English Lessons with Miss Groome

Each class has five lessons of English each week and one of them is with Sandra. At the moment we are doing a module on “Clothes and Shopping”.

When we start a new topic, first, we build mind maps, we start from vocabulary we already know and add new words and useful expressions while working with Sandra. We also study verbs concerning the topic and we do a lot of practice before the final oral test.

These lessons are very important for us. They are different from standard lessons because they are centred on speaking activities and vocabulary building. The lessons with Sandra also aim at improving our intonation and pronunciation.

Sandra is our mother tongue teacher and we have some questions to ask her.

• What is the difference between Irish schools and Italian schools?

 Most children in Ireland start school the age of four or five. Irish schools dedicate more hours to subjects like music, sport and drama. Oral exams are only taken in languages.

• Do you prefer the Irish education system or the Italian one?

I think that the Italian education system offers a solid educational balance. The students are assigned many hours of homework and tests. In Ireland, students have fewer hours of homework and more student assessment as opposed to tests. Which do I prefer?  Good question, I guess we can say that both systems offer a solid education.

• How do you prepare your lessons?

First, I choose a topic. I start with mind maps to build vocabulary, after that I work on useful expressions and verbs related to that specific topic. I often use videos.

• What’s most important in your lessons?

In my opinion,it is very important that students pay attention during the lessons. In particular, they must pay attention to the correct pronunciation and intonation.

• How important is an hour with Sandra for students especially at this age?

It is very important to have a hour with the mother tongue teacher as it enables students to connect with the culture of the language. Having an hour a week with Sandra also gives students the opportunity to improve their speaking skills and build their confidence.

After this interview, we hope that you now understand the importance of Sandra’s lessons.