My name is Amy and I am the English language assistant at
Salvador Allende this year. I received a very warm welcome from all the staff
and pupils and have really enjoyed my first month here. I am working with years
4, 5 and 6 in English, Natural Science and Social Science lessons, and I am
very impressed with the children’s level of English. In my first lesson with
each class, I gave a presentation about myself and about my city, Newcastle
Upon Tyne, which is in the north of England. Then, we played a game with the
children to see what they had remembered about my presentation. Their understanding
and memory were fantastic. Personally, I really enjoyed the classes and I think
that they did too!
Also, I
asked them to work in teams to write down things about me. Below are some
examples of their work:
In my other classes, I generally help out with the
children’s pronunciation, by reading out texts and talking with them. I am very
pleased with their participation and willingness to have a go. I know from my
own experience that learning languages is all about having a go and learning
from your mistakes, so I´m very glad that they are not shy about speaking
English.
Another highlight of my first month here was Halloween. To
celebrate, the children did many different Halloween-related activities. On the
Tuesday, I gave a presentation about how we celebrate Halloween in England to
each class in the school. Afterwards, I asked questions to check their
understanding. Also, on the Friday, the whole school dressed up and paraded
around the playground singing
Halloween songs in English. I really enjoyed seeing them all having fun and
enjoying this celebration.
