The CILT Library’s most recent event was a lively, practical session looking at how to get the most out of using puppets in the primary languages classroom.

Stephen Novy of Pekko’s Puppets demonstrated the activities that he offers to schools at the event last week, giving a wonderful performance of the traditional tale, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, in French.

Inspired by the performance, CILT’s Lucy Adamson showed delegates how to make hand puppets from simple, accessible and affordable materials - paper plates and colourful socks! Lucy showed how puppets can be used in the primary languages classroom to help develop speaking skills by creating opportunities for pair work, practising conversations on topics such as feelings, and building the confidence of shyer children to interact in the new language.

Visitors to the library put their creative skills to good use by making their own fabulous sock and plate puppets -complete with smiley and sad faces - to take back to their own classrooms.

Ruth Churchill, CILT’s Early Language Learning Information Officer, finished the session with a tour of the library's primary languages resources for puppets and craft activities. Materials linking languages to art are now on display in the library's NACELL collection as part of its current focus on cross curricular teaching in primary languages.

CILT would like to thank everyone who came to last week’s event. For news on upcoming library events, keep an eye on the CILT Resources Library webpage. (16/06/09)