The three factors that ensure that students get top marks in French speaking and listening exams

There is no doubt that some students underperform in their French speaking and listening exams, not because they don’t have a knowledge of the language that is suitable to the level of study, but rather because the setting of the speaking and listening exams results in a lack of confidence.

Of course you will be working with your students to ensure that they are used to the situation they will face, but beneath that there is still the issue of feeling enough at ease to use the knowledge of the language that he/she possesses.

Indeed we might compare this to many people in later life who have studied French at school and who can speak enough to get by, but who regularly report that they need a few days in France before they have the confidence to start speaking again.

To help resolve this problem the copiable volume, “How to get top marks for my French speaking and listening exams,” deals with this emotional response to speaking the language.

As the book stresses to students on the first page, “Success is deliberate.”  In these exams, the author says, intonation, exam skills, and vocabulary are the key.  Along with a real motivation to get better at speaking French.

And because motivation is considered so important, the book starts with exercises in motivational techniques.  It may seem unusual that in the opening few phrases there is no French, but the fact is that without motivation and a sincere desire to pass the exam the student will not improve.

As part of this there is a constant focus on the nature of the task in hand. Listening is made a central part of the task in hand, and from here the work in French begins to flow.

In all there are 100 copiable pages, provided either as a copiable text or on CD Rom so that they can be loaded onto the school’s learning platform for all students to access.

The sheer variety and down to earth honesty of the book will enthuse the students, and they will particularly appreciate the section on “bluffing and improvising” which shows them how to deal with unknown words and phrases.

Indeed it is sections such as this that enthuse the students to work in much greater depth and with much greater focus when they work through the dialogues.

How to get top marks for my French speaking and listening exams is available as a book or CD and comes with a full photocopy license for use of the book within your school so yiou can share it with colleagues. You can see a sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/modlang/T1780.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1780EMN      ISBN: 978 1 86083 815 6

Prices

  • Photocopiable book: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Both the Book and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
  • Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1780EMN

What slows down the progress of EAL pupils more than anything else?

What EAL pupils need most of all is bi-lingual books written at the right interest and reading level.

The problem is however obvious.  Books cost money and having the right language alongside English, and having the story at the right level for the pupils, is very difficult.

You might well have some dual language books in your school, but often that is not enough to keep the child engaged and reading more and more both at school and at home.

But now there is a solution.

For now there is an e-book library of over 400 books in English and 37 languages; books that pupils can read and hear, and which they will enjoy to the end of KS2.

Each book is in two languages and can be accessed via iPads, tablets, whiteboards, and computers at school or at home. All the text is spoken in English and the home language.

And, of course, parents too can use the library to improve their English, leading to greater involvement with your school.

Well-known titles such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Pandora’s Box, and reference books like Key Terms in Maths, Science, English, come in English with Polish, Arabic, Spanish, French, Urdu, Romanian and many more languages.  English only copies are also available.

Each story is supported with a video and follow-on interactive activities. This means that children who have just joined the class can quickly get started in a highly imaginative and absorbing way.  They can also share with their parents what they are learning at school.

The dual language e-books are also a perfect way for the school to show Ofsted that it is connecting with parents in an engaging and measurable way.

You can buy one book from £3.50 for one year or licence the whole collection of over 400 e-books for every classroom for £350 per year.  Parents can access the library for just £1 per term.

Please take a look at this short video to see our e-books in action.

Alternatively, please click here to get free trial access to 35 books in nine languages.

If you would like any further information, please email brandon@mantralingua.com  or phone 0208 44 55 123 x109.

Robene Dutta
Managing Director

School Finance without a finance background Online Training Program starting 9th June – 1 hour per week for 4 weeks

Do you have finance staff that don’t have a background in finance? Lots of schools do, and it can be tricky to understand it all and to have a full appreciation of the importance of the processes, without this background.

To this end we have created a new online training course – delivered over the internet – and consisting of 4 x 1 hour sessions over 4 successive weeks.  Each week provides a live, interactive online presentation with accompanying notes (the live session being recorded so anyone can watch it after the event, at a time of their choosing)

The aim is to provide a basic overview of what the terms mean, what needs to be done, what’s important to know about and what the reports tell us. This isn’t an in-depth study of bookkeeping or management accounting – it’s a clear, simple overview to give school finance staff a grounding in accounting.

Each session has an optional assignment which will help consolidate the information covered, and on completion of all 4 assignments a Certificate in Basic School Finance will be awarded.

The 4 sessions are as follows :

Session 1 –  Introduction to finance and the need for accounts.  Introduction to finance terms used in schools.  Legal aspects & segregation of duties. Financial controls and audit. Record keeping & filing.

Session 2 – The Bookkeeping process. Accounts, Assets & Liabilities, Double Entry accounting, Credits & Debits, The Ledgers.

Session 3 – Financial Statements and Reports – what they are, what they mean, general accounting reports and school specific reports.

Session 4 – Period End  – The Control accounts, Month and Year end processes, Orders & Commitments, Creditors & Debtors, Prepayments & Accruals, Gift Aid. VAT.

The whole 4 session course costs £99 per school and multiple staff can attend from each for in this price.   Sessions are on 9th June, 16th June, 23rd June and 30th June.

To book on, please click here or email us on info@istekuk.com or call 01722 413255.

 Istek UK Ltd  3 St Ursula’s Close, Salisbury SP1 3FY

W: www.istekuk.com  E: info@istekuk.com   T:  01722 413 255  F: 01722 568262