There’s no better way to teach a language than immerse students in it.
And that is just what Naima JPS in Maida Vale has done, running a week’s Ivrit ulpan for year-six pupils devised by the Spiro Ark.
Children spent seven hours a day and four on Friday in assorted activities to improve their language use.
Nitza Spiro, co-founder of the Ark, brought along two Israeli teachers plus a film and a theatre director.
“We enabled the children to create shows, dialogues or trialogues full of creativity and laughter,” she said. “They learned about the history and sights of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and made TV tourist ads. They had Masterchef competitions, following and creating menus. There were written puzzles, indoors and outdoors games and they used song and drama, filming their efforts as well.
“We involved parents too, as each child had to teach a member of the family at least five new words a day.”
Spiro has worked in schools before, running a two-week course at North-West London Jewish Day School. But the new venue provided an incentive to revamp the programme.
Naima vice-principal Zvi Amroussi said the ulpan idea had come from the principal Rabbi Abraham Levy, who wanted to “generate excitement among the children, galvanizing year six to learn basic, and more advanced, Ivrit by the time they leave Naima”.
Each day focused on a different topic, he said. “Monday meet and greet, Tuesday food, Wednesday, fashion — children brought clothes from home and held a parade. Thursday was super heroes and heroines. On Friday, they rehearsed and presented a show.”
As a follow up, the school’s end-of year siyum (party) for leavers will include a play in Ivrit.
