The Power of Reading/ El Poder de la Lectura a project by Salesian Secondary College • an eTwinning project that presents language material in a different and more engaging format • students researched and translated into Spanish the biographies and life stories of 20 ‘Wonder women’ and created a board game called ‘Lady Who’ • giving students choice and letting them steer their own learning • encourages peer collaboration • helps students form and express opinions in the target language What inspired you to start the project? As teachers we wanted our students, who shape will be leaders of the world in the future, to have the opportunity to research inspiring women of the past. We felt these role models and trailblazing women would inspire our students to strive for more in their future lives, giving them incentive to keep going even when things got tough.
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What has been the impact of the project? Combining research with I.T. skills has really helped the students to hone their computer skills. Completing their fictional stories in e-books has made some students take more interest in reading. Their engagement with group work has given them teamwork skills that they need on a daily basis. They also have an understanding of the importance of establishing a good working group. What would you advise someone who would like to replicate your project? Having access to good I.T. is a must, particularly high-speed broadband. Technical issues can impede progress. The variety of tasks kept students interested and also meant that all students could be involved. We did a lot. Maybe limit the tasks if working with a smaller group. Contact details: Ciara Rock, Spanish Teacher Salesian Secondary College www.salesiancollege.ie
