Speak Gaelic: Scottish Gaelic Year 1

Description

Speak Gaelic: Year 1 – Unlocking the Richness of Scottish Gaelic

Gaelic is one of the UK’s 4 Celtic languages and one of Europe’s oldest languages, once spoken by all as far south as Cumbria it has a captivating history and culture.  Still spoken by a close-knit and vibrant community of natives and learners, Gaelic carries a deep sense of identity, unlocks much of Scotland’s oral traditions, history, and is the key to understanding our awe-inspiring landscapes.  For example, Gaelic has well over 100 words for hill/mountain, and  Scotland’s many Gaelic place and landform names are highly descriptive and/or hint at history or folklore tied to the area. Your high schoolers will love the Speak Gaelic Year 1 course.

This course is a gateway for your child to discover the rich and enchanting world of the Gaelic language.  It will offer your child a comprehensive and engaging learning experience incorporating expert instruction, interactive activities, extension activities, and cultural insights all designed to not only give your child a solid foundation in speaking and writing the language but also to understand the culture it is deeply connected to.  This course is suitable for complete beginners or those with some prior knowledge.

This course will prepare any student who might want to work towards a GCSE/Nat 5 in the future, or it counts as one high school credit per year on a high school diploma.

Listen/watch this interview to learn more about the Gaelic language and culture of the Scottish Highlands.

Day & Time: Wednesdays 15:30 – 17:00 GMT (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break in the middle.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Agnes Mitchell

Required Materials: A variety of resources will be provided by the instructor to form a Gaelic curriculum unique to the class’s needs.

Gaelic: Year 1 – Course Objectives

1. Language Proficiency: Develop proficiency in Scottish Gaelic by acquiring a solid understanding of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure.
2. Conversational Skills: Practice and enhance conversational skills through dialogues, role plays, and interactive exercises, fostering the ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations.
3. Listening and Comprehension: Sharpen listening skills by engaging with authentic audio materials, including conversations, songs, and storytelling.
4. Reading and Writing: Learn to read and write in Scottish Gaelic, building a foundation in the language’s orthography, reading comprehension, and composition skills.
5. Cultural Appreciation: Gain insights into Scottish Gaelic culture, traditions, history, and folklore to deepen your understanding of the language’s context and enrich your learning experience.
6. Expanding vocabulary through thematic units, including family, daily routines, food, and travel.
7. Introduction to grammar concepts.  The grammar of Gaelic is quite different to English and will therefore challenge your child to think in a different way, as well as help them understand the grammar of their first language by comparison.

This course will use the SpeakGaelic curriculum which will allow access to a number of extension and wrap-around activities, like podcasts, games, and tv programs connected to the lesson.  There will also be several pages of homework each week (which will require access to and the weekly use of a printer).

In addition to the SpeakGaelic curriculum, we will also:

1. Do some traditional and some not-so-traditional Scottish Gaelic singing
2. Learn the meanings of interesting Scottish place names
3. Gain wisdom and understanding of the values of our forefathers, passed down through traditional Gaelic sayings and proverbs of which there are many!
4. Delve into the haunting and uplifting practice of Gaelic psalm-singing
5. Memorize some Gaelic scripture verses together