Those colleagues teaching a community or lesser taught language will know that teaching resources can be hard to come by. But web-based and software developments, particularly in the area of non-Roman scripts, are increasing what is on offer and very often it's free of charge.

Our Languages

Our Languages, a DCSF-funded consortium project led by CILT, boasts its own website; which this summer was significantly enriched with over 700 resources. These have been developed throughout the project by clusters of mainstream and supplementary or complementary schools working with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).

Some of these schemes of work, lesson plans and accompanying resources  have been developed specifically for primary age learners, reflecting languages as diverse as Gujarati, Somali and Tamil. There are also many other resources which could easily be adapted.

Furthermore, this term colleagues can order a free hard copy of Partnerships in Languages and Culture, via CILT. This is a toolkit from Our Languages to support collaborative working between mainstream and complementary schools.

BBC Learning Zone Primary Class Clips

As part of its Learning Zone Broadband Class Clips for primary, the BBC has recently published a number of resources in Arabic and Mandarin Chinese (as well as in French, German and Spanish). Resources include contemporary video clips of life for primary age learners in other countries, together with charming animated stories picking up on traditional characters such as Anansi. These stories are in addition to those from CBeebies which offer illustrated bilingual texts in a wider range of languages in its Stories and Rhymes section.

Colleagues wishing to access literature from home countries in its original format will find the International Children’s Digital Library of interest. This not-for-profit initiative based in the US has scanned a wide range of books and made them available online. Languages include Greek, Hebrew, Persian/Farsi, Swahili, Tagalog and Yiddish, as well as Arabic, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Click on Read Books and search for your languages.

More ideas...

For ideas on how to exploit stories with primary age learners, take a look at primary languages ezine issue 5 with its focus on storytelling.

If you have problems working with a different script on your computer the Non-Roman scripts area of the Languages ICT website can help. 

The new Community Languages pages on the primary languages website also information, with case studies of replicable KS2 curriculum models for community languages, further resource suggestions and ideas for enhancing the curriculum.

Claire Dugard, CILT Language Teaching Adviser