English Language Summer School for Juniors

Nov. 6, 2009 - PRLog -- Summer schools for English children have grown in popularity over the years but most of the time the focus is on sports and creative activities aimed at keeping them off the streets. Whereas in Europe and the rest of the world this looked upon as an opportunity to improve their language skills in particular, when it comes to learning English. There are now English Language Summer camps springing up all over the country often managed by existing EFL Schools and increasingly Universities and Colleges who recognise what a lucrative market this can be and how it can help fill those empty Hall of Residence during the long summer holidays.

Bournemouth has always been a major centre for students wishing to learn English, and with over 20 British Council accredited language schools in the town there is a lot of choice. Setting up and running a Junior facility however, is a major undertaking as there is a lot of responsibility involved and the proposition has to be just right. One school that has managed this transition and now operates a successful and growing English Language summer school for Juniors is Capital School of English, based in Winton and operating their Junior summer English courses from the nearby Arts University College, Bournemouth. http://www.capitalschool.co.uk/junior-courses.html

To provide an oversight into what it takes to manage this type of operation Lynne Roberts, who’s been based at the Junior Summer School prepared an overview of this type of operation which will provide anyone looking into this, from a schooling or operations point of view, will find of value.

Syllabus overview
The 2009 Summer Junior School was based on themes and projects chosen specifically to appeal to the 11-17 age group. This year’s themes were Music, The Arts, Celebrities and Teen fashion and the projects were  The Time Capsule,  An International Fair and the’ X Factor’.

Teachers and students came up with a fantastic array of individual and group presentations which were the culmination of work in class and as homework during the week. This work was then presented to peers and other classes on Fridays. The syllabus allowed teachers to ensure that students practised their English speaking, listening, reading and writing skills whilst pronunciation and communicative skills were the main focus on Friday’s activities and presentations. Students worked hard and where then given the chance to have fun and show off their talents each Friday!

Classes were based on four levels from Elementary up to Upper Intermediate.

Individual interpretation
One of the aspects which made the Summer School so successful was the diversity of the presentations by each of the classes. This came about as a direct result of the encouragement given by the teachers to the students and included:

Music
Students worked on rhyming words, pronunciation and writing skills to produce either short poems or rap songs which were performed at the weekly review. Great enthusiasm and some super performances, notably one of the teachers wrote a cool rap about his whole class!

Celebrities
Students researched celebrity lifestyles, produced posters or blogs on their favourite or most admired celebrities and then wrote and performed mock interviews- in costume. Great fun!

The Arts
Students worked on a few scenes from Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’. They wrote and edited dialogue and then designed and made costumes for a stunning performance shown on Friday to all the Upper school. The students were motivated and had a great experience as well as using their language in such a fun way.

In addition some fantastic work was also produced this week from posters, mini-dialogues, one minute movies to a very entertaining  ten minute movie,’ Zombies in Love’, an outstanding achievement for a week’s work.

Finale : The X Factor
The ‘X Factor week’ was the culmination of the team’s hard work and everyone; students, teachers, activities organisers, administration and management pulled together to produce Capital’s version of the ‘X Factor’. The performance was held in the Arts University College’s Lecture theatre which seated 180 students and a riveted audience. The students were the ones who made the show so successful – their hard work and motivation was showcased in performances of singing, dancing and acting. Some students performed whilst others were more involved in the writing, directing and costume or set building -  including a memorable and winning performance of ‘Summer Loving‘ from Grease.

Activities
The success of the summer school was largely due to the motivation of the students, the dedication of the teachers and the enthusiasm of the Activities team.
After lessons the students were faced with an impressive choice of activities every afternoon and evening. From sports such as beach volleyball, football, ice skating and swimming to fashion shows, discos and barbecues, students had fun, made international friendships and practised their English with both native and non-native speakers. Some strong friendships were established between students from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Germany, France, The Canaries, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Students were also able to visit places such as London, Brighton, Oxford and the Jurassic Coast on Wednesday afternoons and at the weekends.

On the occasional (!) rainy afternoon they took part in activities such as Laser Quest, Dragon’s Den and Celebrity – ‘look-alike’ developed and organised by the Activities Team who worked hard throughout the summer to ensure the safety and happiness of all students. http://www.capitalschool.co.uk/junior-courses.html

Ultimately the students went away with fond memories, having benefited from an outstanding learning English experience.

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Capital Language School offer a range of english courses in Bournemouth, from beginner to expert and from 1 week to 1 year. If you are looking for an English course this is one of the leading Language Schools Bournemouth. Visit http://www.capitalschool.co.uk/ for more details.