Our students

Nowadays, Arangoiti ikastola have 70 pupils. From two years to twelve years old, here they offer education of preschool and primary. Students are separated into classes, but in each class there are two courses. Therefore, first and second grade are together, third and fourth grade are together… In preschool also, children who have 2 and 3 years old are together and in the same way, children who have 4 and 5 years old. In each class are around 15 students and to do secondary education they go to Zangoza.

In our class, there are 12 children between 4 and 5 years old. In generally, the group is fairly homogeneous. The only differences between them are the age and the mother tongue. There are some children who have vasque parents, others have only a mother or father that she/he know vasque, others have spanish parents, but there is a child that she has english parents. There aren't any children with special needs or any foreign children. Also, all families have medium economic level, although we can find a minority with low level.

The students here, have a very important role. There are very important, because the teachers work depends on the interests and needs of children.

Consequently, we decide that the best age to start learning a third language is between 4 and 5 years old. In many cases, people think that children are too young to start with the English, but they are more capable than we think. It is the best period to start learning english, as long as, activities sound rather inviting and entertaining. Also, with the teaching english in preschool we are preparing children to pass to primary and continue learning english. Therefore, we should trust in our students! They can!

Changes in our project

After seeing how it works in the Arangoiti ikastola, we decided to change the age which is headed for our project. In this ikastola children are divided into different classes, but each one have two different ages. In total, there are 5 classes:

Preschool:
1. The class of 2 and 3 years old
2. The class of 4 and 5 years old

Primary:
1. First and second grade
2. Third and fourth grade
3. Fifth and sixth grade

Therefore, our project will head to the second class of preschool (children with 4 and 5 years old). 

Eddi´s balloon

With the following video, we can show children a beautiful and simple history in english. Eddi´s balloon, can be channelled into encouraging some values, such us, the friendship and cooperation.
We think that it´s very convenient to put something like this in a class of second grade of preschool. Therefore, we believe that we might put this video within our project activities.

A beautiful video!

In that video we can see that is better if we work in group! It is very nice to see children between 3 and 5 years old.

TVE has launch "Let's Clan" to encourage the english learning

This Television and The British Council have made an arregement to learn english, so the children's series of Clan have arrives with an English version. The initiative is supported by a dual version and it is reforced with didactic file.

There will be series and materials from Pepa pig, La abeja Maya, Dora la exploradora...

and we think it is interesting for children to learn english in a form that they love among other things (which is watching TV)!

Other tools to teach english

Hi!
We have seen that the entrance of some tools we had wroten in this blog, has been interesting for you. So we have found other tools, not at all like the other one, but it can be usefull for you.

In this link, that part of the site is for teachers working with children. It offers a range of activities and lesson ideas which are based around online materials from the British Council's LearnEnglish Kids website. Most of the materials can be used either online or can be downloaded and used in the classroom.

So when we found this, we went directly to the page the mention, that it can be used by kids, parents and teachers. It is compound by different games, writing actibitys, spelling, reading... so we think it is a complit page to learng english.

We speak you will like them!
Big hug!

SANSOMENDI

In this text we have read about different methods of working with students, and this are ones we like to then into acount to our proyect. This are some methodologic propose, we like this because are interesting to be success:

- More than one teacher in each class and if it is no possible some voluntary people like parents,  grandparents, youth people of the school (for example in secondary grade) and any voluntary will be accepted. We think this is important not only to help the teacher with the children, also to interact and play with them, and have another example. It is rewarding for children.

- What it is named like interactive groups, it seems to be the best methodology and we like a lot because it consists on children who understand the materia have to explain children who doesn´t understand. So, it works with children like principal protagonist in their class.

- Another important idea that we think that is interesting is that older children go to little children´s classroom and teach them different things, like songs, reading, projects... One of our group see that in her practice. In that case, children of four or five years old came to the two years old children and narrate stories or another activities that were very enriching for the smallest children. With activities like this interact different ages children and we think that is very good for the development of every children. 

KIDS AND US

Like we comented in a class, there is a organitation wich have created some nurserys where the children go to learn and to practise english. Following we will explain you the philosophy of them.

Why do children at Kids&Us start learning English during their first year of life?

They believe that each child possesses infinite potential. As far as language is concerned, ‘when a child is born, they are as well-equipped for language learning as a bird is to fly’. If first language acquisition begins from the moment a child first hears the language, what is the point of waiting to expose them to a second or third language?  They ought to take advantage of their natural abilities.

Kids&Us uses a methodology for learning English that is rooted firmly in the natural process of language acquisition, which never fails and follows a specific and natural order of development.

The teachers 

Enthusiasm, professionalism, empathy and great motivation for their work are just a few of the characteristics that make our team of teachers stand out.

Their teachers have the perfect profile to take on the inspiring task of teaching English to the youngest learners.

At Kids&Us, all of their teachers have been specially trained to teach according to our methodology. Apart from continuous training, they also regularly assess our teachers in order to guarantee the quality of their classes.

The role of the parents in the learning process of their children is key to Kids&Us

Their role as a parent and your commitment to follow their instructions are essential so that their child can attain and assimilate the pedagogical objectives of each course.

The Kids&Us Classrooms 

At their Kids&Us centres, they believe that it is essential that their

boys and girls learn English in a suitable environment according to their age and needs. To achieve this, it is vital that the furniture is adapted to each age group and that the classroom setting is appealing and full of vibrant colours that inspire optimism and energy.

Together with the materials that are used in class, these features make learning English a fun and exciting experience for children.

CAN THE CHILDREN HAVE ORAL COMUNICATION ONLY BABBLING?
 LIKE WE CAN SEE IN THIS VIDEO IT WOULD BE A POSSIBILITY. SOME RESEARCHES ARE STUDING THAT VIDEO TO KNOW THE ANSWER:

THATS INCREDIBLE!!!!

DEBATING ABOUT ROLL PLAYING

Hi!

In this entrance we are going to speak about what have we learn till now seen the differents roll playing in class.

The principle idea we have changed is the form to speak to our students. We haven't realize that our english can be difficult and at the same time boring for them. This is something important to change and this is a good opportunity to start with it.

Sometimes, we also consider something as given, and it hasn´t to be like that. Even in the case of the children that they have less level than ours and it is important to explain simplily the activity, and to think on what the children know about this subject. For this, we must have the activitys focused on childrens age, because they can bored or lost in our class.

It is important to practice an activity before doing with children. And when it is the time to work in that activity the teachers can imit or explain with mimic that. It is interesting doing that, if we have in acount that the most of the children doens´t undersant english very good.

Related with the explanation, like we say, our english has to be simply, slow but with happyness. Even though we think that they have understood, we can made them questions to be sure. Then it will be time for children but the teacher has to be ready to help them. Besides you have to be able to answer questions children can have, we can´t get without helping them.

Focusing on different activitys we have seen, for example in someones that children has to sing, songs must be very simple, taken acount that they are in pre-school. We think that the activity will be better if it has some movements to dance.

In activitys to work in vocabulary, like we said in class, we will work specifically with pictures. However, in that pictures or objects we will put their names. For example in a home picure put "HOME" and in the box of the pictures put "PICTURES". 

But, like we say today in class, everyone has her/his principles, and he/she has to act according in that.

At the time we saw more roll-playing, we will write some other ideas. Big hug everybody!

PRESENTING PROJECT´S FIRST IDEAS

In this entrance we will speak about our first ideas of our project. We have to say, that this ideas are provisional:

- Our project will be prepare to children between 5 and 6 years.

- To carry out this project we will focus in Arangoiti ikastola. It is a small school that localizate in Irunberri, a small village near Iruña. Here they teach in basque and they have a subject of english and spanish. 

- This school offers the option to study preschool and primary.

- We think that we will work about this village´s environment, because it offer a lot of posibilities to work different aspects, such as rivers, mountains, animals, colours, seasons...

-The school has a vegetable garden. Here the children can plant some natural food, like tomatoes, strawberrys... So we think that it is very good to transmit some values of the education which we want to transmit.

What happens at the time we get older...

OUR CHILD´S PROFILE

Hi!

Now, we will speak about our child´s profile to do a rol play. First of all, we had to decided what the age of our child and her/his gener. After, her/his caracteristics. 

Therefore, we decided that our child will be a girl, who is 4 years old. She is a shameful, quiet and reserved girl, so she doesn´t participate much in class. However, she is very good person and she loves animals and newborns, because in her home has a little brother and a dog, that his name is Max.

Remember!

All of us have something inside that can make us shine

Exercises for de Uxue was born project

Considering that we are teachers in Zerain, we have prepared some activitys about the topic of new borns. Althought the topic is that, we will learn different aspects, such us different languages (basque and english), maths... We have prepared six different exercises considering that Uxue jaio da! project is for a children of different ages. Therefore, the our objective is the following: To work in class about babys.

Exercise 1:

Tittle: Preconceptions about babys.

Process: we will speak in class about newborns in Zerain,so the teacher will collect all the information that children says and what information they don`t know about babys. To do this activity, first of all, we will do some questions about babys to the children. For example: What do you know about babys? Have the babys need care or they are independents? What and how they feed?... Is important to say that this activity we will do in basque to take the more information that we can.

Exercise 2:

Tittle: Newborn´s parents from Zerain to our class

Process: To learn more about babys care the best is to know these in person. For this, we propose that newborn´s parents come to our classroom. In this way children could have the opportunity to interact with the baby. Also, they could hear mother´s explanation about baby´s care (how they feed, How much time they sleep, how they play, how change a nappy...). Also, we will do this activity in basque, in their mother tongue.

Exercise 3:

Tittle: Vocabulary

Process: After the first contact with babys, we will learn the follow vocabulary using different images.

Contents:

- Haur txikia: Newborn, baby                         - Elikatu: Feed                                   

- Zainketa: Care                                             - Esnea: Milk                              

- Pardela: Nappy                                            - Jantzi: Wear                             

- Laztandu: Caress                                         - Zapatilak: Shoes                      

- Kaka: Poo                                                    - Kamiseta: T-shirt                     

- Pixa: Pee                                                     - Prakak: Jeans

- Biberoia: Baby bottle                                   - Pijama: pygama

- Txupetea: Dummy                                       - Lo egin: Sleep  

- Gorputza: Body                                           - Sehaska: Cradle

- Gorputz atalak: Body parts                         - Jolastu: Play

- Hankak: Legs                                              - Tamainia: Size

- Besoak: Arms                                              - Txikia: Small

- Burua: Head                                                - Ertaina: Medium

- Eskuak: Hands                                             - Handia: Big

- Oinak: Foots

Exercise 4:

Tittle: Different sizes: small, medium and big.

Process: To learn differents sizes we will use the comparation of a baby´s body parts and an adult´s body parts. As we have learned the vocabulary with the previous activity, firts of all, we will do this in basque and them, in english. 

Exercise 5:

Tittle: Sing a baby song

Process: To do this activity we will put a video which we could watch and hear a lullaby. The objective of that activity is learn this song and them go to newborn´s home to sing together. During a week more or less, in the final moment of the days every children with the teacher, in circle, we will learn the song. When we have learned, we will go to sing at home of newborn´s. 

 
Exercise 6:
Tittle: What´s inside?
Process: To finish with the new borns topic, we will work about Jeanne Ashbé´s What´s inside? story. That story we will tell in english and we will try to speak about it in english too. However, for a complete understanding, we will explain the storys message in basque.

IS IT CLIL?

 Zerain poject - Uxue jaio da!

After having debate in class about Zerain project, which work based on the interests of children and in global form, we believe that it is CLIL. We think that because they integrated many aspects based on students knowledge, such us, family, language, context and contents. In this way, children learn about different topics working on various aspects of maths and languages.

WHAT IS CLIL?

HI everybody again!

In this case we are going to speak about what is CLIL, after reading articles about this. First it is interesting to explain what CLIL abrebation it is: CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning " High quality teaching and learning fit for 21st century classrooms anywhere in the world", this project sees language as the best to learn using in different purposes at different times. In an interview with David Marsh, he says that he knows a bad project, and in schools it is very important to have fun and be happy, so he started watching different exciting learnings until he found this project and children responded very well to the idea of integrated into the content learning. The future of languages teaching would be very strong. The teachers can bring it to the school community and discussing but for this to work teachers need to be looked after and to manage it properly. Teachers always think “I will never be able to teach this language”, teaching is a very tab job, but they involved who really love teaching, and who wants happy children. Besides, gave this ideas to interviewers: "CLIL refers to situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focussed aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. (Marsh, 1994) "This approach involves learning subjects such as history, geography or others, through an additional language. It can be very successful in enhancing the learning of languages and other subjects, and developing in the youngsters a positive ‘can do’ attitude towards themselves as language learners. (Marsh, 2000) In conclusion as teachers if we accept language is a learning tool as well as a communication tool, then we will have to re-conceptualise our classroom practice.

AND EXAMPLE OF A CLIL PROJECT (CLIL in preschool)

CLIL IN PRESCHOOL

Clil Project approach to preschool, is based in the curriculum, the themes that it works are global and interdisciplinary. It has in mind to children´s feature psycho-evolutive so it things that is advisable to learn mother tongue. For to produce this project, Clil keeps in mind pedagogic principles, language project and 5-6 plan.

Clil has maked by 6 didactics units, for each one of them there are 6 hours, weekly 90 minutes for to work this.

Clil Project has the follow objectis;

- To improve the communicative competence.
- To learn contents from other areas in english.
- To conceive english as way of natural communication.
- To develop intellectually and emotionally.

It presents the next planning;

- Oral activities, to the learning and the understanding of children.
- When the children answer in his mother tongue, the teacher have to repeat the same in english.
- Open questions and conversations help to the understanding.

Depending on the activity there are four types of groups; groups of a person, of two, in little groups (4-8 persons) or all the group together.

This is a global Project, this works the follow points;
- The emotions, the feelings.
- The transport means.
- The dinosaurs.
- The animals.
- The Jobs
- ...

To work these, there are two keys: Quality (methodology) and exposure (contact with the language).

WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO START LEARNING ENGLISH

Hi everybody!!

In this entrance we will speak about when, why and how to start learning english. Is important to say that this matter is very interesting and controversy, because each person have her opinion about this.

WHEN:
After reading "komunikazioaren garapena", we can say that learning language is a very complex procces. In this procces participate a lot of factors. So we think that the best age it can be four years old. After the child set appropriatelly his mother tongue, because if the child didn´t set one lenguage teaching another different it can be the worst thing we can do.

WHY:
Basque people need learn another language apart from basque and spanish. Because the society demand this quality of multilingual. Nowadays we need a lot of language if we want a job, with basque and spanish languages we have less options to get it. So if we start teaching english with four years old the chil get used to hear a strange language and little by little it will become familiar.

WHO:
We think that is more important metodology, is the key for a successful result. We arrive to this conclusion because, as we spoke in class, for some people is better to start earlier and for other isn´t. Is not the same if child start whit four years old and the metodology being awful, or start with the same age an the methodology being very good.
Another key element is the exposure. If the child have a contact with the language will be easyer to learn english. So the teacher have to offer a enriching environment refering to a english lenguage.

IF YOU WANT YOU CAN GET IT!

NOTHING IS IMPOSIBLE, IF YOU WANT YOU CAN GET IT!

First principles for the proyect

In this post, we are recollecting the principles and objectives to our proyect. We have to say that we complete this objectives we want for our project listening another classmates opinion. So this are the ideas we wont to do: 

 - We will have an space for english. In children education classes they've got "etxe txokoa", "jolas txokoa", "marrazteko txokoa"... and we will build another space for english in wich the only language will be english between the children and the activitys in this areas will be focus on learning this language and the culture and habits english people have, like the typical music, food, customs… 

- Apart from this, we think that this language learning has to be in a practical way, and children have to be happy in all the process with this learning form, and if it isn´t like this, we will changed the metodology. To be practical, we seem interesting, to do different plays, song... in english.

- Also not only teach with song, plays etc. We think that is very enriching using rituals. With this we want to say that we will use some songs, phrases, dancings... and make the most out of this ideas. 

- Working in litle groups. For example, give children time to speak between them in english. We think that the interaction between them assist the learning, because they share knowledge.

- It seems to be learning like a pleasure.

- Respect the rhythmn everyone has. 

- Colaborate with other teachers.

- Have flexibility with ALL.

- Learn experimenting, not only listening and remaining silent.

- The teacher have to motivate all the children, because it can happen that the children lose the interest. And this is the worst thing to learn a lenguage.

- Beliaving in children, they can achieve all they want so we have to believe that. 

- Based on children interests have them in a count to do different exercises, to motivated them at class. 

- Using school surroundings, like fish market, families etc to learn different vocabulary with the excuse to visit different places of the city. Is very enriching leave the school for some hours and visit another places, and if is to learn another lenguage much better. 

Also, they are some ideas that we don´t want to do:

- No taking in account the children interest and no respecting their rhythmn. 

- Have hurry to teach the most things of a lenguage. 

- Use boring methods to teach them.

- Learn lenguage only listening and remaining silent.

Some tools

We reminded last wear tools that we saw on IKT, so we started to looked for some activitys to learn english. 

For example in Agrega page, there are lots of activitys and they are seem good. There are lots of teaching units to work with children. Here are some to do an idea: 

1. THE JUNGLE

2. A DAY IN THE FARM

3. BUG HUNT

4. FOOD TO BE TO TAKEN TO A PICNIC

5. MY HEAD

6. MY PETS

7. NUMBERS UP TO TEN

8. THE CIRCUS

9. THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW

10. THE ZOO

11. A CATERPILLAR´S LIFE

12. GINGERBREAD MAN

13. OUR COMUNITY

14. PLANTS AND FLOWERS

15. SNOWFLAKES EVERYWHERE: WINTER

16. THE SECRET FOREST: AUTUM

17. USEFUL WORDS

18. WE RE MATHEMATICIANS

19. AT THE RESTAURANT (4 URTE)

20. MOVE YOUR BODY (4 URTE)

21. GOING SHOPPING (5 URTE)

22. MEALS OF THE DAY (5 URTE)

23. HEALTHY HABITS AND RUTINES (4-5 URTE)

New units
24. THE POLICEWOMAN AND THE FIREFIGHTER
25. MY TOWN
26. MY SCHOOL
27. AT THE HOSPITAL
28. LONG AND SHORT CATERPILLARS
29. FLY FLY BUTTERFLY
30. A TINY CATERPILLAR
31. PEOPLE IN MY TOWN
32. BIG AND SMALL
33. LONG AND SHORT
34. MORE AND LESS
35. IN, ON AND UNDER
36. UP AND DOWN
37. EMPTY/FULL
38. HOW MANY?
39. ADDING ONE MORE
40. WRITING DIGITAL NUMBERS
41. PLAYING OUTDOORS

And here i give you an example of this: 

An example in agrega

At the time we find more tools, we will try to share them here. Big hug!

Estuding english

There is some people like in this video, which doesn´t like this language!

(is a video to have some fun, i think you will like!)

Hi!!

Here we leave this video which transmits the great role of hospital clowns in Denmark. Is really beautifull watch how children smile thanks to these clowns. Gitte Madsen (Hospital clown) explain how she work.

We recommend you see this video!

Age criteria for the project.

HI everybody! We talked about how age criteria put to our project. We think that the age to our project should be between five and six. Also, after discuss a lot of time, we arrive to an agreement: this is the best age to learn a third lenguage, because before that age can be very early to understand three languages, in the case of the basque country. Children have enough learning the two lenguages they heard in the day a day, so the third lenguage can be create a trouble in the early learn process of the youngest children. Also, we think that we shouldn´t have hurry to teach langeguages. So because of those ideas we arrive to the accord of the age criteria we decide.

QUESTIONS FOR THE PROJECT

Some interesting questions for our project:

1. If we have children of different level in the same class is better? Or of the same level? And children of different age? How  influences it in their development? And, how could we evaluate that?
2. What is better, learn english in group or with individual activities?
3. We think that we can`t obligate children to speak english but, how can we motivate and help children to express in that language? Normally in a class there are different level of english and in any language, how can we keep the atention of the children who have good level in english to learn the children who haven´t so good level? And vice versa?
4. Are the films in english good tool to learn english in preschool? We have studied in literatura that for a child who knows to read the films in english language with subtitles in him language tongue are a good tool to learn it. But what happens with the children who don´t know to read the subtitles? Some researcher of this topic say that for get children used to the english is suitable, and other researches say, that watching films in a language that the children don´t know , the children only listen to noise. What have to do if we are  using a wrong tool? How can we know what is the appropiate tool to get our objective?

Everyone to dance and to sing!

We found a fantastic website which offered various resources to learnd English. Here, there is a wonderful list of songs for children. These songs are represents with lyrics, pictures and dances. There are very attractive. We think that it is a fabulous material to encourage regular use of English in Preschool.

To see more:

 http://www.angles365.com/classroom/songsci03.htm

The Forbidden Education

In class, we saw The Forbidden Education documentary (in spanish, La Educación Prohibida), that is released in 2012. The film documents different alternative education practices and unconventional schools in Latin America and Spain. The documentary is presenting a different aspect of education in the school context, such as the history of the school system, authority and power in school, the role of teachers...

 Here, you can see the trailer:

Boiseko Ikastola, EEUU

Now we are learning english, but in this video we can see who in a different place of the world children also are learning vasque. Here appear Broiseko Ikastola, in EEUU, that apart of english, they teach vasque. It´s the only Basque pre-school outside of the Basque Country. As they grow, they have an advantage in areas such as mathematics, language and cultural awareness. We think that it´s very interesting and exciting.

We hope that you like it!!

   


To more information, you can see this page: http://www.boisekoikastola.org/

Good and bad elements learning lenguages

Hi again to everybody!!
Some weeks ago we talked about good and bad elements that have influence when it´s time to learn lenguages. In our group these are the elements that we mention:

Good elements:
- Learning with attractive methods, like songs, games...
- Practising the lenguage with different persons and environment.
- The teacher have to do everything that is in her hands to attrack the interest of students.
- The students have to realize that doing or saying something wrong is not bad, we also learn when we put one´s food in it.

Bad elements:
- Imposition words or grammar rules is not the way to teach a lenguage.
- No practising the lenguage out of school.
- Loosing the interest because of the teacher practice.

Also when we did this list of good and bad elements, we putted in common all the class all we spoke in little groups. These are some ideas:
- Is very good for learn lenguages to go abroad to another country for practising the local lenguage. For example, if we are learning english we can go to England to improve our english.
- We were a lot of time disscusing if another school subject in english is good or bad. Some schoolmates think that is not bad, but others said that isn´t worth it for anything.

HELLOOO!

Hi, we are Garazi Belaunzaran, Ane Burgete, Sonia Fernández and Idurre tolosa. It´s time to start writing in this blog!! First of all we are going to put a song. To everyone came to class at the beginning of this subject it can sound familiar. So let´s enjoy!!