3rd Annual workshop for children’s Basque language teachers celebrated in Boise over the weekend
From left: Virginia Aramburu, Ellen Contard, Anita Anacabe, Maria Fernandez, Itxaso Cayero, and Izaskun Kortazar
On Saturday, November 16, as Boise enjoyed the first snowfall of the year, the 3rd Annual workshop for children’s Basque language teachers took place at the Basque Museum and Cultural Center in Boise, Idaho. Our very own Itxaso Cayero, former teacher at Boiseko Ikastola, was responsible for organizing and teaching the class. Itxaso is the author of Umeen euskara liburua, a book that will help instructors in North America teach Basque to young kids.
The workshop focused on getting to know the book and how to use the material it contains, such as exercises, songs, and games. According to Izaskun Kortazar, NABO’s Basque language coordinator, “it was a very dynamic workshop where the teachers took the role of students one day and participated in children’s games”.
The games and exercises performed during the workshop were filmed and very soon the video will be shared among the teachers. This way, it will be easy to remember how a game is played in case a teacher forgets.
The book shows in detail how to teach each class, including the materials needed for each exercise, how long it should take, the explanation, the link on the internet, the grammar, other ways to do the exercises, homework and reviews.
The book will be used to teach children’s classes in North America. This way, all kids will learn Basque the same way, with the same games and songs. The goal is for all children to have the same knowledge and be able to speak Basque during next year’s Children’s Day celebration.
