A new online learning area is helping primary school pupils to learn about the forthcoming Commonwealth Youth Games.
Excitement is building as the Isle of Man prepares to host the Games between September 7 and 13.
All 35 primary schools and the Buchan School have adopted, and have been learning about, a different competing country as part of the Games’ education programme.
Schools have already used the Commonwealth Games website www.thecgf.com and other imaginative routes to establish contacts with countries. Now a new wiki –https://www2.sch.im/groups/temporarycygpage/ – developed by Britannia International, one of the Games’ partners, and the Department of Education and Children, will help them find out all about the Games, the Commonwealth and the participating nations.
The wiki can be accessed by children both at school and from home and is designed to provide information and answer children’s questions about the Games in the lead up to the event.
Ian Longshaw, School Improvement Adviser for the Manx Curriculum, said: ‘Each school has an adopted Commonwealth nation that it has created links with. Pupils have had the opportunity to study their nation, its traditions and its people during the build-up to the Games and look forward to welcoming the visiting nations to the Island in September. The new wiki is a fantastic resource to support learning about the Commonwealth and the individual nations. It will provide an excellent learning resource that will enable pupils to explore the Commonwealth Youth Games.’
Britannia International’s Wendy Shimmin said: ‘As one of the Games’ partners, we were really keen to help young people on the Island understand the significance of the Games and appreciate the fact that the Isle of Man is the first small nation to host such a prestigious event. Hopefully this will help make it an occasion that the children will remember as well as offering a novel way of learning across the curriculum.’
Some schools have held special themed weeks based on the Games and others are mounting displays of their work. It’s hoped that athletes from some of the visiting countries will find time to drop in to the schools they are linked with when they arrive for the Games.
Ends
Tuesday 21st, June 2011 09:46pm.
