Mother Tongue Programme 

Mother Tongue Groups in the Primary School

The Primary School ‘Mother Tongue Programme’ takes place weekly, on Monday afternoon s during Period 7 (15.10 – 15.55). This programme is designed for those students who already converse in their native language and are in grades 1 through 5. It cannot unfortunately cater for those who hold the nationality but as yet do not speak the language. Based on a wealth of educational research, recognition of a child’s home culture and mother tongue is an important feature of any language learning approach. Provision for the maintenance and further development of the mother tongue also helps to address many social, emotional and academic needs of the language learner. If you have any further questions, please contact the Lower School Assistant Principle, Angela Hoelzl.

Mother Tongue instruction takes place 2 times within 10 days.

• Danish
• Dutch
• French
• German (Grades 1, 2 and 5)
• Hebrew
• Hungarian
• Italian (through the Italian consulate)
• Japanese
• Maltese
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

Students who are not enrolled in a Mother Tongue Group will stay in their classroom for “READING BUDDIES” time on Mondays during Period 7.

Mother Tongue Groups in the MYP

BIS accepts students at all levels of English language acquisition up to start of the school year of Grade 8 with the requirement that proficiency in the mother tongue is maintained at grade level.

In the MYP, we currently offer a facilitated mother tongue class for all EAL students. They receive 5 hours in a two-week cycle dedicated to developing skills in their mother tongue. Students may meet with a qualified mother tongue teacher during these five hours or work with a facilitating teacher on grade level literature projects in their mother tongue. Parents are encouraged to partner with the school to provide a qualified mother tongue teacher or on-line programme of study for their students.

The school will provide MYP mother tongue classes for no additional charge if 5 or more students per grade level participate in the class. If fewer than 5 students per grade level select the same mother tongue language option, BIS will continue to support students by providing a room and time within the students’ timetable, but the responsibility of paying for the teacher will be assumed by the parents.

If you have any further questions, please contact Elizabeth Skelton, EAL and Mother Tongue Coordinator by email (e.skelton@bis-school.com ).

We currently offer teachers and courses for the following languages in the MYP. The mother tongue classes at each grade level meet at various times for a different number of hours.

• Italian
• Japanese
• Spanish
• Hebrew
• Dutch
• Russian
• French