This document outlines a workshop plan for celebrating International Mother Language Day. It includes activities to acknowledge the many languages spoken by students, such as having students research and present on their mother tongue. Students would survey classmates about their languages, create posters and presentations, and engage in other language-focused activities. The goals are to promote diversity and cultural understanding, as well as get to know students and their backgrounds through celebrating their mother languages.

1. Celebrating mother tongues
Noelia Rivas
French Coordinator
Sudbury Primary School
University of Westminster
14 November 2015

2. Workshop plan
1. Why celebrate International Mother Language Day?
2. Examples of activities
3. Outcomes of the project
4. Plenary and follow-up

3. Why should we acknowledge
other languages?

4. Reasons for acknowledging other
languages• Multicultural London
• Pupils have a background, a story
• Unique experience for children and families
• Project with partner school
• The KS2 PoS
“Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an
opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster
pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.”
• Ofsted framework for Languages
“Subject makes outstanding contribution to the promotion of pupils
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensures pupils’ excellent
knowledge and appreciation of other cultures”

5. Introduction to the project
• What’s a “mother language”
• When is International Mother Language Day?
• Why do we celebrate it?
• Languages spoken in the class

6. Register activities
• Sample of one of our pupils’ language
• Locate country in the World
• Show flag
• Look at facts
• Pupil to colour and label his / her
country of origin

7. Numeracy activities
• Survey about mother languages in
the Year group / in school
• Collect data in tally charts
• Represent data in charts (ICT)

8. POSTERS
• About International Mother Languages
• To inform about a possible assembly
• In different languages
• Excellent display work!

9. Homework
• Learn a poem / song with you parents
• Research about your mother language
Learn a poem in Albanian

10. Computing
• Presentation about mother tongues
and your countries of origin
• Language spoken at home
• Countries where it is spoken and location of these countries
• Interesting facts
• Who do you speak this language with
• How do / did you learn it?
• Favourite word
• How do you feel when you speak in your mother language
• Language poem / song to teach to the class

11. Passeports
• Pupils listen actively and take notes
• Display with the class passeports
will show evidence of SMSC and Intercultural
understanding in your lessons
What is your mother tongue?
How did you learn it?
How do you feel when you speak it?
What’s your favourite word?

12. Show and tell
• Demanded by the children
• Enhances diversity
• Peers pay attention and show respect
• Memorable, pupils learn a lesson for life

13. Blog with your parter school
• E-twinning (British council) / Private blog
• Survey findings, most spoken languages at school
• Pupils’ presentations
• Pupils’ videos
• Teach each other poem / song / greetings

14. Routes into Languages poetry competition
• “Mother Tongue Other Tongue”
• Children from Year 4 to Year 13
• The Mother Tongue part of the competition requires children
who do not have English as a first language, or who speak a
different language at home, to share a lullaby, poem or song
from their Mother Tongue. They then write a short piece in
English to explain the poem’s significance to them.
• The Other Tongue part of the competition encourages children
learning another language in school to use that language
creatively to write a poem.

15. Children’s voice
• “ What I enjoyed the most was teaching someone my language”
Fnot
• “I like learning Gujarati with my family. My mum reads a lot of
stories to me” Deeya
• “I get to know more about my friends” Valentina
• “For me, my language is how I am connected to my country and
it makes me proud” Rena
• “I liked showing my presentation and my classmates’ feedback”
Micaela

16. Outcomes of the project
• Raise the profile of Languages of school
(International dimension, promote language learning, citizenship)
• Get to know your students
• Strong pupils’ engagement
• Peers’ reaction
• Powerful impact on children and families

17. Plenary and follow up
Would you celebrate International Mother Language Day
next year?
• Discuss 2 possible activities that you would like to do