Back to School – planning to learn or improve their Latvian, anyone?
The new school year has begun. As a parent and educator, September has always felt like a new beginning – new classes, new courses, new opportunities for learning.. Sharpened pencils, clean notebooks, empty binders ready for what was to come in the following school year.
My colleagues and I actually considered September a precursor to January! We made a resolutions – not unlike New Year’s – what and how to teach the new faces that appeared in our classrooms. We set academic goals and outlined strategies to achieve them. We developed new courses, learned new subject material, created course material. It was an opportunity to create, to learn, to improve, to grow.
So it is with language learning. After a summer that (hopefully) held inspiration, perhaps by a trip to Latvia or time spent with friends and family who speak Latvian, you have decided that you would like to learn or improve your Latvian language skills. After you have considered your language learning goals, you may want to take a look at LNAK LETTS JUMP INTO LATVIAN to find some self-study resources that you can easily access to help you attain those goals.
The project has been made possible with the generous financial support of the Latvian Government’s Society Integration Fund (SIF), which has enabled LNAK to support the collection of more than 70 Latvian language learning resources. Organized into nine categories, learners can consider their goals and language skill level to choose which resources may best serve their purposes. Conversation/pronunciation, grammar, listening and reading/writing are among the eight self-learning categories; the ninth category provides ideas of how learners can come together to learn together. An example of how this category was actualized were the two language seminars held in Sidrabene at the beginning of the summer, which attracted more than 50 attendees!
How to access these resources? Go to lnak.net -> select the EN tab -> Resources -> scroll down to LETTS JUMP INTO LATVIAN. Choose your category and click!
In addition to the nine categories, each revealing a number of resources (mostly free!), you will see a calendar called DZIRKSTELES / SPARKS. SPARKS was inspired by the work of Laura Sedliņa and Diana Briedis, who developed a similar compendium of resources for parents and grandparents of pre-school children and created annual monthly calendars with short films, songs and stories for young learners.
SPARKS is designed for adults who may understand that to learn any language, it is valuable to also explore the cultural aspects of a country.
SPARKS seeks to introduce cultural, historical and lifestyle information about Latvia, as well as vocabulary, expressions, proverbs and riddles.
Each new monthly SPARKS is downloaded in the LETTS JUMP INTO LATVIAN tab, Facebook and WhatsApp group. Previous SPARKS calendars for the year can be found at https:// lnak.net/visas-dzirksteles/.
The WhatsApp group is a forum for anyone who is learning Latvian to ask questions, suggest resources and generally keep up to date with events that bring together our community.
If you wish to join the WhatsApp group LETTS JUMP INTO LATVIAN, please contact mazsilisaija@gmail.com with your name and cellphone number.
For those living in the Toronto area, we are pleased to announce that in-person Latvian language courses under the tutelage of Anda Libere will start on Saturday, September 13, at 9 am in the Boardroom of the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, 4 Credit Union Drive, Toronto. All levels of language proficiency are welcome. The first session will focus on determining everyone’s level and needs, and mapping out a schedule and timetable for the fall term. Please write to jumpintolatvian@lnak.org to indicate your interest.
Planning to learn or improve your Latvian language skills? Let LNAK and LETTS JUMP INTO LATVIAN help you!
Aija Mazsīle
