Local school joins over 62,000 primary pupils nationwide taking part in language learning module
Over 60 primary pupils from Bunscoil Mhuire, Youghal are currently taking part in the ‘Say Yes to Languages’ primary sampler module. The language module has been made available for a fifth year, entering phase two of the module.
Say Yes to Languages has continued to increase in popularity over the past four years, with over 250,000 pupils participating during this time. The module offers pupils and teachers a taste of what it means to integrate additional languages, alongside English and Irish, and also seeks to raise awareness among pupils of the languages spoken in their school environment and local community. Over 1,300 primary schools took part last year alone, with Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Irish Sign Language (ISL), Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian being taught in classrooms across the country.
Pupils from Bunscoil Mhuire, Youghal are saying Ja to Deutsch (Yes to German). The programme is being delivered within the normal school timetable over a ten-week period. Speaking about the module, Eoghan Rua O’Neill, Principal of Bunscoil Mhuire, Youghal comments, “We are delighted that our 6th Class pupils are participating in the ‘Say Yes to Languages’ programme this year. With numerous languages spoken within our school community, this module offers a fantastic opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the both the German language and German culture, develop their language awareness and build skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. We are lucky to have two members of our teaching staff who are facilitating the delivery of this language module to the 6th Class pupils – Ms. Adele Ward and Ms. Emer O’Neill”.
“Learning a new language has fantastic benefits such as helping to improve communication skills, learning about new cultures, making the learning of other languages easier and increasing one’s self-confidence”, adds Adele Ward (Class Teacher). “Say Yes to Languages is an engaging, fun, interactive module that is designed to foster a lifelong interest in languages among pupils. It will help support them throughout their lives, equipping them with essential language skills for the future, as well as building their confidence, curiosity and communication skills”.
The growth in interest in foreign language learning in primary has been supported by the publication of the Primary Curriculum Framework which will introduce modern foreign languages (MFL) within the primary school setting in a redeveloped Primary Language Curriculum.
