Arabic

At the Birthday Party

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App 3 overview

At the Birthday Party

The Polyglots at the Birthday Party replicates the fun and playful environment of a children’s birthday party. This app gives children opportunities to explore the language of numbers, which is so important at birthday parties. Children engage in games and activities that encourage values aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework. Music from Arabic-speaking cultures is also introduced. The app builds on language learnt in apps 1 and 2.

Language learning features

  • Repetition: Arabic language is repeated in meaningful contexts, providing many opportunities to hear the language.
  • Visual cues: visual cues and gestures are aligned with spoken language to reinforce and emphasise meaning. The app uses the interactive functionality of the tablet.
  • Production: children have opportunities to produce the language. The learning experiences encourage children to mimic and play with Arabic sounds, words and short phrases.

Cultural references

Language learning experts emphasise the importance of linking language to culture. Within the Make a cake learning experience, children discover cultural items that have special significance in Arabic-speaking cultures. They encounter visual and audio surprises ranging from music to food.


Unique learning experiences

Each preschool group and community is unique. Educators may find a variety of ways to apply the learning experiences in The Polyglots at the Birthday Party apps to a particular child, group of children, preschool or community.

Links to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Australian Curriculum

In the Admin area, children's educational outcomes are linked to the EYLF and to the Australian Curriculum: Languages content descriptions for schoolchildren in Foundation – Year 2 as well as to the language of each learning experience. Educators can use this data to support planning or can print the outcomes for children’s portfolios. 

Belonging

‘Children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community.’ (EYLF)

All children have the right to belong. This is reflected in the cultures and relationships of the characters in The Polyglots at the Birthday Party. This app provides imaginative play experiences that parallel many children’s own experiences of celebrations. In this space, characters are portrayed as belonging to a community, just like children do.

Being

‘Childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world.’ (EYLF)

When using The Polyglots at the Birthday Party, children can explore and expand their understanding of the world. They can take time, perhaps several weeks, to investigate other ways of being.

Becoming

‘Children’s identities, knowledge, understandings, capacities, skills and relationships change during childhood.’ (EYLF)

When children engage with the apps, they can broaden their knowledge, understandings, capacities and skills. With tablet technology, the apps expose children to Arabic language and Arabic-speaking cultures and provide for many other learning experiences.

Resources

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Have a question or need some help?

Contact the ELLA helpdesk

[email protected] 1800 468 303 (9 am – 4 pm AEST, Mon–Fri)