Differentiated learning in languages Gill Glen Abbotsleigh Junior School

Languages in my school French from Transition/ELC (4-year-olds) to Year 4 (10-year-olds) Mandarin for students in Years 5 and 6 In Year 7, students choose two of four languages: French, Latin, German and Mandarin Continue with one of these languages in Year 8

Advantages and Challenges of being a Specialist Teacher in a Junior School

Advantages Same students for a number of years Class teachers or assistants in some lessons Input and needs analyses from class teachers

Challenges Intake of students in Years K, 3, 5 and 7 – differing prior knowledge and ability Large number of students Limited time with each class Many programs to write

Ways of identifying high achievers and those needing support – know your students! Pre-test and language survey Pre-test Anecdotal notes and observation of students Consult class teacher about students Use expertise of G&T Specialists in your school

Strategies for dealing with the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 Language taster days Liaise with Head of Languages in SS, in order to allocate students to classes Use information from language preference forms, as well as prior results in languages Group beginners together Put high achievers in same class

Differentiation Begin with a cultural topic in intake years, so that everyone is on a level playing field Pair a new student with an old student for some activities Divide students into groups, and work with the new students, carefully scaffolding activities Encourage independent studies

Differentiation (continued) Same topic, different approach: in-depth activities for more able students Flexible grouping, e.g. partners with a similar ability/ new student works with old student Use more able students as role models or leaders, e.g. in class surveys Open-ended tasks: give a choice to students, e.g. drama/ letter/poem/dialogue/song

Some examples of differentiation (Excerpt from French Program) Revise numbers up to 20. Ask what letters 30, 40, 50 might start with in French. Can they make connections between 3, 13 and 30? Oral practice – give French number, they give numeral. Whole class Glue number sheets in book for reference and complete a worksheet which integrates Maths, colours and French. Pairs Learning support: help new girls and weaker students. Learning support: help new girls and weaker students. Extension: confident group completes a pattern worksheet which has sequences, pronunciation patterns, etc. They invent their own pattern for others to solve. Extension: confident group completes a pattern worksheet which has sequences, pronunciation patterns, etc. They invent their own pattern for others to solve.

Year 4 French (extension group) A. Write the French for the number of: Wise men Years in a decade Years in a century Letters in Abbotsleigh Apostles Three score years and ten B. Complete the pattern: Deux, quatre, six, ……… Dix, vingt, trente, ………. Trois, six, neuf, …………. Quinze, trente, soixante, ………. Un, deux, quatre, sept, ……….. C. Pronunciation. Find a number with the same sound as: Deux Six Quatre Seize Cinq D. Can you invent a new pattern or pronunciation question?

(Example of research tasks – teacher negotiation & differentiated products) Knowing Find or draw a map of New South Wales and mark Sydney Cove and Botany Bay. Label Port Jackson. Make a list of the foods that the early settlers ate. Make a list of the games that children would have played in the colony. What is the Tank Stream? Write a short definition of it. Understanding Why did they choose Sydney Cove instead of Botany Bay? Give full reasons. Draw a plan of a typical garden in the settlement. Label the different plants you would grow. Compare the life of a convict to the life of a marine. What were the problems that farmers had in growing crops and animals at Rose Hill? Applying Imagine you are an aboriginal in Sydney Cove. Write a description of the new arrivals to your land as you see them. Write a letter to your family back home in England describing the animals in Australia. Role play an incident between a prisoner and a marine at Sydney Cove Analysing Explain why the life expectancy of settlers was shorter than that of today. Write a monologue telling of a convicts dream for a better life What did people do as leisure activities at that time? Creating Make a doll or another simple toy using sticks or old fabric. Design and make a convict costume or make a paper doll and dress accordingly Make a model of a typical house in the colony Make a diorama of a street scene in the settlement EvaluatingIf you were Captain Phillip setting up a settlement, what would you have done differently and why? What impact did the British have on the local Aboriginal people? Consider food, disease, land, cultural differences. Why was Botany Bay chosen as a site for a penal colony? Consider Cooks voyage in your answer. Why do you think the British thought they were superior to the Aboriginals they met?

Year 7 Mandarin – The House Beginners – learn vocabulary and simple sentence patterns Continuers – describe the house in detail, using simple sentence structure Background students (weak reading and writing) – similar writing to Continuers, but use more complex sentence structures Background speakers – advertising promotion for a house (writing and speaking)

Revision on the weather Work with a partner to invent a revision activity about the weather: Word search Sudoku Crossword Memory game Board game Matching game

5. Goldilocks and the Three Bears Shared Reading Read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Examine and discuss the setting. Ask the children to identify the parts of the narrative. Discuss comparisons made in the book. Modelled Writing Match key pictures with labels. Copy and write nouns in book Independent Writing Use the above key words in sentences Extension Students write a diary entry as Goldilocks, explaining what they did OR an apology letter to the bears. Students to investigate one of the characters and discuss their role in the story. (Excerpt from Year 1 English program)

Sharing ideas Choose a topic Design a core activity Add an activity for the extension group and one for the support group