Welcome to this month’s round up!
I hope the year has started well for and I certainly wish you all the best in 2019, in your language teaching journey and in everything!
I know you have all been dying to hear the results of my new year card competition, so I will now announce the winning school, but I will only show you the winning entry next month as I want it to be a surprise for those of you who receive a card from me! So the £100 Little Linguist voucher goes to… Grange Primary School in Harrow!! Well done!! Thank you so much to those of you who took part, it is much appreciated.
Didn’t win? Click here to take part in a competition I am running alongside Little Linguist this month: it is easy, we only need your name, email and postcode by 31st January, and you may get a free book!
Something different… Episode 10 of my podcast was out before Christmas: it is very different as it is an audio diary of my visit to the Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse de Montreuil at the end of November – beginning of December. I actually came back with… 35 new books!! Oops! I met so many wonderful authors and illustrators, but weird things happened too. Listen here!
Last but not least, you may want to get organised now and order a new story for February… so do check out here my blog about stories you may use around Valentine’s Day!
Speak again next month!
A bientôt!
Nathalie
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
- Time is running out!! You really must apply for Erasmus+ funding this time round if it is something you have been thinking about doing for ages; it might be your last chance! I went away with ClaroGB last year to improve my Spanish and had a fantastic week. They will help you fill in the necessary application forms so get in touch with them here!
- How do I keep getting better at Spanish when I cannot go to Spain? I listen to the Radio Lingua Network’s Coffee Break Spanish podcast and highly recommend it!Many other languages are available. Check it out here!
- Starting today!! I have registered: have you? This is a new free Future Learn course: The Art of Teaching Foreign Languages to Young Learners. You can register here now.
- You still have a few days to send us a proposal! UK Lingua, a languages conference where primary, secondary and university practitioners all meet up and share ideas, is back on 27th and 28th April 2019. The theme is “culture” and the call for paper is out: please apply to present by 18th January! I am one of the organisers and we would welcome more contributions from primary practitioners.
- A date for your diaries: Language World 2019, the ALL’s national conference, on 22nd and 23rd March 2019. I will be there and presenting! So will David Crystal and the Ofsted MFL lead! Will you join us?
- Colleagues at the British Council have created a lot of materials for children and their teachers to use to learn more about the Chinese New Year. These can be accessed here
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/crafts/chinese-new-year
Special resources are to be produced to mark the Year of the Pig and these will be accessed here
https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/find-classroom-resources - The Institut Francais is inviting schools to make a pop song in French. the competition is open to pupils aged 7 – 18 years. The song must be original and be filmed. Pupils can choose to rap, or sing in French.
Full details of the completion and tips on how to present your winning song are found here.
https://uk.ifprofs.org/evenement/french-pop-video-competition-uk
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND
- ALLNE Prize
To celebrate the 30th ALL Language World in Loughborough on 22-23 March 2019, ALLNE is offering a prize to the ALL Member in the region who completes the best ending to these sentences:
I really want to go to Language World this year because …..
I am planning to disseminate what I learn at Language World by …
There will be two prizes of £100 for use towards the cost of the conference, travel or accommodation.
Deadline of 31st January 2019.
Members of the ALLNE committee and Network for Languages staff and are not eligible to enter, nor are ALL Trainee members who get a heavily discounted rate at Language World anyway.
Non-members of ALL may enter if they take up membership first.
- This year’s Chinese New Year celebrations in Durham City will take place on Saturday, February 9th. There will be storytelling, Chinese language sessions, craft activities, performances and much more ; as well as the traditional lion dance performances. The full and updated programme will be available to view here: http://www.durhambid.co.uk/events/chinese-new-year-events-durham-city
- 2019 marks the 50th anniversary year of County Durham’s partnership with the German university city of Tübingen. On Thursday 13 June, we will be organising a number of special German themed events in Durham City. Brian is looking for school classes which would like to work with German musician Martina Schwartz. We plan two workshop sessions on 13th June. One will run from 1030 – 1130 and the other from 1300 – 1400. We can take up to three full classes in each session. Our plan is that the children work with Martina for one hour to prepare pieces which can then be performed in Millennium Place at 1730 for parents and carers. Children would attend the session in the early evening with parents/carers. Given the logistics, this opportunity may be of more interest to schools close to Durham City but expressions of interest are welcome from across County Durham.and let Brian know how many pupils you would like to involve. If you would like your school to become involved, please write to brian.stobie@durham.gov.uk . You can read more about Martina herehttps://www.martinaschwarz.net/
- Théâtre Sans Frontières are touring again! I saw their latest show last summer and it was amazing, I can sincerely recommend it! Click here for more information.
