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.

Auld lang syne

In preparation for their New Year celebrations, children sing Auld Lang Syne in Mandarin in the school hall.

This school has a link school with China and has received British Council grants which enable teachers and assistants to visit their partner school. The Chinese language assistant and the school’s Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) have worked together to develop a programme of study linking Chinese culture and language.