ESL - English as a Swimming Language?
How’s this for an approach? The YWCA’s recently finished summer camp helped students to learn English while swimming, counting pennies and liquefying ingredients in a blender.
The idea was to integrate language skills with skills for survival in the USA for the children from Ethiopia, Laos, Lebanon, Mexico, South Korea and Vietnam attending the camp.
Swimming pool lessons included things which the children and their families really need to know, like how to tell which is the deep end and which is the shallow end, and what swimming costumes are appropriate for public pools.
Read more about the camp at the Chicago Courier News.
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August 15th, 2007 at 7:39 am
This issue is of vital importance. Integrating language skills with basic real-life skills is a crucial point in motivating students to learn English and to use it for life!