Active learning - Use of rhyme and song

Children learn in many different ways and have different learning styles. Opportunities for children to experience language through song and rhyme, storytelling and games offer children ways to interact with the new language and with one another in a dynamic and social environment.

Through active methods and physical response children feel safe to explore and experiment with the new sounds. For those who prefer to listen and observe, they absorb the new language by watching others and gradually increase in confidence, until they too are joining in, responding to what they hear and see and engaging with others in short conversations and role-play.

Action days

These children have invented mimes to remind them of the days of the week in French. They work in groups, each group having deciding on their own different mimes to go with the 7 days. They sing a song and in turn each group stands up and performs their action for that particular day, starting with lundi. They then repeat the song, starting with the next day of the week in sequence.