It’s Empathy Day on 6th June – a great opportunity to use multilingualism in the classroom as a way to encourage interest in, and engagement with, each others’ languages. Here are four simple ideas.
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(Minibeast) Speech Song
A perfect activity for music lessons, planning performances, showcasing multilingual talent. While the resources are based on minibeasts, once children have grasped the concept, any topic can be used. Children bring in their home languages to explore the rhythm of language – would you clap “grasshopper” different from “butterfly”? How do long and short syllables […]
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Translating and Creating Poetry
This activity gives pupils an opportunity to think about the act of translation, focusing on language as well as meaning. They are supported through translating a 1,300 year-old poem by Li Bai, a famous Chinese poet. The poem, “Quiet Night Thoughts”, uses a simile and simple language to explore the feeling of loneliness when being away from home.
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Who has seen the wind?
This activity uses Christina Rossetti’s poem to engage children in listening to, reading, thinking about, and writing poetry, drawing on their full linguistic repertoire. The activity is supported by a video (below), a worksheet, and a PowerPoint presentation.
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