Violet Written by Tania Duprey Stehlik Illustrated by Vanja Vuleta Jovanovic Published by Second Story Press 32 pages Age range: KS1+ / 5+ Summary (from Goodreads): Violet is happy that her father has come to pick her up after her first day at a new school. But as she races over to meet him, one…
Category: Countries and Cultures
Language awareness: Songs and Resources
In a world that seems to be becoming smaller by the day with the speed of global communication, it becomes even more important to educate our children in being world citizens and having a positive attitude towards difference and diversity. As an educator or parent you can encourage this by reading stories and singing songs…
Book review: A Different Pond
A Different Pond Written by Bao Phi Illustrated by Thi Bui 34 pages Published by Picture Window Books Age range: All ages Summary: (from Goodreads) Acclaimed poet Bao Phi delivers a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son and between cultures, old and new. A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about…
Unique words in other languages
Some people call these ‘untranslatable’ words which is rarely true as everything can be translated, one way or another. However, it often teaches you something about a culture when they have a single word or phrase for a concept that may take a sentence to explain in English. I enjoy how succinct the description is,…
Multilingual flashcard: Happy Mother’s Day!
For everyone in the UK, today is Mothering Sunday. Say ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’ in 10 languages.
French: Idioms using animals
Idioms in foreign languages can offer an insight into that country’s culture but can also cause confusion and leave one feeling the ‘perpetual foreigner’. Even worse, attempting to translate an expression from your own language can lead to inadvertent confusion or (in my experience) hilarity. For example, did you know that while in English siblings…
Chinese idiom: 半途而废 To give up halfway
半途而废 bàntúérfèi To give up halfway This idiom is particularly relevant for me right now because doing a PGCE is tough and, as much as I love teaching, sometimes it is difficult to maintain motivation when I get bogged down in the paperwork. But, 我不要半途而废！I don’t want to give up (more than) halfway through or…
Multilingual flashcard: Rainbow
Caught sight of one of these yesterday afternoon as the rain eased and the sun broke through the clouds in the park near me. Enjoy a rainbow for Day 12 of the multilingual flashcard challenge!
Korean through music – Stand up by J-Min (일어나)
Stand up by J-min This song is the main theme for a popular Korean series, To the Beautiful You, which I have been watching recently. As well as being very catchy it is also quite easy to understand so I would like to use it as a focus for learning some new Korean words. Watch…
Music and TV for language learning
Listening to music can be an enjoyable way of learning a new language or simply getting used to the sounds and patterns of that language. Through music you can learn new vocabulary or reinforce what you have already learned – I love the thrill I get when I hear a new word or grammar structure…
Fairytales for children
“Fairy tales since the beginning of recorded time, and perhaps earlier, have been a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor.” ― Jack Zipes I have always loved fairytales in all their incarnations. They are a mainstay in our popular culture from bedtime stories to movies, constantly being reinvented and reinterpreted. There are…
Untranslatable Words
A collection of untranslatable words (or at least words that are difficult to translate!) from around the world by the London-based artist Marija Tiurina. I like using images such as these to stimulate conversation in a language awareness class or to improve cultural understanding. Images credited to http://marijatiurina.com/?portfolio=untranslatable-words
