I’ve just had a go at sub titling one of my favourite Spanish kiddies song – La Vaca Lola.

What do you think?

I used a tool called Universal Subtitles that allows you to subtitle videos in a variety of formats.  Looks rather interesting – and useful!

I can’t seem to make it embed in WordPress so here’s the link!

30 minutes later – I’ve done another one – here’s Juguemos en el bosque.

I’m on a roll of finding little gems on Youtube!

Here’s an alphabet rap in Spanish – and it has a section on vowels too which I particularly like.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK8HBnUcbuQ

Here’s another rap that ‘me chifla’ – this one is about personal descriptions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxWugQUw2us

Whilst mooching around Youtube, I came across this very very catchy rap for talking about your family in Spanish.

Easy to understand – it has subtitles too – and also easy to adapt for pupils to make up their own versions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iDlAd1L9FM

Via my Google Reader, I was led to the following book published on Scribd.

Over 300 pages of games and activities for use in the PLL classroom.  What’s more, there are all mapped to the KS2 Framework objectives and helpfully split into sections for specific vocabulary areas, counting, literacy and language learning.  Plus there are sections of vocabulary in Spanish French and German to support those who are less fluent.

Looks a brilliant resource to enhance the learning of languages at primary – and I’m sure there are a few secondary pupils who wouldn’t mind a nostalgic game of Duck duck goose once in a while?
Games and Activities for Primary Foreign Languages

PS I am checking re copyright as the author is not the one who uploaded it!

I normally make Slideshares of my presentations and add the audio for Slidecasts.

However, the lovely @eyebeams was UStreaming the MFL Show and Tell from Nottingham today so I’m able to embed the video of my presentation!

Hope you find it useful.  Although my pupils are primary aged and some of the ideas are very ‘primary centric’, I think that there are many things that secondary colleagues can take and adapt to their situations.  teh fun doesn’t have to stop at the end of KS2, you know ;o)

TeachersTV is, I think, an increasing useful source of clips and materials, not just for CPD but also for classroom use.

Here they present some lovely lessons starters set in Martinique, set around preparations for carnival, the school and the local area.  Not only good for the language – for example, Une chasse au tresor  looks at vocabulary of directions – but also for ICU as the setting of Martinique allows comment to be made on the surroundings, comparing and contrasting, and also raises awareness of the Francophone world.

Another episode focuses on the preparations for Carnaval and the Carnaval itself – always fascinating to pupils in the UK where such festivities are unusual!

And another looks at the route Matis takes to school – an eyeopener in terms of what the route is like!

At about 2-5 minutes long, they’re a great way to open a lesson, or for those 10 minutes activities that can spread out over the week.

I came across this wonderful website today, linked from Teaching Ideas site.

Chillola.com is a multilingual site, offering simple resources in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.

There are attractive vocabulary presentations accompanied by audio on subjects like colours, numbers, months, fruit and vegetables and body parts.  There are also very simple printable activities and colourables.

It’s a great resource for introducing vocabulary and for individual access, as well for raising awareness of other languages that are not necessarily taught at your school.

My favourites are the hamster teaching prepositions and the lovely illustrations for the opposites.

The site also offers links to several other websites about which I’ve never previously heard.  I feel more posts may be forthcoming…

As well as teaching Spanish at Whitehouse Common Primary, I am also often asked to speak at conferences about Primary Languages and how I teach using ICT.

I really enjoy speaking (as those who have met me already know!) and see it as a way of sharing my passion and enthusiasm with others.  Just as I use my blog as a way to share with others, when I’m presenting I’m passing on experiences and ideas that I have gained over time.

Over the next three posts I’ll be sharing details of three conferences at which I am speaking over the next term.  Perhaps one of them will attract your attention.