International Literacy Day: Table Hakas and Traditional Rhymes

With International Literacy Day this week, now is the perfect time to explore options for celebrating cross-language connections with your class. Encouraging literacy not just in English, but in foreign languages is a fantastic way for children to learn more about the ‘international’ aspect of this day.

Below is a detailed guide of one of our favourite ways to celebrate this day, with a rugby-style ‘haka’ performance of rhymes from unfamiliar languages.

Activity Guide

1. Select for the class two target language rhymes. For non-members, in our online shop there are two Arabic and Welsh traditional nursery rhymes that you can download, featuring sound files and transcripts. For those who already use our Primary Languages Network Scheme of Work, in the ‘Try Another Language’ section, there are traditional rhymes available in nine languages, complete with sound files, target language and transcripts, ready for you to use in the first three lessons.

2. Set the scene. Make the literacy links between traditional rhymes in different languages. Talk briefly with the class about traditional rhymes in English and perhaps rhymes in other home languages of pupils in your class. Say a favourite English rhyme and listen out for the beat and the rhythm. Discuss the possible meaning of what appears a nonsensical rhyme.

3. Ask the class to listen to the two traditional rhymes. These languages will be potentially unfamiliar to your class, so play them all the way through and then ask them to listen again, but this time clap out the rhythm of each line.

4. Reveal the target language and the poem transcript. Continue to clap out the beat and get your class to investigate the potential meaning of the lines. To aid this, you can add actions to help understanding of the meaning of each line.

5. Practise both rhymes as a whole class and attempt to learn both rhymes. Add the rhythm and the beat. Sitting at their tables, you can decide if children tap gently on desks or clap hands or drum out the rhythm on the desk using their hands, pencils or feet.

6. Time for the ‘table haka.’ Divide your class in two. One half of the class (with or without the support of the native speaker sound file) performs one of the traditional rhymes and the other half of the class responds with the second traditional rhyme.

7. Expand this further to make it a dance activity. If you take this into the hall, and make use of the actions learned earlier in class to develop it into a small group performance, or with one half of the class performing to the other half.