In an effort to promote multilingualism and see our mother languages as an advantage, Ms. Ramirez (homeroom teacher in Grade 4 Blue) and Ms. Blydenburgh (Learning Support) have created the Grade 4 Language Lab. Students are invited to join once a week during their park time. Activities range from vocabulary games to sharing about each other’s cultures and traditions.
“It is so important for the kids to see their languages as an asset and this is a way we can put language front and center in our classrooms. We are hoping to spark interest in each other’s cultures and genuinely create good feelings around language learning,” remarked Ms. Ramirez. In the first session students taught each other how to say “Hello, my name is…” in as many languages as possible. “It made my heart happy to see them so engaged and interested in each other’s languages,” Ms. Blydenburgh added.
In this first session, the group was lucky to have a Belgian High School student who is interning in 4 Blue to teach us a few words of Dutch, as well.
