Reviews of resources available for secondary teachers
ALL regularly reviews a wide variety of resources that are available for the different sectors in language teaching and learning.
Review: The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book by Alex Bellos
The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book Alex Bellos Guardian Faber, 2020, 416pp, £14.99 978-1-783-35218-0 When ALL was asked to review this book, my interest was immediately sparked. Having always been interested in the development of languages and an avid puzzle solver, I...
Inside Government Modern Foreign Languages 2018 conference
Thanks to ALL Council Member and West of England Branch Secretary Crista Hazell for reporting on the Inside Government Modern Foreign Languages 2018 conference An MFL conference is always exciting, the whole day committed to all things MFL, just brilliant! The...
Review:- Becoming an Outstanding Languages Teacher
Following on from co-authoring “The Language Teacher Toolkit” (2016), Steve Smith has written another excellent book packed full of practical and easy-to-implement language teaching ideas. The book is an accessible and informative read for new MFL teachers and more experienced practitioners should also find plenty here to make the purchase worthwhile.
Review:-Modern Languages Film and Literature Study Guides
Whether you’re an experienced teacher who has taught literature and film before, or a ‘novice’ somewhat daunted by the requirements of the new A Level languages specification, the Hodder Modern Languages Study Guides are a superb resource for teachers and students alike.
Review:- Success Stories from Secondary Foreign Languages Classrooms
This compendium of initial teacher training (ITT) research projects in language teaching and learning is a good example of partnership working amongst four London providers. There are messages here however, for teachers, trainee teachers and ITT providers anywhere in the country.
Review:- Language Learning Unlocked
This book considers discussion in recent years why adults often state that they have no talent for languages and feel that they can’t succeed.
Review:-¿Por qué? – 101 Questions about Spanish
¿Por qué? – 101 Questions about Spanish is a great read. Working around 101 questions and the answers to them, this punchy format really adds to the book’s appeal.
Review:- Employability for Languages: a handbook
This handbook is a timely and valuable contribution to the debate on the importance of languages, and will provide teachers with cast-iron research-led arguments for persuading students of the long-term value-added a language skill can bring to employability prospects.
Review:- ThisisLanguage
We use ThisisLanguage with all of our KS4 students in French, German and Spanish, and occasionally at KS5. It is the mainstay of our ‘extra’ resources.
Review:- KS2 Language Coordinator’s Handbook
If you are new to the role of KS2 language subject leader, or even if you have been doing it for some time, you will find the ALL Connect KS2 Language Coordinators Handbook an invaluable reference tool.
Review:- The Transition Toolkit
The ALL Connect Transition Toolkit is the go-to resource for teachers at KS2 and KS3. It was successfully launched at Language World 2016 and contains example activities in French, Spanish and German.
Review:- Edexcel A-level French / German / Spanish
There is inevitably a degree of apprehension amongst teachers with the introduction of new specifications about how to offer the best teaching.
Review:- French Verbs & Tenses Explained
This useful book does more than the title suggests. Not only does it explain French verbs and tenses in a very clear and accessible way, but it also refers to the English verbs and tenses, so that the learner can relate to the familiar structures of English at every stage to deepen his/her understanding.
Review:- The Language Teacher Toolkit
The Language Teacher Toolkit is a treasure chest for every language teacher, whether new to the profession or not.
Review:- Only Correct
Particularly for those teachers of a certain age, this book takes a nostalgic look back to teaching as it was before the National Curriculum, the wealth of health and safety regulations applicable to taking students out of school and before the Internet.
Review:- Talk: Mandarin Chinese
Title: Talk: Mandarin Chinese Language: Mandarin By: Yu Feixia, Alwena Lamping, BBC Active Book/CD Pack Price: £15.99 Website: http://tiny.cc/BBCTalkMandarin There are reasons aplenty why Mandarin might be an attractive language to learn for youngsters and...