September is a busy time in Europe, as it marks the start of a new school year. Here in Poland there's an exciting new development in lower secondary school (gimnazjum). In April 2009 for the first time there will be a state examination in foreign language for all learners in the third class. This covers reading, listening, language functions, grammar and vocabulary, with a short test in writing. The whole exam takes 90 minutes. Full information is available (in Polish) on http://www.cke.edu.pl . Look for 'egzamin gimnazjalny' and 'Informator Języków Obcy.' Here you will find the syllabus, exam standards, a description of the exam procedure and sample test items.
Support for gimnazjum teachers
One of the aims for this blog is to provide support for teachers working in Polish lower secondary schools. Soon I will be adding some hints for how to help learners who are finding reading skills difficult.
