AMLAAccelerated Modern Language Acquisition

Language Awareness Programme

Purposes of the Programme• To provide a rationale and structured programme for

developing language awareness in primary schools and transfer to KS3.

• To provide a range of whole school and class activities that can be delivered by both specialist and non-specialist teachers

• To provide approaches to working with community languages and community partners

• To support development of language awareness across the curriculum

• To provide a portfolio approach to assessment

Pluralingualism – a policy goal

‘as an individual person’s experience of language in its cultural contexts expands, from the language of the home to that of society at large and then to the languages of other peoples (whether learnt at school or college, or by direct experience), he or she does not keep these languages and cultures in strictly separated mental compartments, but rather builds up a communicative competence to which all knowledge and experience of language contributes and in which languages interrelate and interact.’

The Common European Framework of Reference, (2001: 4).

• The AMLA Language Awareness Programme is designed to aid the development of pluralingualism and ‘communicative competence’ by helping pupils to transfer skills and knowledge across languages and cultures.

• Through the Language Awareness activities they begin to recognise patterns and exceptions and develop their understanding of their place in the world through exploring their own and other cultures.

• Language as Communication:

• Language as Culture:

• Language as Identity:

• interpreting, creating, and exchanging ‘meanings that matter’

• recognising the interrelationship between language, culture and learning

• reflection and evaluation – understanding self as communicator/self as learner

English Spanish Frencherror error drama drama probable probable gourmet gourmet gourmetclient clientimportant importantgolf golf golfcollection collectionaction actiondanger dangerimprobable improbable improbablerestaurant restaurantrectangle rectangle

Spelling and Vocabulary Awareness

English Spanish French

triangle triángulo triangle

diameter diámetro diamètre

probability probabilidad probabilité

rectangle rectángulo rectangle

to estimate estimar estimer

octogon octágono octogone

parallelogram paralelogramo parallélogramme

Cognates

English Spanishartist artistapianist pianistaproblem problemaclient clienteimportant importantepart parteabsolutely absolutamente

Patterns

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English Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

French lundi mardi mercredi jeudi vendredi samedi dimanche

Spanish lunes martes miércoles jueves viernes sábado domingo

Italian lunedì martedì mercoledì giovedì venerdì sabato domenica

Afrikaans Maandag Dinsdag Woensdag Donderdag Vrydag Saterdag Sondag

German Montag Dienstag Mittwoch Donnerstag Freitag Samstag Sonntag

Hungarian hétfő kedd szerda csütörtök péntek szombat vasámat

Slovak pondelok utorok streda štvrtok piatok sobota nedeľa

Zulu uMombuluko uLwesibili uLwesithathu uLwesine uLewishlanu uMgqibelo iSonto

Arabic االثنين الثالثاء األربعاء الخ�ميس الج�معة السبت ألحد

What patterns can you see in the different languages? Can you sort the languages into groups?

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Language as Identity What’s in a name?

YorubaIn Yoruba culture, personal names often reflect the circumstances under which a child was born:• Ige: born feet first;• Taiwo: ‘pre-tasted the world’, given to the first of a

set of twins;• Kehinde: ‘the one who lagged behind’, given to the

second of a set of twins;• Idowu: given to the child born after a set of twins.

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Exploring names in many languages

• directionality • rhyme• rhythm • stress• accents• sound symbol relationships• words within words• capital letters• consonants and vowels• alphabetical order

Kovács János

欢YleniaJuan

Hélène

Hope

Amandeep Singh

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Anglia Ispania Francia AnglijaFrankrig Angleterre Spagna SpanienEspagne Franta Inghilterra FrankreichEngeland España Francia SasanaŠpanělsko Inggeris Spanja Franza

Where in the world?

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AMLAAccelerated Modern Language Acquisition

amla.org.ukAdministration: tnorton@thehive-croydon.org