We aim to give food for thought as well as inspiring your creativity and
providing practical ideas you can’t wait to implement in your own settings!
5 tips for incorporating language learning in your
classroom every day
Teaching a new language is, unsurprisingly, one of the curriculum areas that many primary teachers find difficult and really appreciate help from a specialist. Kate Clifton (EuHu’s Languages expert) aims to make it easier, as well as being fun for both children and teachers. Have a look at the EuHu French lessons and we guarantee, you’ll want to give them a go! (Spanish lessons are also coming very soon.)
This week (26th September) was ‘European Day of Languages’. Kate shared a few ideas about how to use your ‘target language’ in the classroom every day. Little and often is the key. Teachers are asked to do so much, but maybe just one of these suggestions, enacted on a daily basis, could make a positive difference to children’s familiarity and enjoyment of a different European language.
Tip 1
Write the date on the board in the target language every day.
French
N.B. In French and Spanish the days of the week and months of the year are not capitalised (unless at the beginning of a sentence).
Days of the week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
lundi
mardi
mercredi
jeudi
vendredi
samedi
dimanche
Months of the year
janvier
février
mars
avril
mai
juin
juillet
août
septembre
octobre
novembre
décembre
Spanish
Days of the week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
lunes
martes
miércoles
jueves
viernes
sábado
domingo
Months of the year
enero
febrero
marzo
abril
mayo
junio
julio
agosto
septiembre
octubre
noviembre
diciembre
Tip 2
Ask children about the weather every day.
French
“Quel temps fait-il?” - What’s the weather like?
Il fait … (It’s)
Il … (It’s)
chaud
froid
beau
du vent
du soleil
nuageux
hot
cold
nice
windy
sunny
cloudy
pleut
neige
raining
snowing
Spanish
“¿Qué tiempo hace?” - What’s the weather like?
Hace… (It’s)
Está… (It’s)
calor
fresco
sol
frio
viento
hot
cool
sunny
cold
windy
nublado
lloviendo
nevando
cloudy
raining
snowing
Tip 3
Take the register in the target language.
Children respond “Oui madame/monsieur” or “Si señora/señor”
Or they might reply with their favourite colour, animal or any other vocabulary you may want to practise.
French - Colours and animals
red
blue
yellow
green
orange
purple
brown
pink
white
grey
black
rouge
bleu
jaune
vert
orange
violet
marron
rose
blanc
gris
noir
a cat
a dog
a rabbit
a horse
a elephant
a tiger
a giraffe
a monkey
a bear
a pig
a cow
un chat
un chien
un lapin
un cheval
un éléphant
un tigre
une girafe
un singe
un ours
un couchon
une vache
Spanish - Colours and animals
red
blue
yellow
green
orange
purple
brown
pink
white
grey
black
rojo
azul
amarillo
verde
naranja
morado
marrón
rosado
blanco
gris
negro
a cat
a dog
a rabbit
a horse
a elephant
a tiger
a giraffe
a monkey
a bear
a pig
a cow
un gato
un perro
un conejo
un caballo
un elefante
un tigre
una jirafa
un mono
un oso
un cerdo
una vaca
Tip 4
Use the target language to communicate basic classroom routines, such as sit down, stand up, line up, talk quietly etc.
Choose one or two for the children to become familiar with, then add more.
French
Spanish
Tip 5
Use the target language for any countdowns!
French
French
Spanish
French
Spanish
We hope you find these tips useful!
Bonne journée Buenos Días