'School of the Month' showcases best practice in various schools throughout the year. Schools come from all corners of the country and from a variety of different backgrounds; urban, rural, disadvantaged etc.
Have a look through the archives to see previous school of the month entries!
Barefield National School is a rural school located in Co. Clare, very close to Ennis. There are 20 teachers for 365 students. The school has been part of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative for12 years. Our students in fifth and sixth class are taught French for ninety minutes each week by a new visiting teacher, a French native, Rachel Frawley.
ICT is used in many ways to aid in the teaching of French in Barefield National School. Each lesson is supported by a Power Point Show where pictures and audio files are integrated and shown on the IWB. Videos (advertisement, cartoons, and piece of news...) are also shown via the IWB. Currently, the students are preparing a computer project “Je me présente” (“I introduce myself”), using Windows Photo Story. They work in pairs and simulate a dialogue; each student asks and answers questions. This is a very motivating project for the students, as it will be completed during the year with additional sentences. It is also a great assessment tool for the teacher, especially for the pronunciation!
When teaching French, we use as many authentic materials as possible. For the topic “Food”, advertisements chart from the French Ministry for Health and Sports were displayed and we used the French food pyramid (www.mangerbouger.fr). During “la semaine du goût” in October, (the week of taste in France), the students watched a short video about French students (10-11 years old) visiting le “marché de Rungis” with their teacher. We also had a look at the menus offered by “Le comptoir Lyonnais” on their website...For the topic “Time”, the students had a mini-guide of the “Louvre Familiale”, which we used to find out what time events were happening at. For the topic “school”, the students could read a real timetable of a CM1/CM2 class based in the suburb of Paris. In the teacher’s French box, there are more authentic materials waiting to be used, the Parisian metro plan, the booklet for “le jardin des plantes”, a French calendar, French classroom posters.....
In each classroom where French is taught, there is a dedicated area for French displays and French books (cartoons, illustrated dictionary, school books...) can be found in the library corner. There is also a French board in the Foyer that welcomes students, parents, staff and visitors with French displays.
ICT is used in many ways to aid in the teaching of French in Barefield National School. Each lesson is supported by a Power Point Show where pictures and audio files are integrated and shown on the IWB. Videos (advertisement, cartoons, and piece of news...) are also shown via the IWB. Currently, the students are preparing a computer project “Je me présente” (“I introduce myself”), using Windows Photo Story. They work in pairs and simulate a dialogue; each student asks and answers questions. This is a very motivating project for the students, as it will be completed during the year with additional sentences. It is also a great assessment tool for the teacher, especially for the pronunciation!
When teaching French, we use as many authentic materials as possible. For the topic “Food”, advertisements chart from the French Ministry for Health and Sports were displayed and we used the French food pyramid (www.mangerbouger.fr). During “la semaine du goût” in October, (the week of taste in France), the students watched a short video about French students (10-11 years old) visiting le “marché de Rungis” with their teacher. We also had a look at the menus offered by “Le comptoir Lyonnais” on their website...For the topic “Time”, the students had a mini-guide of the “Louvre Familiale”, which we used to find out what time events were happening at. For the topic “school”, the students could read a real timetable of a CM1/CM2 class based in the suburb of Paris. In the teacher’s French box, there are more authentic materials waiting to be used, the Parisian metro plan, the booklet for “le jardin des plantes”, a French calendar, French classroom posters.....
Screen N.S. Screen, Enniscorthy Co.Wexford
Screen National School is a rural school located in Co. Wexford, approximately 12km outside of Wexford town. We are a five teacher school with 127 students. This is our second year as a part of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative. Our students in fifth and sixth class are taught French for ninety minutes each week by their class teacher, Ita Connolly.
The first thing we did was to make sure that French signs were visible throughout the school, from the front door, toilets, office, to the staff room and we plan to add more throughout the year. We also have our very own dedicated French notice board to display the language we are using and to encourage the other classes to take part and speak some French too! We have a ‘Phrase de la Semaine’ where we practise a specific piece of useful classroom language. We alternate using French one week, then Gaeilge the next week for our classroom language throughout the day. So far this year our students have been learning useful classroom language, how to introduce oneself, make friends, as well as learning basic language such as numbers, colours, my family, days of the week and how to tell the time. This month we have also been learning and practising how to form and ask questions and so far we know how to ask; Comment tu t-appelles? Comment ça va? Quel âge as-tu ? Ou habites-tu ? Quelle heure est-il ? Est-ce que tu as des frères ou des sœurs? We are focussing on questions this month as we are writing letters to our pen-friends in France!
Our school is twinned with “l’école Jacques Brel à Draguignan” which is near Grasse in the south of France, through the e-twinning learning platform. Nos amis français sont dans la classe CM2. As they are learning English, we write our letters in both French and English. This is our second year writing to our pen friends in Draguignan and we have found that we both have a lot in common. Although I have a feeling the Irish students have something to say about Thierry Henry in their next letters!
We like to practise our French through playing games in PE and learning French songs at music time. So far this year we have learned the songs ‘Bonjour Mes Amis’ and used the well knownsong ‘Frere Jacques’ to sing rounds, adding tin whistle and percussion instruments to accompany it. We have recorded this and made it into a podcast. In history we learned about the French Revolution and in geography we learned about landmarks in Paris through mapping and finding co-ordinates. ICT plays a huge part in our classroom and that also applies to French. So far this year we have used the interactive whiteboard to learn French and play games in French using the vocabulary we have learned. We are creating a photostory to introduce ourselves. We have made podcasts of the songs we have learned and the phrases we use.
Go to our website http://screenns.scoilnet.ie/blog/fifth-sixth-class/blog to listen to our podcasts. We also did a web quest about living in France and investigated the similarities across languages by looking at iPhones in different languages.
We are now starting to get ready for Christmas. This term we will be learning about the customs of a traditional French Christmas and Christmas songs like Vive le Vent. We are planning and designing t-shirts using Christmas greetings in French then decorating our t-shirts with clip art. We will then wear our designs in our Christmas play.
We plan to have Mardi Gras celebrations next year with crêpes, a demonstration of the songs and rhymes we learned throughout the year for the other classes, a display of our work and projects as well as tasting French foods such as well known cheeses. Last year on Shrove Tuesday we celebrated Mardi Gras which was a huge success! All the students dressed up in red, white and blue, with some students dressing up as famous soccer and rugby players. Arnaud and Kevin who own ‘Le Tire Bouchon’, a French restaurant in Wexford town, came to visit us. Arnaud told us all about his home town in Brittany as well as his childhood and what school was like. Arnaud answered loads of our questions and Kevin made us all fabulous crêpes, including delicious crêpes suzettes for the teachers! We also invited the local newspapers to attend our Mardi Gras celebrations and we had our pictures and an article about the MLPSI in our school in the paper the following week! It was a huge success and we are thoroughly looking forward to Mardi Gras 2010!
November 2009
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Johnstown, Dun Laoghaire
The pupils of Our lady of Good Counsel GNS, Johnstown, Dun Laoghaire have been undertaking some interesting work of late. New to the school since January 2009, their French teacher, Danielle Coffey-Dolliou, has proven to be a dynamic and valuable source of inspiration for all things French.
Here are some photos of the 5th class pupils with their drawings, done during "animal week". They all learnt the different names of the animals they picked between domestic and wild animals. It was a lot of fun for them as they never realized how different animal sounds were in French ( I gave them some examples such as the roosters 'wake up call' in English, French and Spanish).
For Halloween we made posters for the school with all the French Halloween vocab and sounds. They made a list of all the French Halloween words they knew from their own language ( Le Zombie, Le Diable, Le Fantome, La Sorciere, Le Vampire, La Lune, Le Monstre, Le Chaudron, Le Squelette... ) A great language awareness activitity!
The 6th class are working on a project on Coco Chanel, which includes drawing a new design for the 'Maison de Couture'!! Sounds exciting!!
The classes are also preparing to sing a French Christmas song at their school church for the Christmas Carol service so it is quite a busy time and a great way to bring French to the whole school audience!
With plans also afoot to organise a French quiz with another MLPSI school in the area, things are certainly going well with French in the school so far this academic year.
Gaelscoil na Cruaiche, Westport, Co. Mayo
Gaelscoil na Cruaiche is situated in Westport, Co. Mayo. We have over 200 pupils and a teaching staff of 11. We have been part of the MLPSI since 2001. Tríona Eade is our visiting language teacher and she teaches formal French lessons to our fifth and sixth classes. This year we have a Comenius Assistant from Belgium, her name is Emmanuelle Frontin. Each class is taught for ninety minutes weekly. The children are taught essential vocabulary i.e. colours, months, days of the week, animals, parts of the body, my family etc. Through the use of songs and rhymes, the pupils' reserve of words is built upon. Basic conversational questions are taught so that the children can discuss their families, their favourite food, the daily weather and much more. The classroom has French words everywhere to motivate the children to speak a little French each day.
Our Comenius Assistant teaches informal French classes to 1st – 4th classes and through the use of games, songs and activities, encourages the children to absorb key phrases in the target language. Furthermore, we run French classes as an after-school activity where informal language learning takes place. A major part of our Comenius Assistant’s role is to teach the pupils about their own regions. In this way, the children have learnt about many areas in Belgium and France. The enthusiasm of a native teacher means that the children experience it almost first hand!
Our language teachers use a variety of methods to allow our pupils to experience the target language and the culture of the country without leaving their schools. To date, our activities have included pen-pal exchanges, traditional art & craft, Christmas Markets, traditional breakfasts etc. We had a French Day where the children brought in some French foodto share. Descriptive words were abundant as the pupils described these foods in French. We also had a French fashion show where the children dressed in French clothes and described their outfits using the language they have. The pupils thoroughly enjoy these activities which enable them to use the language learnt in informal settings. Our Christmas concerts have always contained one or two traditional carols in the target language. Many of these are taught by our Lingua Assistants and would be popular in their particular regions. Over the years, we have learnt numerous carols and have got a taste of the various regions of Belgium and France.
Is taithí an-dearfach foghalim an tríú teanga do gach duine inár scoil. Tá sé tugtha faoi deara ag na múinteoirí go bhfuil suim ag na páistí comparáid a dhéanamh idir focail difriúla i nGaeilge, Béarlaagus Fraincís. Deireann na páístí:“Is maith linn Fraincís a fhoghalim mar go bhfuilimíd in ann í a úsáid nuair a théann muid ag an Fhrainc. Táimíd in ann na frásaí ar fad a d'fhoghalim muid i rith na bliana a úsáid agus labhairt le daoine.”“Ritheann an teanga go tapaidh agus is maith liom an slí go bhfuaimíonn sé”.“Tá sé iontach peann chairde a bheith againn i dtír eile.”“Is teanga eile é gur féidir linn a fhoghlaim. Taimíd in ann Gaeilge agus Béarla a labhairt go líofa agus anois táimíd ag foghlaim Fraincís.”
May / June 2009
Scoil Ide, Corbally, Limerick
Scoil Íde is a primary school in Corbally, Limerick with a student population of almost 800 and 40 full time teaching staff. The school has been part of the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative since its inception in 1998. Spanish is taught to the 5th and 6th class pupils for ninety minutes each week by Spanish Teachers Austin Durack and Nicola Cummins.
Spanish signs are visible throughout the school and a welcome banner “Bienvenidos a nuestra escuela” greets people at Reception. During the year, the 6th Class pupils learned about Spanish food and had a tapas tasting session where they tried olives from Granada, chorizo from Sevilla and homemade tortilla de patatas.
In February, Teresa and Roderigo from Spain came to Scoil Íde and helped us with our project on “La Cultura Española”. We learned a lot about life and culture in Spain and had great fun practising our Spanish with them!
Departing Munster star Federico Puciariello was a very popular visitor to Scoil Íde recently. He conducted a question and answer session in Spanish with the 5th and 6th Class pupils and listened to a very popular South American song adapted for the occasion by Spanish Teacher, Austin Durack. Questions ranged from how friendly he was with his countryman Filipe Contepomi to how many children he had. Federico displayed endless patience in posing for photos with the classes.
March 2009
St. Senan's NS, Kilrush, Co. Clare
The town of Kilrush is located in the West Clare peninsula on the mouth of the River Shannon and is home to St. Senan’s Primary School. In 1996 the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy schools amalgamated and the co-ed St. Senan’s Primary School was established. Mr Patrick J. McInerney is our Principal and we have a staff of 24 teachers and 9 S.N.A.s, catering for the diverse needs of our 300 pupils.
GENERAL INFORMATIONThe Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative has been running in our school since September 1998. French is taught to 5thand 6th classes for 1.5 hours per week. We have four classes learning French, their class teachers are Mr McGuire, Mrs Garrihy, Miss McNamara and Miss O’Brien. Mrs Deirdre Hehir has been teaching French in St. Senan’s since September 2007.
FRENCH DAY 2008
In May 2008 St. Senan’s primary school held its first French Day. Our stage was set up to look like a French café, with views of familiar French buildings visible through the windows - the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame. The hall was decorated with posters of French people and red, white and blue balloons and bunting. Mrs Kenny made a huge French flag to hang from the stage ceiling. Fifth and sixth classes dressed up as well known French people - Napoleon, Pierre Curie, Roland Garros, Coco Chanel, Monet, Marcel Marceau, Sebastien Chaval and Nicholas Sarkozy, to name but a few. They introduced themselves to an audience of fellow pupils, parents and teachers explaining why they are/were famous. This was followed up with a performance of traditional French songs, ending with the French National Anthem. After the performance parents, teachers and pupils were invited to enjoy some traditional French food. Much of this food was sponsored by our local Supervalu – French bread, cheese, preserves, biscuits, etc. Mrs O’Malley, a teacher who owns a restaurant, had some French chefs prepare a traditional French dish – Lapin a la Moutarde, which everyone said was delicious. A fantastic day was had by all.
FRENCH WEEK 2009For 2009 we are planning to have a French week in May. During this week we will organise many activities including teaching French phrases and singing French songs for the younger classes. We will also display projects on various French cities and regional French food. We will also have a display of French food. We are hoping to have a representative from our local Twinning Association visit our school to talk about the links between Kilrush and Plouzane in Brittany and to answer any questions our pupils may have. We also hope to set up correspondence between our school and a school in Plouzane.
FRENCH BOARDIn the 5th/6th class corridor we have a French Board which we frequently update. Many of our students have been to Paris and have brought back maps, menus, receipts, photos and newspapers which we are now displaying on a Paris-themed board.We are also hoping to set up a Bibliotheque in the school this year which the pupils are really looking forward to. French is very much a part of our school events. At Christmas time we learn all about traditional French Christmas activities and learn French Christmas carols. This year we had a very successful French Christmas Card competition which produced some beautiful cards. These can be seen on our French section of our school website. www.kilrushns.ie
Seasonal events We made Buche de Noel cakes for all 5th and 6th classes which we had on the last day before Christmas.A lovely way to begin our Christmas break. Also at Christmas our Banna Cheoil visits a local nursing home to play traditional Irish and Christmas music. Last year some 5th and 6th class pupils also went along to sing “Mon Beau Sapin” and “Vive le Vent”. The residents were very impressed. For Valentine’s Day we made cards written in French and Mr McGuire’s class made a display about the people they love.For Mardi Gras we made some masks and learned all about Mardi Gras festivals around the world. We learned La Marseillaise while following the progress of France (and Ireland, of course) during the 6 Nations campaign. We also have a display of newspaper reports in English and French about both teams’ 6 Nations games.We participate in MLPSI competitions and last week we entered the Francophonie competition run by Ambassade de France.Below are some more photos of French activities throughout 2008 and 2009.
COMMENTS FROM OUR PUPILS AND TEACHERS.
“The pupils are really enjoying learning French. They love to hear how French children celebrate different occasions as well as learning about everyday life in France – school, sports, food and music.”
February 2009
St. Philip’s S.N.S., Mountview, Clonsilla,Dublin 15.
St. Philip’s Senior School comprises of over 300 students with three classes at each class level from 3rd to 6th. St. Philip’s Senior School, a school rich in cultural and linguistic diversity, plays an active part in the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative.
The French Board in the main school corridor raises the awareness of all students in relation to French language and culture.Since its inception over 10 years ago, Ms. G. Casey (teacher and vice-principal) has spearheaded the teaching of French and Spanish to 5th and 6th class students with great success. Since 2007, Ms. J. O’Toole (teacher) has doubled the numbers on the French-teaching team. French is taught to 6th class students for one hour per week while 5th class students participate in an after-school French club. Furthermore, 6th class students have the added opportunity of learning Spanish after-school club.
French is taught to 6th class students for one hour per week while 5th class students participate in an after-school French club. Furthermore, 6th class students have the added opportunity of learning Spanish after-school club.
Mr. M. Downes (principal) greatly encourages a whole school approach to language learning at St. Philip’s. As well as French and Spanish, the native languages of students at St. Philip’s are acknowledged and celebrated.
The introduction of ‘Phrase de la Semaine’ has been hugely popular and motivates all students and teachers alike.
St. Philip’s are currently exploring the possibility of fostering links with a French primary school in the future.
St. Philip’s are proud winners of the MLPSI national language competition for the last two consecutive years. This achievement is testament to the linguistic and creative talents of the students as well the extremely palpable whole school approach to language learning.
The modern languages students are also looking forward to showcasing their favourite aspects of French language and culture during the school’s forthcoming Cultural Week….Watch this space!
A Whole School Approach to German: Unsere erste "Deutsche Woche"
From the 24.11. until the 28.11, we celebrated our first German Language week in Griffeen Valley ETNS.
All classes, even the Junior Infants, received two German lessons during that week and learnt little songs & phrases like "Guten Tag" or "Wie geht's?"
The language lessons were a great success and soon everyone, from the secretary to teachers and pupils, were walking around the school greeting each other in German with a friendly "Guten Morgen" oder "Guten Tag". All age groups learnt something about Germany and the German culture during that week.
All classes baked their own, fresh and traditional German Laugenbretzel.
In second class we made traditional German waffles, the fourth classes had a traditional German breakfast and 5th class made their own traditional German Christmas biscuits.
5th and 6th class had a very successful project week and prepared fantastic project books about Germany and the German culture.
The 4th classes prepared a table quiz about Germany which was held in 5th/6th classes on the Friday after a busy week of working on their German projects. Some German was spoken during Friday's assembly and each class teacher chose a " German week star" who performed particularly well during the entire week.
We had a big German display in the school's entrance area where lots of goodies and authentic traditional German items, such as Gingerbread houses, photographs and German school books, were displayed.
With the support of the whole staff the German week was a great success and lots of children are still running around the school greeting each other, counting or singing in German.
For more photos, please see the following Powerpoint Presentation: german_language_week1
Teacher: Nathalie Jedda
December 2008Crecora NS, Co. Limerick
Crecora National School is a rural school situated a few miles outside Limerick city. It has a staff of eleven teachers and a pupil population of almost 200. This is our second year as part of the modern language initiative and we are thoroughly enjoying it. Our school is decorated using lots of Spanish words and phrases and we welcome everybody to the school with the banner “Bienvenidos a nuestra escuela” displayed in the main lobby.
We often perform a rap or a song in Spanish for the whole school at Monday’s assembly in the hall.We sometimes include a Spanish phrase of the week alongside the Irish “Frasai na seachtaine”. When sixth class were confirmed during the year they included a Spanish prayer of the faithful during their Mass. Last Christmas fifth and sixth classes sang two Spanish carols at our Christmas concert and it is hoped to do the same this year.We also made lovely Christmas cardswith Spanish greetings. During Spanish classes the children enjoy being in the “hot seat” where children have opportunities to ask and answer questions in Spanish. A lot of vocabulary is reinforced through songs which the children find enjoyable.Last year the children were fortunate enough to taste turron and tortilla while learning about food and we hope to continue to offer them similar experiences. This year our sixth class have already prepared their first letter for their Spanish epals which we hope to access soon.It is lovely to hear the occasional “hola” , “adios” or “gracias” around the school corridor and we look forward to hearing more!Below are some photos of our 5th and 6th Spanish pupils at various times during the year and some comments made by our current 5th class pupils.
I like Spanish because it is fun.
The songs and raps are great fun.
It’s good knowing a different language.
It is classic but it is a bit hard.
I like playing games in Spanish.
Teacher: Catherine Tobin
November 2008.
St. Annin's N.S, Roscahill, Co. Galway
St Annins National School is located in the picturesque village of Rosscahill Co. Galway. St. Annins has been part of the MLPSI since 1998. The language chosen was German. The pupils are very enthusiastic about learning German and enjoy a wide range of active learning methodologies like songs,dance,aerobics,sport,mime and drama all through the target language
To make German more visible in the school we hung posters and translated school notices into German.we have now created our own "deutsche Ecke" which we up date every month.
This year we hosted our own German fashion show (Modenschau)The children chose their own outfits and described them in class.We held the fashion show in the school yard and invited some of the younger classes and principal.The children were very inventive in their choice of attire for the show.
We also held a football match through German. The children learned German football words (Tor,Elfmeter,Schiedsrichter,Eckball etc..)They introduced themselves and their positions in German.Some children sang football chants on the sideline.All children entered into the spirit of exercise and enjoyed the game.
In addition, when learning the parts of the body each child choreographed their own aerobic dance workout.
Ballinadee N.S. is a five-teacher school situated in beautiful countryside close to the banks of the river Bandon. We have enjoyed being part of The Modern Language Initiative for the past five years. This year we have a change of Spanish teacher, Mercedes Garcia. Mercedes comes from Madrid and is living in Kinsale.
Our former Spanish teacher, Montse Onteveros has returned to Barcelona with her family to take up a new job. We are very sad to see her leave. However our whole staff is visiting her in Barecelona for our Christmas party. We are all trying to brush up our Catalan!! Mercedes has filled her shoes well and Montse would be proud of the way our children from the infants upwards have shown off their Spanish to Mercedes.
Parc de Attractiones, Madrid
Our most exciting project so far was our school trip to Madrid. We were lucky enough for the past two years to have a Spanish student teacher from Madrid, Maria. She together with Montse helped us to plan our trip. We had a fabulous time despite the fact that it rained solidly while we were there in May!
Maria managed to get us tickets to visit Real Madrid, which was a real highlight. We also visited various art museums and saw the famous Guernica by Picasso. We had studied Picasso in our art classes and were thrilled to see his original work we also had a day trip to Toledo, an ancient medieval city north of Madrid, which was breathtaking. We ate traditional Spanish food each day, no Mc Donalds for us. The children ordered their food in Spanish, which caused great hilarity. The staff in the restaurants was so nice to the children.
We made a little animated film inspired by our trip and Maria, which you can view for yourselves.
We have lots of social occasions in our school hall in the evening where children have great fun and parents can meet each other. Last term our best night by far was our Spanish night. Montse did tapas. We made tortillas de patatas in school. A man came with two huge paella dishes and made delicious paella. We played Spanish music. 5th and 6th class was waiters and waitresses. The whole school helped to decorate the hall in a Spanish theme.
This year Mercedes brought in magdadalenas, which the Spaniards have for breakfast. We are starting to create our Spanish corners now. We are doing new signs to put up all over the school in Spanish, English and Irish. We are using our computers to design them
We are already planning our school tour for this year. 6th class is planning to go to Barcelona. We plan to study the work of Gaudi. We are also currently designing sculpture for our schoolyard inspired by Gaudi. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic sculptor living in the area, Don Cronin who is going to help us.
We will be having a Spanish night to help raise funds for our trip.
Mercedes is planning an e twinning project with a school in Madrid. Maria our student teacher now has a post in a school in Madrid also. She is teaching infants so we are going to exchange mail with them also.
Our parish priest, Canon Kelleher was in Peru for some time and is a fluent Spanish speaker we love to hear him and our Spanish teacher speaking together.
We are really looking forward to the coming year and hope you enjoy the film we made in Barcelona
September 2008:
Scoil Fhionnbarra Béal Áthan Ghaorthaidh, Co Chorcaí
Ballingeary National School joined the MLPSI in September 2007. Here is a summary of the language activities that have taken place in the school from September 2007 to June 2008.
- We took part in an exchange of letters with a school in Guaderrama, Madrid - Christmas, Easter and Summer, written in English, Irish and Spanish.
-We put on a Christmas Show - in Spanish. We sang songs about the alphabet and the vowels, we spoke about the Spanish language, we sang Christmas carols in Spanish). The parents supported the concert and enjoyed it immensely.
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- On St. Patrick's Day a Spanish band came to Ballingeary. We had an exchange of cultural music (Irish/Spanish) - the parents made traditional cakes
- On 1st June - local and regional sports figure, Rhóna Buckley, gave a few hours sports instruction in Spanish.
- On 23rd June - We had a Spanish show. It lasted two hours and involved lots of preparation by the students - painting, making props and decorations - We performed The Little Red Hen & Goldilocks and the Three Bears in Spanish. We talked about four different countries that have Spanish as their first language, the culture, politics, history and so on - Argentina, Mexice, Cuba, Spain. The children were singing and dancing traditional songs and dances i.e. Argentina - The Tango, Mexico - La Cucaracha, Cuba - La Bamba, Spain - La Macarena. They also danced Irish popular dances and sang their own song to say "Goodbye" to the school.
For next year we are planning to have a student exchange to Spain in May 2009 with the school in Guaderrama, Madrid.
Newtown Upper N.S., Carrick-On-Suir
Newtown Upper N.S. is a 3 teacher rural school with 48 pupils near the town of Carrick-On-Suir, Co. Tipperary. We have wooded land behind our school and the Ahenny High Crosses and Slievenamon practically on our doorstep.
We joined the MLPSI last year. The language chosen was French as all of the teachers have a grasp of the language and the Principal, Breda Fitzgerald, has completed her Graduate Diploma in teaching French in Primary Schools from Waterford Institute of Education.
The approach taken to teaching the language is integration across the curriculum. The 'feidhmeanna teanga' in Irish are also presented in French, thereby creating a multi-lingual opportunity for the children. This works very well in the mixed class situation as the class teacher can repeat and build on phrases used from one year to the next with the same children. (I teach 4th, 5th &6th classes.) Other ideas incorporating phrases into Irish essay and news writing eg. weather, dates etc.-excellent subjects through which to teach French. Our song 'León le caméléon' teaches colours, nouns and verbs in a fun and interactive way.Our Regional Project Leader, Catherine Mc Auliffe introduced some new ideas on how to teach Maths through French using large dice and creating Maths sentences eg. six plus dix font = 16'. We have dealt with areas of French culture through the SESE curriculum, Social ,Environmental and Scinetific Education.
On Pancake Tuesday we celebrated Mardi Gras. Some parents very generously cooked the crépes and the funds raised were donated to our local hospital.
Using our grant we invested in the 'Early Start French' series and found the lesson plans excellent. The children also enjoy hearing native French children speak and seeing them playing games just like our children do at school.
We have found it best to integrate the language across the curriculum rather than trying to fit in another 'new' subject. into an overstretched timetable. We are actually amazed at how much the children have learned in such a short time.
The feedback we have received from the pupils in 6th class is that they will definitely study a langauge in secondary school. We feel this is a very successful result.
This year we intend to organise a 'Farmer's market' in the school grounds and allow the children to order and purchase cheese, bread, fruit and vegetables just like in a French 'Marché '. To celebrate 'European Day of Languages' on September 26th, this year, a selection of our pupils Art work will be displayed in the local library in Clonmel along with other MLPSI schools in the area.
Breda Fitzgerald
Scoil an Fheirtéaraigh, Co. Chiarrai.
Scoil an Fheirtéaraigh is a rural school located in the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht, where I, a native Spanish speaker teach through Spanish and Irish. This first year we have developed many projects: We have started a pen pal project with a school in Spain and we are planning to continue it through the local secondary schools in both countries; we cooked “Chocolate con churros” on our cookery day; we had a guest speaker in the classroom; we visited the local museum to discover the many links that this area has with Spain, etc. On our Spanish day we performed a play invented by us in front of the other classes, we had a Spanish snack and we played in Spanish with a parachute (which was very enjoyable!).
To make Spanish more present and visible in the school we hung postaers, we translated the school notices into Spanish, we created a Spanish corner in the classroom and we had displays of the activities during the year. At the end of the year we participated in a competition organised by the library involving both Spanish and Irish. Both the children and school community are very interested and motivated after this first year learning Spanish through the MLPSI and we are looking forward to having much more Spanish next year!
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Tá Scoil an Fhirtéaraigh suite faoin tuaith sa Ghaeltacht in iarthar Chorca Dhuibhne agus bímse , cainteoir dúchais Spainnise, ag múineadh ranganna tríd Spáinnis agus Gaolainn. Táimid tar éis ana-chuid tionscnaimh a fhorbairt: Táimid tar éis tógra cairde poist a thosnú le scoil sa Spáinn ( agus tá sé ar intinn againn leanúint ar adhaigh les sna meanscoileanna sa dá thír amach anseo); bhí lá cócaireachta again agus dheineamar “ Chocolate con churros”; bhí cuarteoir ag labhairt linn sa rang; Thógamar cuairt ar an musaem áitiúil le foghlaimt faoi na ceangail idir an ceantar seo agus An Spáinn. Ar an Lá Spáinnise léiríomar dráma a bhí cumtha again féin os comhar na ranganna eile, bhí greim bidh Spáinnise againn agus bhíomar ag imirt as Spáinnis le parasiút (rud a bhí ana thaineamhach!). Chun Spáinnis a dhéanamh nios feiceáileach agus ina pháirt den ghnáthshaol scoile d’astríomar na fógraí scoile go Spáinnis, chruthaíomar cúinne Spáinnise sa seomra ranga, postaeirí agus taispeántaisí den obair a dheineamar i rith na bliana. Ag deireadh na bliana thógamar páirt i gcomórtas a bhí ar siúil sa leabharlann ag baint le léitheoireacht, Spáinnise agus Gaolainne. Idir na leanaí agus phobal na scoile tá ana-shuim léirithe sa scéim Nuatheangacha i mbunscoileanna agus táimid ag súil le níos mó Spáinnis a bheith againn an bhlian seo chughainn!
Lucia Atencia.
May 2008: St. Laurence's National School, Greystones, Co. Wicklow
St. Laurence’s National School, Greystones, Co. Wicklow St. Laurence’s is one of five large co-educational primary schools in the Greystones/Delgany area of Co. Wicklow. There are currently 515 children attending the school and there are approximately 64 children in each class grouping. St. Laurence’s is a relatively young school having been founded in 1977 as a junior primary school to cater for the then expanding local population. It opened with one teacher and 24 pupils and during the following ten years it grew rapidly reaching its capacity in 1987. Since 1998 St. Laurence’s is a full stream school and following this change of status the Board of Management applied in 2000, when the first group of children reached fifth class, to join the Modern Languages Project.
Spanish was chosen due to the very many connections with Spain in the area, there being a number of private Spanish schools in Bray/Greystones catering for late-primary/early-secondary school going Spanish children who spend an academic year in these schools to improve their English while at the same time being educated under the Spanish School System. These pupils live with families in the community and some of our pupils are hosts to these children. Also a number of children with Spanish parent(s) live in the area and attend the school and are impressed that Spanish plays such a visible role in our curriculum.
We have endeavoured to make Spanish become part of our school culture and to integrate the language into our school curriculum at all levels. Since the year 2000 children in 5th and 6th have two formal classes of Spanish per week that they enjoy very much.
We very much follow the guidelines as laid down by the NCCA and we have found that this has worked very well. Our visiting teachers keep themselves abreast of the latest educational trends by attending the training days and conferences organised by the MLSI. We have hosted Spanish teacher trainee students for the last three years and our own teachers, pupils and parents always look forward to their arrival.
This year, in addition to our trainee teachers, we applied for a Léargas Language Assistant and have been very busy since Xaris Zamorra’s arrival in October 2007. This enabled us to broaden the Spanish profile in the school and we feel we have now gone along way to achieving our aim of integrating Spanish into our school curriculum at all levels. Together with our visiting teacher, Evelyn, Xaris has done a Plean Scoile in Spanish of which we are very proud. Xaris has been working with all the classes. For Halloween, for example, we had pictures of witches and brooms with their Spanish words, all around the school. By Christmas not just the 5th and 6th classes but children from Junior Infants up were greeting each other and the teachers in Spanish and wishing each other a “Feliz Navidad”. Together with Evelyn Bradley, the regular Spanish teacher, and Xaris the whole school learnt to sing some Christmas songs including Jingle Bells in Spanish. The parents were very impressed! For Mother’s Day every child in the school went home with a Mother’s Day card that they had made with a poem and a dedication written in Spanish.
With Evelyn the 5th and 6th classes worked on cultural projects – “El Mundo Hispanico” and “Mexico” – and Xaris is currently adapting these for the younger classes. The children learn how widespread the Spanish language is around the world and are making the flags, “las banderas” , for each of these countries. Xaris also introduced the younger classes to some simple Spanish food, chorizo and jamon. They were very interested to learn what Spanish children might eat at lunchtime in school. Evelyn and Xaris are also planning a Spanish “tortilla” day for the 5th and 6th classes where the children will have an opportunity not only to taste authentic tortilla but also to learn how to make it.
Xaris left us in April and the children were very sad to say goodbye. Having all of the classes learn some Spanish has been wonderful experience for the school. We have applied for another Spanish assistant for next year and we hope our application to Léargas will be successful. In the meantime we will be working from our Plean Scoile and with the Spanish trainee teachers who will be here during the month of May.
May Event: We will be celebrating Europe Day on the 9th May with Minister Dick Roche and Spanish people living in the community will be involved in this celebration. We will have a chance to show off our Modern Language Project on that day!!
April 2008:Gaelscoil O Doghair, Caislean Nua Thiar, Co. Luimnigh.
Gaelscoil Ó Doghair, Caisleán Nua Thiar, Contae Luimnigh, joined the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative in the beginning. In keeping with the multi-lingual and pluralistic ethos of the school, the initial decision was made by parents, students, management and teachers to integrate German into the senior school curriculum and invite visiting teachers to become an integral part of the team. Visits to various schools and areas in Germany really enhanced the language learning experiences and the ever evolving use of technology allowed for a journey which, today, has seen German, Polish, French and Spanish integrated into the Visual, performing and physical arts programme at the school.
Gaelscoil students had their first taste of Modern Language when they successful exchanged with École St. Marie, Chartres De Bretagne in 1990. This cultural and linguistic exchange of families and teachers led to ten years of mutual exploration of encultured education in Primary schools. Successful SOCRATES, COMENIUS programmes with countries all over Europe laid the strong foundation for entering the Modern Languages Initiative in the belief that investing in our students linguistic abilities was an investment in their future possibilities as European Citizens. The opportunities to travel further open their eyes to the importance of languages and cultures and moreover re-enforced the love of their Celtic traditions and culture. The role of the local community cannot be under stressed in the schools journey into languages acquisition and learning as a whole-community approach was adopted to encourage participation at all levels.Today, the school, in its new building, stresses the vital role of play and song in language learning. The integration of modern technologies is vital in the Modern Languages initiative and the whole-school approach to languages enculturation is evident in their policies and everyday life. The Príomhoide, Dr. Daithí Ó Murchú tells us that he would love to see " an integrated approach to multi-languages exposure for all ages throughout the Primary school. The Revised Curriculum provides exciting, creative, integrative and transformative opportunities to sing in Spanish, Play in German, paint in French, dance in Polish and generally have ‘Linguistic Craic' in many subject areas without overloading an already powerful curriculum". The emphasis is on fun language learning in Gaelscoil Ó Doghair and "we would encourage all schools not to be afraid to embark on the journey with the Modern Languages Initiative as it is an investment in life-long learning and Active Citizenship".
March 2008: St. Peter's NS, Dromiskin, Co. Louth.
St. Peter’s is a co-educational school situated in the historic village of Dromiskin, 10km from Dundalk, with approximately 200 pupils on roll at present. We applied to join the Modern Language in Primary Schools Initiative in 2002, and were accepted in Spring 2007. Fifth and Sixth classes have been learning French since September 2007, and the whole school has embraced the programme enthusiastically.
We have emphasised the role of visibility in creating awareness of French in school, and our corridors and notice-boards display examples of the children’s work. Labels and signs in French and Gaeilge, created by our secretary, can be seen throughout the school, and our principal and whole staff are very supportive of the programme – providing help with resources, suggesting useful websites and facilitating the supervision of classes to suit the French timetable. Topics covered so far include greetings, the calendar, numbers 1 – 20, colours and classroom language. 5th class performed a French song for our Christmas concert, which was greatly enjoyed by all pupils and parents.
We plan to hold a French Day later in the school year, featuring a French breakfast and a display of French projects on aspects of French life. Many of our activities have been inspired by the “Ideas for the Classroom” pages in “Language Links”.
To see some examples of the work done by our French classes, visit our school website: www.dromiskinns.ie
The following comments by 5th/6th class pupils convey their enthusiasm for French:
“French is a very enjoyable subject. It’s fun to learn about another culture.”
“French is good fun, and if I go to France some day, I will be able to speak to people.”
“I like French because it will be useful for secondary school. Every primary school should give its pupils the opportunity to learn another language.”
“I like French because it’s enjoyable and fun. Probably my favourite thing is playing the game where you identify the month when you were born.. I also like learning French songs.”
“French is fun like P.E., it’s the best subject in school!”
“I like learning French, it is a fun subject because we get to draw and colour things for the French notice-board.”
“I absolutely love French. It can help you in secondary school. I look forward to Wednesdays just because of French!”
February 2008: St. Oliver Plunkett NS, Navan, Co. Meath.
St. Oliver's is a large school in Navan with 600 pupils.There are 6 German classes, 3 6th classes & 3 5th classes. It is a co-educational school. September with 6th class this year got off to a start with the introduction of Oktoberfest - why & how it is celebrated, what is available to eat and drink etc. Pupils were very interested so I decided to hold a German food day so that they could taste the food themselves. I borrowed a book from library with Oktoberfest pictures in it and Aldi were holding a special promotion on German food to celebrate Oktoberfest so I collected E2 from each pupil and a trip to Aldi to fill the boot with German food and juices(leider kein Bier) and we were all set.
I brought in a large George Foreman grill to cook the sausages and meatballs. We put 3 pupils' desks together, placed all the food and drinks on them & pupils sampled everything.The more popular food & drinks included Bockwurst, Frankfurter, Frikadellen, Pretzel, Ananassaft, Apfelsaft and of course Sussigkeiten and Schokolade went down a treat for dessert. The not so popular ones included Senf, Gurken, Sauerkraut, Bockwurstsuppe and Salami. And of course a few Christmas things were purchased including Stollen and Lebkuchen.Any food left over was either brought to staffroom or given to 5th class students.A ll in all a very worthwhile experience - hardwork but the students enjoyed it so it was well worth it!
This lead to further introduction to German food with pupils learning about what the Germans eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner and how to order food in a restaurant. We set up a restaurant in class, divided the class into groups and they prepared role-plays in a restaurant. I left the role-play completely up to themselves. They decided how it would develop and I think they enjoyed this freedom. The names of their restaurants as were the role-plays themselves quite amusing. Kids of this age group love acting out.
November started the lead up to Christmas.With only 2 classes per week each I find it necessary to start as early as this.The 5th class pupils learned about the German customs and traditions at Christmas e.g St Niklaus. They made booties and left them on their desks for him. Imagine their surprise when they came to school on 6th Dec to find their boots full of goodies! Two of the 5th classes were performing Christmas plays so we decided to put on a 10 minute show at the end of each production.The audience was told about St Niklaus and shown the boots that were made. One of the students dressed up as Santy and came along and filled boots up again with sweets. They then recited a poem about St Niklaus. Some Christmas carols were sung in German e.g Rudolf, Tannenbaum, Jingle Bells and Stille Nacht. We decided to sing Silent Night in the 3 different languages they are using. We sang 1 verse in German, 1 verse in English and 1 Verse in Irish. To finish up they recited another poem "When the snow falls wunderbar".
The other 5th class was not performing a Christmas play so I decided to do a German play with them "Goldlöckchen". I have to say they were very enthusiastic and worked very hard. We made a gingerbread house to do as Goldilocks house. The stage was equipped with a table and 3 bowls of porridge & basically the play was acted out from there. Parents and the other two 5th classes came to watch. I think plays and acting out are a great lead up to Christmas!
January 2008: St. Patrick's BNS, Lombard St., Galway.
St. Pat's, Lombard St. Galway is an all boys National School in Galway city centre. We have been part of the Modern Language Initiative for several years. There are 120 boys learning German in five classes. The pupils are very enthusiastic about learning German and enjoy a wide range of active learning methodologies like song singing, pantomime games, crosswords, word searches, guessing the meaning of new words and discovering similarities between German, English and Irish.
Many of the boys are very interested in soccer and know a lot about the German National team. They loved enjoyed the German football quiz and learned a lot of football related vocabulary while also learning many interesting facts about the success of the German team in European and World Championships.
German classes at St. Pat's also involve a lot of drawing as pictures can help children to remember the meaning of new words. When learning the alphabet they also learned a new word for each letter and did a ‘speed-drawing’ activity where they drew a picture of the word in a few seconds. The children enjoy regular visits to their classes from a puppet called Alfons Zwiebel and his rat ‘Rudolf die Ratte’. Alfons comes from Berlin and asks the children lots of questions about themselves. He is a funny creature with very big ears and wings and the boys are curious to discover more and more about him as they learn more German.
At the beginning of December the children watched a film about Christmas traditions in Germany and found out that Sankt Nikolaus puts presents into German children’s shoes on December 6th. We also learned the Sankt Nikolaus song which German children sing to call Sankt Nikolaus.
November/ December 2007: Scoil Raifteiri, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
Scoil Raifteirí is an All-Irish Primary School situated on the Fairgreen in Castlebar. It was set up in 1983, and the present school was built in 1998.
Scoil Raifteirí has been involved in the MLPSI for several years now, teaching Italian. It has worked tremendously hard to develop a multilingual environment for the pupils through excellent teaching, embedding the modern language into the classroom and by implementing a whole school approach to modern language learning. It has two twin schools in Italy and had a wonderful school visit to Italy in May of this year. Check out Scoil Raifteirí’s website which has a great Italian Section and a section devoted to their Italian trip!
September /October 2007: Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn, Mayfield, Cork.
Our last school year (2006-2007) was very successful in terms of our achievements in the Modern Languages Programme. 5th and 6th class learn Italian twice a week, and we are very fortunate to have Laura Ginevra from Sicily with us, who is a great inspiration to the children!
In October 2006 an Italian children’s author, Stefano Cinti, visited our school to present one of his stories with his own musical accompaniment involving some wonderful instruments. Previous to his visit the children did some preparatory work, including art work, on the selected story.
In December we had our annual trip to U.C.C. where we sang Christmas carols in the Italian Department. Dr. Mark Chu, head of the department, very kindly presented us with beautiful Italian song books and CDs which we used later in the year to put on a wonderful performance for our school concert. This took place in March. 5th Class performed I Due Liocorni, and 6th Class sang a song about an African tribe called I Watussi.
In February both classes entered an art competition. The children produced some wonderful art work based on the work of two Italian artists – Modigliani and Guttuso. One of our parents, Eilís ní Fhaoláin, who is herself an artist, helped us greatly in this project. The children were thrilled to be presented with art books for their efforts by the Modern Languages Programme. The children also made wonderful outfits and masks for Carnevale.
For St. Patrick’s Day, a number of children dressed up as Italian characters (gondoliers, Pavarotti, the Pope etc.) and took part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cork city.
In April, the children made a video based on a drama they had prepared. This was a sketch about going to the doctor - Dal Dottore - and enabled them to use all the vocabulary they had learned about the body. This was later used for an inservice day.
We had a very successful Italian week in June. This consisted of cookery classes, where the children made bruschetta, pizza and panini, and a very interesting talk by Leo Brownen of the Società Dante Alighieri di Cork on the Unification of Italy. This was in keeping with the commemoration of the bicentennial of the death of Giuseppe Garibaldi. We also put together a fashion show at the end of the week. The fashion show gave the children the opportunity to show off the Italian they had learned over the year by describing the clothes they had designed and talking about the characters they were representing.
At the end of the month of October 2007 there will be a worldwide celebration of the theme of L’Italiano ed il Mare.Both 5th and 6th class are currently putting together an art display on this theme which will be on display in the Italian Department in U.C.C.
Caoimhe Brouwers, Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn, Cork
Scoil Bhride is a 584 pupil school situated in the busy town of Midleton, Co. Cork. The principal of the school is Síle O’Sullivan and Síle leads a staff of 29 teachers and 8 visiting teachers. The school has both boys and girls in the infant classes and girls only from 1st class upwards. Scoil Bhride has been involved in the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative since its introduction in 1998 when the girls of 5th and 6th classes started learning German. As a result of the scheme the girls have a very positive approach to the learning of German, encompassing both lingual and cultural experiences. We would like to share with you some of the work undertaken by our students.
Die Schultüte
Each school year we begin the new term by working on the Schultüte project – an initiative developed and promoted by the Goethe Institute in Dublin. In Germany each child is given a Schultüte on their first day of National school. The girls in 6th class make their own Schultüte which they then present to the girls of 5th class to mark the start of their learning of German. It is a fabulous opportunity to teach cultural awareness in the classroom and is always a great success.
Visit from Juliane Czerny, German trainee teacher
We were very fortunate this year - in October 2006 we welcomed Juliane, a trainee teacher from the University of Nürnberg to our school. Juliane spent 4 weeks working with us – both in the German language classes and with the rest of the school. The girls thoroughly enjoyed Julaine’s visit, providing them with an opportunity to ask many questions and find out what life is really like in Germany. Following is a copy of Juliane’s article written for the Language Links magazine. Juliane’s visit also marked the start of a penpal exchange with a school in Germany.
Mein Praktikum im St. Brigid’s Presentation Convent, Midleton, Cork : Juliane Czerny
Vier Wochen Praktikum liegen jetzt hinter mir, in denen ich den Deutschunterricht der 5. und 6. Klassen bei Sally Hayes begleitet habe. Waehrend dieser Zeit konnte ich nicht nur mein Englisch erweitern, sondern hatte auch die Gelegenheit Land und Leute kennenzulernen. Mit nach Hause nehme ich nun die Erinnerung an die ueber 100 Schuelerinnen, deren Begeisterung und Interesse an der deutschen Sprache und Kultur ich jeden Tag spueren durfte. Wenn ich die unzaehligen Fragen beantwortete, stillte das nicht nur den Wissendurst der Schuelerinnen, sondern es machte mir auch einen Teil meiner eigenen Kultur bewusster. Mit der Erkenntnis, dass die Schultuete genauso typisch deutsch ist wie Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut, fahre ich nun nach Hause und bedanke mich bei allen Schuelerinnen und Lehrerinnen des St. Brigid’s Presentation Convent, insbesondere bei Sally Hayes.
In October 2006 the girls of 6th class submitted their entries for the European Day of Languages competition. Here are some of the posters they designed. This was a great opportunity for crosscurricluar activity as class teachers were able to incorporate this work in their art lessons.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH
INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENS’WEEK In June 2007 the whole school will be participating in International Children’s week. To mark the occasion each class has chosen to research 2 countries.
The research will include the following: • Greetings in the foreign language including welcome, hello and thank you • Identifying the national flag • Location • National anthems • Food items • Music • Games • Sport • National costume • Native folklore stories.
Each class will then hold presentations and put up displays for the rest of the school. Next month we have a visit planned from a German songwriter/musician who will be encouraging the girls to learn German with songs. We hope to then use this material as the basis for a concert the girls will be able to perform as part of International Children’s week. Again the whole school will therefore be able to enjoy the stimulation of listening to another language.
Lastly we are planning to include past students from the MLPSI in our learning of the German language. Past pupils who are currently in Transition Year at St Mary’s High School are being asked about the possibility of speaking to the girls about their language learning experiences and how they personally feel participation in the MLPSI has helped them. We feel by inviting the past pupils into our school that this will encourage our current students and form the basis for a link between the two schools.
Although the MLPSI scheme is aimed at the students of 5th and 6th class, we feel that pupils throughout the whole school are able to benefit from the MLPSI being taught in the school. The girls include traditional German songs for example in the Christmas concerts and they would put on performances at the end of the school year. These performances have always shown the girls’ willingness to show how much they have learnt and they are very proud to have the confidence to perform in German in front of the other classes. I have found that the girls are also very keen to tell their younger sisters what they have done and there is a certain amount of excitement attached to going into 5th class and having German lessons.
Students’ comments
Now it’s over to the girls of one of the 6th classes for their opinions on learning German in National School! -
“I like to learn German because when I go to Germany I can speak their language and also it’s interesting to learn and when I go into High School I will have 2 year’s experience in German. German is fun!”
“I like learning German because of the cool games we play, because everybody should speak another language, because that is so special!”
“I like to learn German because I get to learn a different language and we get to play games and in case you want to live over there.”
“I like learning German because it’s really easy to learn and a lot of fun also. Somedays we play games in German and we all have a lot of fun. I will keep German on in High School because as I said it’s so fun and easy to learn with your friends.”
“I think it’s a good idea to learn German because when you go on holidays you are able to communicate with the locals.”
“I like learning German in school because I get to learn a new language and we get to play games. I know three languages now and if I ever go to Germany I could speak to them.”
“I like German because it’s really fun. It’s really really easy. Our teacher plays German games with us too! Our teacher loves teaching us German. We are learning German now because we will know more in high school. I really like German.”
Article submitted by Sally Hayes, Visiting Teacher for German.
December 2006/January 2007 : St. Mary's N.S., Fairview, Dublin 3.
Congratulations to our school of the Month for December/January: St Mary's Fairview! St Mary's, Fairview were the only primary school in Ireland to receive a prestigious European Award for Languages (EAL) 2006 this year. The award was granted to the school in recognition of their highly innovative and successful approach to teaching French. In St Mary's, Fairview French is taught by Suzanne O'Brien, who is learning support teacher in the school. Suzanne shares her love of French and enthusiasm with 5th and 6th class pupils. In this project, she also worked in close collaboration with the 6th class teacher , Brian Kennedy, and the ICT coordinator, Eileen Geaney. Their project was an ambitious one, it explored: 'The process of applying lateral-thinking skills to the teaching and learning of a modern language and culture'. It proved to be a unique and worthwile experience for the school community as a whole. EAL Jury's comments (quote from the EAL 2006 brochure, Leargas): 'The project is driven by a strikingly dynamic and energising collaboration between a learning support teacher and an IT coordinator, involving many dimensions of school life-curriculum, IT, special needs, and of the particular needs of its community of learners (parents, class teachers, management) and the local community (links with the Central Remedial Clinic). The students' project work, including their clay animation where the storyboards contained clear evidence of good pronounciation, showed a very acceptable level of lexis after one year and an ability to communicate. These abilities were further in evidence when the jury members visited the class, where motivation, good receptive skills, and high standard project work impressed.' St. Mary's Fairview have only very recently joined the MLPSI (in place of another North Dublin school who unfortunately had to withdraw). We very much welcome their creativity and whole school approach to the teaching of French and hope that their sharing of their experience as school of the month on www.mlpsi.ie will inspire other teachers to apply lateral-thinking skills to the teaching and learning of a modern language and culture.
Ronan Mac an Iomaire presents Suzanne O'Brien and Eileen Geaney with the European Language Label Award.
Ms.O'Brien with sixth class pupils – the process of Clay Animation.
Leargas Deadline for Comenius Inservice Training September 15, 2010 (All Day) (Professional Development) Leargas Deadline for Comenius Inservice Training for training activities that start on or after January 1st 2011.
European Day of Languages September 26, 2010 (All Day) (Special Events) European Day of Languages - celebrate your modern language learning and all the languages in your school and community today!!!
Drama Workshop for German Teachers October 9, 2010 (10:00 am) (Professional Development) This drama workshop offers participants the opportunity to try out a variety of games involving movement, expression and theatrical scenes. With the help of these drama-based activities it is possible to naturally facilitate the pupil's use of the Germ...
Induction Evening for new teachers October 12, 2010 (7:00 pm) (Professional Development) An Induction Evening for new teachers in the MLPSI will be held in the Cork Education and Support Centre this evening, 7 - 9pm. Please register with the Kildare Education Centre if you would like to attend.
Induction Evening for new teachers October 14, 2010 (7:00 pm) (Professional Development) An Induction Evening for new teachers in the MLPSI will be held in the Drumcondra Education Centre this evening, 7 - 9pm. Please register with the Kildare Education Centre if you would like to attend.
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te enough to taste turron and tortilla while learning about food and we hope to continue to offer them similar experiences. 
Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht, where I, a native Spanish speaker teach through Spanish and Irish. This first year we have developed many projects: We have started a pen pal project with a school in Spain and we are planning to continue it through the local secondary schools in both countries; we cooked “Chocolate con churros” on our cookery day; we had a guest speaker in the classroom; we visited the local museum to discover the many links that this area has with Spain, etc. On our 
Spanish day we performed a play invented by us in front of the other classes, we had a Spanish snack and we played in Spanish with a parachute (which was very enjoyable!).
cainteoir dúchais Spainnise, ag múineadh ranganna tríd Spáinnis agus Gaolainn. Táimid tar éis ana-chuid tionscnaimh a fhorbairt: Táimid tar éis tógra cairde poist a thosnú le scoil sa Spáinn ( agus tá sé ar intinn againn leanúint ar adhaigh les sna meanscoileanna sa dá thír amach anseo); bhí lá cócaireachta again agus dheineamar “ Chocolate con churros”; bhí cuarteoir ag labhairt linn sa rang; Thógamar cuairt ar an musaem áitiúil le foghlaimt faoi na ceangail idir an ceantar seo agus An Spáinn. 
Ar an Lá Spáinnise léiríomar dráma a bhí cumtha again féin os comhar na ranganna eile, bhí greim bidh Spáinnise againn agus bhíomar ag imirt as Spáinnis le parasiút (rud a bhí ana thaineamhach!). Chun Spáinnis a dhéanamh nios feiceáileach agus ina pháirt den ghnáthshaol scoile d’astríomar na fógraí scoile go Spáinnis, chruthaíomar cúinne Spáinnise sa seomra ranga, postaeirí agus taispeántaisí den obair a dheineamar i rith na bliana. Ag deireadh na bliana thógamar páirt i gcomórtas a bhí ar siúil sa leabharlann ag baint le léitheoireacht, Spáinnise agus Gaolainne. Idir na leanaí agus phobal na scoile tá ana-shuim léirithe sa scéim Nuatheangacha i mbunscoileanna agus táimid ag súil le níos mó Spáinnis a bheith againn an bhlian seo chughainn!
evels. Since the year 2000 children in 5th and 6th have two formal classes of Spanish per week that they 
The integration of modern technologies is vital in the Modern Languages initiative and the whole-school approach to languages enculturation is evident in their policies and everyday life. The Príomhoide, Dr. Daithí Ó Murchú tells us that 
he would love to see " an integrated approach to multi-languages exposure for all ages throughout the Primary school. The Revised Curriculum provides exciting, creative, integrative and transformative opportunities to sing in Spanish, Play in German, paint in French, dance in Polish and generally have ‘Linguistic Craic' in many subject areas without overloading an already powerful curriculum". The emphasis is on fun language learning in Gaelscoil Ó Doghair and "we would encourage all schools not to be afraid to embark on the journey with the Modern Languages Initiative as it is an investment in life-long learning and Active Citizenship".
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