Primary Languages in the North-East

First Aid Kit

(for Language lessons)

A collection of standalone activities for those emergency lessons!

Collected by a workshop of colleagues from ALLNE and Network for Languages NE

Spring 2017

Feedback welcome!

Please see a few questions at the end of the document.

Thanks to all of the volunteers for their contributions: Steven Fawkes, Sue Balmer, Jane Linfoot, Liam Stevens, Angela Mason and Nathalie Paris.

Further contributions also welcome - for a potential future edition.

Partners:

These resources were collated following a workshop at Newcastle University organized by ALLNE and Network for Languages NE, responding to a request from Europe Direct North East.

Contact : steven.fawkes@gmail.com , Chair of ALLNE.

ALLNE is the North-East Branch of the Association for Language Learning:

ALL is the membership association for teachers of Languages and others in the Languages field.

www.ALL-Languages.org.uk

ALLNE volunteers work with partners in the region to organise CPD opportunities for Language teachers and the annual European Day of Languages competition for Schools in September.

http://www.all-languages.org.uk/community/local/north-east/

Details of events are published in the weekly ALLnet email sent by ALL to all members, and on the Calendar of Events on the ALL website:

http://www.all-languages.org.uk/calendar_events/events/

Introduction

Rationale

The Song for Europe competition (at which these activities were piloted in 2017) is organised by Europe Direct NE and involves Primary pupils (Y4/5) in a day of performing and reviewing others performances in other languages.

The organisers had identified that some school groups arrive very early, or had times in the day when they had little to do, and asked us to contribute some short standalone activities in different languages that might fit these gaps.

On consideration we realized that other teachers might find these activities useful in school, especially for those times when the usual teacher is away or there is a problem that needs sorting elsewhere. So these are language activities that take little explanation, with resources and support for non-specialist teachers, some of which can be used by learners with little or no intervention.

Some of the activities are not language-specific; others are given in a specific language but of course the ideas can be applied to other languages.

Copyright

These activities are offered in a spirit of professional, collegiate sharing; copyright for the activity ideas remains with the original author. We have tried to trace the copyright holder of any other content and undertake to acknowledge or remove any item which breaks copyright.

The activities are preceded by instructions for the teacher / adult.

They can be provided as electronic texts on request if you wish to edit them.

Alternatively they may be photocopied.

The activities were piloted at the Song for Europe competition organized by Europe Direct in Durham, May 2017.

Activities

Colours in French Astrix & Oblix: Nos couleurs - Colouring sheet

Cognates challenge in French Some French words you might already know ! - tasksheet

Language Battleships - any languageGrids and instructions for pupils

Japanese numbersKanji 1-5 instructions and three extensions

Kanji numbers reference page

Country codes- not language-specificMatching sheet

Reference sheet (i.e. answers)

Adjectives crossword in FrenchCrossword sheet and Answers sheet

EscalerasInstructions and Ladder picture

Harry Potter Spells Quiz - LatinQuestion sheets / Answer sheet

Learn some LatinQuestions sheets

Numbers 1-12 in SpanishTwo worksheets

One pen, one paperInstructions

Slam (fruit and colours)Gamesheets

Writing and speaking framesFramesheets

(Spanish and French)

Activity: Astrix & Oblix: Nos couleurs

Language: French

The idea can be replicated in other languages

What you need: Copies of the colouring-in sheet

Coloured pencils / pens

Rationale: Learners read and recognise the colour adjectives

Support for non-specialists:

Vocabulary (alphabetical order):

Blanc white

Bleu blue

Chair flesh

Gris grey

Jaune yellow

Marron light brown

Rouge red

Vert green

Other colours:

Brun dark brown

Noir black

Orange

Rose pink

Violet - purple

Pronunciation of many of the colours here (female voice) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8TfQ8RBW54

Or here (male voice): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkQGN86qTag&list=PLuVFX5IlRPoSsnsJghpfM6RlJYHgswx4E

Extension:

1. Ask learners to test each other on how to SAY the names of the colours

2. Ask learners to draw an outline of their own choosing of a character and label it in the same way with colour adjectives.

3. Coloriage website : http://www.coloriage.tv/

If learners have access to computer or other device they can colour in on-screen and then print their work; topics are seasonal.

Notes:

This song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4kNeFGBAcw

Uses the colours in sentences, underlining the position of colour adjectives after the noun

Source: Original document untraced from a magazine

Activity: Cognates challenge in French

What you need: this sheet

This is a reading activity, asking pupils to guess which English words are similar to the French ones.

Extension:

There are two extensions: Speaking (pronouncing the French words accurately in French)

Research (thinking of / looking up similar cognates).

Some French words you might already know !

Challenge 1. English and French have a lot of words in common because of our history; can you guess what any of these French words are in English? Can you spell them?

French word

English word?

Branche

Liquide

Signe

Futur

Paradis

Pur

Beaut

Mystre

Arme

Populaire

Mouvement

Aventure

norme

Prcieux

Automatique

Fort

Intrt

Espace

Inspecteur

Complet

Officiel

Challenge 2. But the words are not pronounced in the same way, because French phonics are different from English ones. Can you find someone who speaks French to see if you can say these words well in French?

Challenge 3. Do you know any other French words that look like English ones? Write them here:

Activity: Language Battleships

What you need: a copy of the sheet for each player; the game is played in pairs.

The instructions are given on the sheets for players. In this example we have used language to do with animals, but this can be adjusted, of course, to any language topic you have recently been doing.

Extension: pupils could design their own game instructions by changing the vocabulary set

Your name:

A

B

C

D

1

2

3

4

5

6

Your challengers name:

A

B

C

D

1

2

3

4

5

6

Hide in your grid a giraffe, an elephant, a tiger and a monkey. Your challenger does the same. You can draw them, or write the word over the squares.

A giraffe takes up 4 spaces horizontal, vertical or diagonal

An elephant takes up 3 spaces horizontal, vertical or diagonal

A tiger takes up 3 spaces horizontal, vertical or diagonal

A monkey takes only 1 space

The animals cannot overlap!

Your challenge is to find where your partners animals are. You do this by saying (in your foreign language) the letter and number of a grid reference A1, C3 etc. one at a time. You mark the squares you have tried on your challengers grid with a O.

If you find an animal your partner must tell you what it is (in the foreign language). You then mark your O with the word to show you have found something.

Then it is your partners turn to try to find one of your animals.

The winner is the player to find all of the squares for all of the partners animals.

Check with someone that you can say the animals names well !

Animal

Giraffe

Elephant

Tiger

Monkey

French

Girafe

Elphant

Tigre

Singe

German

Giraffe

Elefant

Tiger

Affe

Spanish

Jirafa

Elefante

Tigre

Mono

Activity: Kanji 1-5

Speaking and Listening:

What you need: Just this box!

First show your pupils the actions they need to remember to help them learn the sound of the numbers.

These are:

1 scratching yourself

2 pointing to your knee

3 wriggling your toes inside your socks as if you are at the beach

4 pointing to a girl or woman

5 miming walking

Repeat the actions as you introduce the Japanese names for the numbers; which in Japanese are called

1 Ichi (hence itchy)

2 Ni (hence knee)

3 San (hence the beach)

4 Shi (hence a girl)

5 Go (hence walking)

These will need repetition; you can challenge pupils by saying numbers in a random order for them to respond, or ask them to say numbers to challenge you or each other.

NB Shi is also sometimes called Yon

Extension 1: Writing

What you need:

Copies of the reference sheet

Pencils (or brushes and ink are better) and paper

The reference sheet shows the numbers when complete, but children need to see how to create them.

This video clip illustrates how to write the Japanese characters (kanji) and explains what order to do the strokes in. NB The stroke order is important.

The explanation starts about 20 seconds in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3pIxaDGnvU

Extension 2 : numbers up to 10

Show your pupils the actions they need to remember to help them learn the sound of the numbers.

These are:

6 rocking a baby in your arms

7 Miming eating a banana

8 Miming laying an egg (with chicken sounds)

9 Putting a few children in a line behind each other

10 Miming drops of raining falling

Repeat the actions as you introduce the Japanese names for the numbers; which in Japanese are called

6 Roku (hence rocking)

7 Nana (hence banana)

8 Hachi (hence hatching an egg)

9 Kyu (or Ku) (hence a queue)

10 Ju (hence dew)

NB Nana is also sometimes called Shichi

The same video clip covers these numbers also if anyone wishes to pursue writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3pIxaDGnvU

Extension 3: Numeracy

Japanese numbers are very logical and systematic. Once you know 1-10 you can count up to 99.

To make teen numbers , start with Ju and add the number.

So 11 is ju ichi, 12 is ju ni etc.

To make multiples of ten do it the other way round.

So 20 is ni ju, 30 is san ju etc.

And to make the numbers in between add the together.

So 21 is ni ju ichi, 22 is ni ju ni etc.

Pupils need to practise the numbers well, and then you can challenge them

To recognize numbers you say eg shi ju san = 43

To work out what a number is called eg 56 = go ju roku

This song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3won-7W3Js

goes up to 20 (NB using yon instead of shi) and illustrates how to write numbers above 10 vertically rather than horizontally)

Source: Reference sheet from http://japandreaming.com/kanji-numbers-1-10-flashcard-game/

Activity: Country codes

What you need: copies of this sheet for each pupil

Copies of the Reference sheet so that they can check their answers

Country codes

Use different colours to join up the registration letters, names and languages that go together.

NB Some countries are bilingual or trilingual.

Car registration letter(s)

Original name of country

English name of country

Main language

A

Nederland

Germany

Danish

B

United Kingdom

France

Portuguese

D

sterreich

Austria

Spanish

DK

Hellas

Ireland

German

E

Belgique / Belgi

Luxembourg

Greek

F

Portugal

United Kingdom

French

GR

Danmark

Netherlands

Dutch

I

Suomi

Italy

Finnish

IRL

Espaa

Sweden

English

L

France

Belgium

Italian

NL

Sverige

Greece

Swedish

P

Italia

Finland

Irish

S

Luxembourg

Spain

Letzerburgisch

SF

Deutschland

Portugal

GB

Eire

Denmark

Country codes

Reference sheet for checking answers

Car registration letter(s)

Original name of country

English name of country

Main language

A

sterreich

Austria

German

B

Belgique / Belgi

Belgium

Dutch (Flemish) / French

D

Deutschland

Germany

German

DK

Danmark

Denmark

Danish

E

Espaa

Spain

Spanish

F

France

France

French

GR

Hellas

Greece

Greek

I

Italia

Italy

Italian

IRL

Eire

Ireland

Irish / English

L

Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Letzerburgisch/ French / German

NL

Nederland

Netherlands

Dutch

P

Portugal

Portugal

Portuguese

S

Sverige

Sweden

Swedish

SF

Suomi

Finland

Finnish

GB

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

English

Activity: Adjectives crossword (in French)

What you need: copies of the crossword for each pupil

Copies of the Reference sheet so that they can check their answers

Adjectives crossword answers:

yes, your adjectives have to agree in gender with the nouns they describe!

Normally you need to add an e at the end of the adjective to make it feminine and an s to make it plural (unless they are there already). There are some exceptions though, look out for them!!

(NB m means the noun is masculine; f means the noun is feminine; pl means it is plural)

AcrossDown

5rouges (m, pl)1 grise (f)

8 petites (f, pl)2petits (m, pl)

9noirs (m, pl)3bleues (f, pl)

10petite (f)4 noir (m)

11verte (f)6mignons (m, pl)

12mchants (m, pl)7petits (m, pl)

13gros (m, pl)9noirs (m, pl)

16bonne (f)12 mchante (f)

19marron (DOES NOT CHANGE)14 mchants (m, pl)

20minuscules (m, pl)15vertes (f, pl)

21 fantastiques (m, pl)17 norme (m)

22blanches (f, pl)18multicolores (m, pl)

24 blanche (f)23bleus (m, pl)

28 grosses (f, pl)25petite (f)

26brunes (f, pl)

27grande (f)

Activity: escaleras ladders

This could run be any language

What you need: a copy of a ladder for each team (2 teams minimum); a pen for each team

Teams of 4 or 5 each have a ladder A3 or A4 size is good and 1 marker pen (not a whiteboard pen). The sheet is to be stuck on the wall (or alternatively put on the floor).

Choose a topic e.g. pets, clothes, fruits, classroom object and furniture, sports, lessons etc.

When you start the race, use a stopwatch to judge a limited time or just see how they are going, and stop when most teams have completed their ladder .

The first person in the team takes the pen to the sheet and writes a word on the bottom rung of the ladder. They then put the lid on the pen and hand it to the next person (a bit like a relay race with a baton) who then goes and writes a word on the next rung and so on until the race finishes.

To see which the winning team is, go in order around the teams, starting on the bottom rung and give a point for each new word, not previously written, climbing the rungs of the ladder.

Activity: Harry Potter spells Quiz

Language: Latin

What you need: a copy of the question sheet per pupil and answer sheets to share

Harry Potter spells Quiz

It is no secret that magical words in the Harry Potter series often come from the Latin language. The author, JK Rowling, studied Latin at university.

Here are 12 questions about spells used in the books and other things in the Harry Potter books. Can you answer them.

Some of the spells you need to help you with the answers:

lumos

imperio

Minerva

nox

accio

expecto patronum

ludo I play

densaugeo

wingardium leviosa

incendio

expelliamus

(I dont think you need any help with number 12!)

Harry Potter spells Quiz

1. What is the spell to conjure up a phantom figure which can protect against Dementors?

2. How does Hermione make a feather rise into the air?

3. What is the spell to make a light appear at the end of a wizards wand?

4. And which spell removes it again?

5. What is the curse (which is illegal for wizards to use) which puts another person in their power and makes them do whatever they are ordered?

6. How does a witch or wizard cause fire to appear?

7. Why is Ludo Bagmans first name appropriate for the job he does?

8. Professor McGonagalls first name is the same as that of the Roman goddess of wisdom. What is her name?

9. What is the spell to disarm an opponent?

10. Which curse accidently hit Hermione and made her teeth grow to an alarming size?

11. What does a wizard, or witch, say to make something fly immediately to them, even if it is some distance away?

12. Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus What does the Hogwarts School motto mean?

Harry Potter spells Quiz Answers:

1. What is the spell to conjure up a phantom figure which can protect against Dementors? expecto patronum

2. How does Hermione make a feather rise into the air? wingardium leviosa

3. What is the spell to make a light appear at the end of a wizards wand? lumos

4. And which spell removes it again? nox

5. What is the curse (which is illegal for wizards to use) which puts another person in their power and makes them do whatever they are ordered? imperio

6. How does a witch or wizard cause fire to appear? incendio

7. Why is Ludo Bagmans first name appropriate for the job he does? He is Head of the Department of Magical Games

8. Professor McGonagalls first name is the same as that of the Roman goddess of wisdom. What is her name? Minerva

9. What is the spell to disarm an opponent? expelliamus

10. Which curse accidently hit Hermione and made her teeth grow to an alarming size? densaugeo

11. What does a wizard, or witch, say to make something fly immediately to them, even if it is some distance away? accio

12. Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus What does the Hogwarts School motto mean? Never tickle a sleeping dragon.

Activity: learn some Latin

Language: Latin

What you need: a copy of each of the worksheets per pupil

Latin words:

1. A ventriloquist is supposed to speak from the stomach.

2. You wear your collar on this part of the body.

3. A sharks dorsal fin is on its back.

4. You press pedals with these.

5. You look through binoculars with these.

6. You have five digits on each hand.

7. A dentist looks after these.

8. A bracelet goes on this part of your body.

Pronunciation guide:

bracchium brackeeum

dentes dentays

collum kollum

venter wentur

pedes pedays

digiti digitee

dorsum doorsum

oculi okoolee

(With thanks to Barbara Bell and Minimus Latin)

Activity: numbers 1-12 in Spanish sheets

Language: Spanish

What you need: a copy of the worksheets per pupil; they use the first sheet to help answer the second sheet.

Activity: One pen one paper

This could be in any language

What you need: a pen and a piece of paper per team of 3 or 4

Choose a topic the children have a lot of vocabulary for and give the team (3 or 4) a piece of paper with all (or some of) the letters of the alphabet on it. (An example is readymade below)

Pupils have a time limit to write as many words as they can think of, starting with the letters they see. Only one person writes at a time, handing the pen around the group in a circle, so that not just one person does all the writing - others in the group can help if they want, but the aim is that everyone writes.

An alternative game is to choose one letter only and ask pupils to write as many words as possible beginning with that letter.

One pen, one paper

This is a team game teams of 3 or 4.

In your team take it in turns to write down any words you know in the language you are learning that begin with the letters on this sheet and belong to the category you are told.

Take it in turns! Which team remembers the most words?

A

B

C

D

E

F

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

Activity: Slam (fruit and colours)

This could be in any language (Zas is Spanish but it doesnt matter!)

What you need: a copy of the sheets between 3 people

In groups of 3: one person says a colour/fruit in the language they are learning and the other 2 children have to point to it; the 1st person to get it right gets the point.

They can play best of 5 then change the person choosing the word in the target language.

Activity: Writing and speaking frame

Languages: Spanish and French

What you need: a copy of a sheet between 2 people; a piece of paper and a pen between 2.

In pairs:

Classroom version:

Using the (laminated) frame (choosing one of 3 options from each box), partner A writes a sentence on a piece of paper but keeps it hidden from partner B.

Partner B then starts trying to guess what partner A has written.

Every time they guess wrong though, they have to start again from the beginning!

Partner A can keep a tally of how many attempts it takes partner B to guess their sentence. Then A and B swap roles and the winner is the one who has guessed with the fewest attempts.

Clearly teachers can write their own sentences according to the language pupil have been learning.

The Short game versions below were adapted for the Song for Europe environment, and to save time pupils underline their choice on the frame, rather than writing out the sentence.

The standard classroom version follows.

French frame short game version.

Decide who is A and who is B.

Partner A makes a sentence on their piece of paper by underlining the word they choose in each box and keeps it hidden from person B.

Person B then starts trying to guess what partner A has written by reading the sentence aloud from the start.

Every time you guess wrong though, you have to start again from the beginning!

Partner A will keep a tally of how many attempts it takes partner B to guess their sentence. Then A and B swap roles and the winner is the one who has guessed with the fewest attempts.

Spanish frame short game version.

Decide who is A and who is B.

Partner A makes a sentence on their piece of paper by underlining the word they choose in each box and keeps it hidden from person B.

Person B then starts trying to guess what partner A has written by reading the sentence aloud from the start.

Every time you guess wrong though, you have to start again from the beginning!

Partner A will keep a tally of how many attempts it takes partner B to guess their sentence. Then A and B swap roles and the winner is the one who has guessed with the fewest attempts.

French frame classroom version.

Decide who is A and who is B.

Partner A makes a sentence by copying the frame and choosing a words in each box, and writes it out on a piece of paper, keeping it hidden from person B.

Person B then starts trying to guess what partner A has written by reading the sentence aloud from the start.

Every time you guess wrong though, you have to start again from the beginning!

Partner A will keep a tally of how many attempts it takes partner B to guess their sentence. Then A and B swap roles and the winner is the one who has guessed with the fewest attempts.

Spanish frame classroom version.

Decide who is A and who is B.

Partner A makes a sentence by copying the frame and choosing a words in each box, and writes it out on a piece of paper, keeping it hidden from person B.

Person B then starts trying to guess what partner A has written by reading the sentence aloud from the start.

Every time you guess wrong though, you have to start again from the beginning!

Partner A will keep a tally of how many attempts it takes partner B to guess their sentence. Then A and B swap roles and the winner is the one who has guessed with the fewest attempts.

Feedback

Please send any comments to steven.fawkes@gmail.com on behalf of the workshop group.

Which activities are most useful?

Are they standalone enough? Are the instructions clear?

Do you have any similar activity you would be willing to contribute to a future edition of this resource?

Please describe it. (or send by email )

Other comments: