PPLI Annual Report (2019) - Flipbook - Page 48
Next Steps
•
Open applications for summer camps to a wider variety of heritage languages.
•
Extend applications for summer camps to lesser taught curricular languages.
•
Encourage schools, community groups and organisations to apply for funding.
Home language resources in libraries and schools (2.E.4)
Action progress
Library Toolkit
PPLI collaborated with Dublin City Libraries to develop a toolkit which assists librarians with acquisition of
home language materials in public libraries. This toolkit is now available to all the branch librarians in the
country. There are challenges sourcing materials in foreign languages because it is not easy to know which
books are most appropriate and because the supplier may have restricted supply. The toolkit provides
librarians with practical information in relation to identifying and sourcing books.
Recommended Reading List
With the assistance of embassies and cultural institutes, PPLI collated a Recommended Reading List with high
quality book titles which are also accessible to a wide variety of reading ages. PPLI also surveyed
representatives from heritage language communities in order to get input and recommendations from local
communities.
School Library Funding scheme
A PPLI School Library Funding Scheme offered both primary and post-primary schools funding to acquire
home language materials for use by their students. 450 schools were granted funding and acquired books in
a diverse range of languages, each catering for their particular student profile. Games were also chosen by
some schools – these included Monopoly in Portuguese and Snap in French. Dual language books were
popular as they allow students to read in a home language but also access the text in English/Irish, and
teachers reported that this helped English/Irish speakers to appreciate the different languages their peers in
school speak as well as allowing the teacher to facilitate discussion on the book.
Collaboration with MS Readathon
In 2019 PPLI collaboration with MS Readathon offered primary
school students an opportunity to win a prize in a new category,
reading books in a foreign language. The rationale for this was
to encourage primary school aged children to maintain their
home language at an age when they form reading habits. To
assist pupils with book choice, PPLI compiled and provided a
list of foreign language books in French, German, Italian,
Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese Brazilian, Romanian, Russian
Spanish and Hindi.
48
The MS Read
a
thon
2019 took pla
ce from
11 October
to 11 Novemb
er 2019
and has been
running
for 32 years.