Final system in special Norwegian for the youngest

HEIGHT IS NO OBSTACLE: The students in the first grade are eager to do their homework on the board. First they have to get up on a chair. Teacher Sandra Ringdal is watching closely. Photo: Sverre Christian Jarild

Hege Opheim has many years of experience as a reception teacher in Oslo and Nes municipality. She believes that more teachers of Norwegian as a second language should be made aware of the teaching materials NorskPluss Barn and NorskPluss Ungdom .

11 students at 11 levels

In Nes, Opheim had sole responsibility for a class of 11 newly arrived students for two hours a day. Already on day 2, she introduced the students to NorskPluss Ungdom online resource.

– I had 11 students at 11 different levels. As a teacher, I felt that I had a tool with which I could easily differentiate and map, says Hege Opheim.

She is now helping to systematize the teaching of special Norwegian at Slemdal School in Oslo. The youngest students work with NorskPluss Barn . Students from grades 4-7 also have access to NorskPluss Ungdom .

Cartoon characters get kids talking

IN DEEP CONCENTRATION: First graders with special Norwegian at Slemdal receive between 2 and 4 hours of pure Norwegian instruction per week. Photo: Sverre Christian Jarild

Students click on the screen where a funny robot shines towards them.

"It's a pen," says the robot.

The children in first grade have a good laugh. It's funny when the robot in the animation names things incorrectly. They know he's pointing at an eraser and not a pen.

Afterwards, they talk to teacher Sandra Ringdal about what they have seen, and practice orally in pairs on the same situation.

– The animations help the students see the language in context. They see the children in NorskPluss Barn talking, dressing up, singing, experiencing them in the classroom... The film clips stimulate them to talk, says the enthusiastic teacher.

Once the students have completed the self-correcting tasks on the computer, they do the tasks in the workbook.

Deep dive into the language

Slemdal School has relatively few students with special Norwegian compared to most Oslo schools. But here too, surface language is a challenge.

– Even though it is a so-called "west coast school" with highly educated parents, we also see the need to fill gaps for students who already know some Norwegian, says Opheim.