Storytelling
In addition to material referred to in primary languages language ezine 5 - storytelling, teachers may want to investigate the CD-ROMS and related website offered by Hilary McColl, a name familiar to primary practitioners in the UK since the early 1990s, particularly in support of Scottish developments.

Hilary has now developed Mini-modules on CD-ROM that build on material originally published as photocopiable resources from MLG Publishing (Miniflashcards). These units of work are accessible to non-linguists.

Mini-modules feature PowerPoint presentations of stories, teacher’s notes, a resource bank of ‘printables’ and images and native speaker audio on mp3.  Modules currently on offer are:

• The week before Christmas (in French, German and Spanish now – Italian in preparation)
• Please can I have a pet? (in French and German now – Italian in preparation and Spanish to follow)

For further details visit www.minimodules.co.uk or www.hilarymccoll.co.uk

Songs
Une dizaine de chansons provides teachers with 10 original songs for young beginners. Designed for use on the interactive whiteboard, materials are available in both Smartboard and Promethean formats. Sample clips and further details are available on www.unedizainedechansons.co.uk

You can contact the publisher, Richard Winston (operating as MFL Consultant Services Ltd) by email 
richard@unedizainedechansons.co.uk

Virtual Reality in German
Manic Monkey, the people who brought Petit Pont to learners and teachers of French, have now worked with the Goethe Institut to create a similar (software only) product for their German counterparts.

Kleinbrücken is a flexible interactive CD-ROM, where the trademark Virtual Reality graphics seize the learners’ attention and provide the basis for multi-skill activities, from games songs to dialogues.

Informed by the  QCDA schemes of work and the KS2 Framework for Languages, Kleinbrücken can be exploited in the classroom and at home, with a Home Edition available for families (a range of licensing options apply for various class-sizes and home users). Further details from www.manic-monkey.com

New resources published in Spain, with UK and Irish teachers in mind

Colega is a course for 7-12 year olds published by Edelsa in Spain but that has been written by a team of authors who have worked for the Consejería de Educación, with teachers in the UK and Ireland.

The course has been produced with an awareness of the key documents shaping the respective primary languages curricula in England, Wales and Ireland, and incorporates features that may repay investigation, including a teacher’s book in English.

Users can access supporting downloads from the dedicated website, including printable flashcards, worksheets and other complementary resources.

Further details are available on the Edelsa website, or on that of the UK distributor, European Schoolbooks.

Louis Greenstock, CILT Senior Information Officer