MFLE blogs

Le rock de la sorcière!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:03:37 GMT

C’est Halloween … sorcières, fantômes et squelettes sont tous de sortie pour nous effrayer! How much do you know about witches? Here’s a song about a witch for us. Elle habitait dans une caverne (she lived in a cave) au milieu des serpents, des araignées (amongst snakes and spiders) et si quelqu’un venait la déranger (...)

Joyeux anniversaire, Astérix!

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:37:53 GMT

Astérix fête ses 50 ans le 29 octobre! All those of you who like reading comics will no doubt have heard of Astérix and Obélix (if not you will have to try reading them!). The comic books are very popular in France (and in lots of other countries too - they have been translated into more than 100 languages!) (...)

Ce n’est qu’un au revoir!

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:52:11 GMT

Dirleton Primary had a lovely assembly today to say goodbye to their Headteacher who is leaving to go to another school. P6/7 thought it would be a nice idea to sing a “goodbye song” in French and funnily enough they do sing a song in France which we know very well. It is to the tune of (...)

Hosting the TES MFL forum, moi!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:28:50 GMT

When I was originally asked to be the host on the TES MFL Staffroom Forum, I nearly fell off my chair! To say I was flattered would be the understatement of the year and I've been grinning ever since. As...

HMIE Gaelic Language Plan

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:44:14 GMT

HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) has published its draft Gaelic Language Plan for consultation. The Plan proposes measures to encourage the increased use of Gaelic in four key areas:

Identity
Communications
Publications
Staffing

Responses to the consultation on the HMIE’s Draft Gaelic Language Plan can be made to HMIE, Longman House, Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SF. The consultation runs until 27 November 2009.

Copies of the full report are available from: http://www.hmie.gov.uk/Publications.aspx

Low number of schools opting to take new baccalaureate

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:31:04 GMT

The Herald: The Scottish Qualifications Authority said only 13 secondary schools out of a total of 376 had registered for the languages qualification by the deadline at the beginning of October – less than 4% of the total.

SNH launches Gaelic natural history pack

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:56:06 GMT

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a series of Gaelic educational materials celebrating some of Scotland’s most interesting species. The Mu Dheadhinn packs feature worksheets, games and full colour posters for free distribution to schools throughout Scotland. The packs provide teachers and students with a ready made set of educational projects and activities exploring natural history through the Gaelic language.

The complete Mu Dheidhinn series is also available for free download from Scottish Natural Heritage’s website www.snh.org.uk

Un petit accent français!

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:34:14 GMT

The P6 pupils at Aberlady are very lucky as we have a pupil who lived in France and went to school in France for 3 years. He has shown us some of his school work. How about trying out their handwriting lessons? Oh là là! Difficile, non? scan0004 He has been helping everyone in class with their (...)

Les Trois Mousquetaires in Paisley

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:49:45 GMT

Join the Théâtre Sans Frontières at the Paisley Arts Centre for their adaptation of Les Trois Mousquetaires. Based on the original classic by Alexandre Dumas, the international company brings the swashbuckling tale to life through parody, puppetry and cracking comedy.

Performed in French – with a soupçon of English and Spanish – Théâtre Sans Frontières gives this much loved story a new twist for the 21st century.

Tuesday 27 October at 7.30pm (Paisley Arts Centre) Tickets £10 (£6 conc.) Book early to avoid disappointment! For tickets, please call Lesley Cairns 0141 887 1010.

Experts revisit the fall of the Berlin wall

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:46:21 GMT

Twenty years ago the Berlin wall came down, to mark the occasion, the Goethe Institute Glasgow and the Alliance Française are gathering Prof. Andreas Gestrich and Prof. Pierre Grosser, respectively Director of the German Historical Institute of London and Chair of international relations at Sciences Po Paris. Both experts, who witnessed these historical events, can now assess the magnitude of the changes they triggered in Germany and across the whole of Europe. The panel will be moderated by Neil Mitchisson, head of the European Commission’s office in Scotland.

The event will take place at the Goethe Institute and Alliance Française on Wednesday4 November at 7pm. More info from http://www.afglasgow.org.uk/spip.php?article451

Scots Gaelic becomes an EU language

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:40:00 GMT

The Independent: From now on Scottish Gaelic speakers can write directly to EU bodies in their mother tongue if they wish and receive a reply in that language. Scottish ministers can also speak Scottish Gaelic in meetings with other EU ministers and regional representatives.

The deal was sealed in a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Brussels yesterday by the UK’s EU ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, and by Donald Henderson, Scotland’s EU director.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scots-gaelic-becomes-an-eu-language-1799290.html

CPD German Primary Teacher Training Day

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:33:36 GMT

Date: 30 October, 2009
Venue: Goethe-Institut, Glasgow
Contact: Lilo Börgmann

Goethe-Institut are inviting teachers of German in the Primary Sector to their training day on Saturday, 30th October.

Part of the programme is an introduction to GLOW resources and the launch of a new Goethe-Institut group. This CPD opportunity is also suitable for teachers in training and FLAs who are working in Primary schools. Teachers in training and FLAs are free of charge.

For further details: http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/gla/lhr/en4822527v.htm

Mandarin Chinese speaking competition

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:28:39 GMT

This competition is supported by the HSBC Global Education Programme and organised by the British Council to support and promote the teaching of Chinese as a modern foreign language in UK schools.

Regional heats will be held in London and Newcastle in mid December 2009 and successful competitors will be invited to the competition final at the British Museum in March 2010. The winning prize is a trip to Beijing in April 2010.

Interested schools should complete the online registration form at https://survey.britishcouncil.org/wix/p9070429.aspx by Friday 23 October 2009.

More information on the competition and the judging criteria can be found on the British Council website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/schoolpartnerships-chinese-speaking-competition.htm

Ortszeit/Local Time project by Stefan Koppelkamm

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:21:42 GMT

The exhibition produced by the Goethe-Institut includes a representative selection of photographs from Koppelkamm’s Ortszeit / Local Time project

Travelling around East Germany in 1990 – after the fall of the Wall but before unification – Stefan Koppelkamm found himself wanting to take photographs that would capture a state of affairs he assumed would never recur.

Ten or twelve years later, Stefan Koppelkamm sought all these places out again and photographed them for a second time,. The pairs of images he produced document the changes these locations have undergone.

More info and opening times from http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/gla/ges/mau/en5050239v.htm

As seen on Teachers TV

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:37:26 GMT

Better Learning with ICT is a new five episode series from Teachers TV which features innovative examples of classroom practice delivered by leading teachers from around the country. Broadcast during the channel’s ICT week in September, each episode shows an...

Bienvenue à Law Primary!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:15:39 GMT

The pupils from the Collège Julien Franck came to visit us on Friday morning. We held an assembly with a Scottish flavour for them. They arrived to the sound of the pipes as members of the North Berwick Pipe Band had very kindly come to play the pipes for them. One of our pupils is the Drum Major (...)

On dessine!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:22:49 GMT

P7 have been drawing pictures of a body to label all the body parts we have been learning in French. What they decided to draw was entirely up to them and Aberlady have been creating some lovely drawings. There is a very famous square in Montmartre in Paris called the ”Place du Tertre” where you can watch (...)

Giving your PowerPoints the WOW factor

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:39:51 GMT

One of the great things about streaming a session live or publishing a video clip of a talk is it can reach a much wider audience than those watching at the time. This is certainly the case of the TeachMeet...

Les élèves du Collège Julien Franck nous rendent visite!

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:40:06 GMT

Some of us are hosting French visitors this week. All very exciting! NBHS have an exchange with the Collège Julien Franck in Champigneulles which is in Lorraine in the north-east of France. (Law and Gullane write to their feeder primaries) They are bringing us some letters from our penfriends and we are really looking forward to meeting them (...)

Confucius Institute for Scotland news

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:48:26 GMT

This month is the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Throughout Oct and Nov the transformation of China will be celebrated by a varied programme of events organised or sponsored by the Confucius Institute for Scotland.

http://www.confuciusinstitute.ac.uk/