tamil background have used the Learn Tamil program to learn to count to 12 in Tamil.
How many languages are you going to have on your website?
We hope to produce the program and resources for all the languages represented in our school – about 40 languages.
Can you send me all the programs and resources on a CD?
We are a primary school and the easiest and cheapest way for us to make the resources freely available is through this website.
Can I put the language audio files on CD or tape?
Yes. Each class in our school has a cassette tape with all the language audio recordings. Someone in your school, with the technical know-how, can put the audio files on a CD or cassette tape.
If you have any questions or suggestions to do with Language of the Month, please contact:
Joe Debono
Newbury Park Primary School,
Perryman’s Farm Road,
Ilford,
IG2 7LB.
Tel: 020 8554 6343
Fax: 020 8518 1275
Website: www.newburypark.redbridge.sch.uk
E-mail: lotm@newburypark.redbridge.sch.uk