Summer English Courses
This is an exceptional summer language course for young children, 16 maximum, aged 12-16. It is held at Woodbrook House, a large family owned, eighteenth century country house situated in stunning countryside in the south east of Ireland. These courses were run very successfully in 2010 and 2011. The format in 2012 will be similar but with additional time for class preparation in the evenings and an additional English class on Saturday mornings.
COURSE DATES - 2 separate courses
Sunday 1st July - Sunday 15th July
Tuesday 17th July - Tuesday 31st July
There will be a strict limit of 16 children on each course, with ideally a maximum of 5 from any one language group. For those wishing to come for 3 weeks, this is possible, and they are encouraged to come on the 1st July or 8th July.
The limited course places will be distributed to different nationalities. In 2010 and 2011 there have been children from the Czech Rep, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. Upper intermediate, intermediate and beginners are all catered for in small classes.
The aim is to teach English through intensive lessons each morning and through activities which will concentrate on drama/theatre, short stories, music/lyrics, art, and excursions. There will be two classroom sessions each morning, concentrating on grammar, fluency and pronunciation. Also, the students will be directed in the production of a play, which they perform in our theatre. And we shall make a film! If students play a musical instrument they are encouraged to bring it with them. There are already two pianos in the house.
After lunch, and taking into account the vagaries of the Irish summer climate, the afternoons will be filled with a programme of supervised activities such as treasure hunts, orienteering, volleyball, raft building, art, chess, cookery, tennis, rounders, trips to the beautiful Curracloe beach, and elsewhere. In the evenings, after a buffet supper or barbecue, there will be time for large screen showings of films from our excellent collection of English classics. During the time the students are at Woodbrook there will be other visitors, friends of the family, who will be happy to talk to the students on a variety of subjects and careers, for example cultural, political and financial.
On the weekends, excursions are organized to places of historical and cultural interest, shopping included. We go to Glendalough, Wexford town, Waterford, Kilkenny (Castle and town), New Ross (The Famine Ship) and Wicklow Gaol. Because we are such a small group, we can be more spontaneous, and in Ireland this generally means that if the sun is shining, we pack a picnic and head off to the beach.
Highlights in 2011 included the making of two films. You can view them by following the link via our Facebook page. Piers Landseer (address below) can supply the youtube username and password. Students are encouraged to sign up to be a friend on our facebook page. News, photos, and updates will be posted regularly.
Mobile phones and laptops can only be used for an hour before supper each evening. Internet access strictly limited and supervised.
The photos are of the 2010 and 2011 Woodbrook courses
DAILY TIMETABLE
8.30 Breakfast
Fruit Juice, home made muesli or porridge, Irish soda bread, home made jam or marmalade
9.30 Class – emphasis on grammar, writing, dictation and phrasal verbs
11.00 – 11.30 Break
11.30 – 13.00 Emphasis on practical, spoken English, fluency, colloquialisms, using role play, drama, music and activity. Also relevant vocabulary and background for activities and excursions
LUNCH
Substantial meal of, for example, pasta, bean & pork stew, local vegetables, salad from the garden, home cooked ham, baked potatoes, fish, puddings, fruit
SUPPER
Buffet or Barbecue
Due to the limited number of places available, and the wish to distribute them as evenly as possible between the different nationalities, it is advisable to book early to avoid disappointment. The Application Form and Booking Conditions are attached.
The cost of the courses in 2012 as in 2011 will be eur 690 per week, eur 1380 for the 2 week courses, inclusive. This includes transport from/to Dublin Airport on the arrival and departure dates (arrival/departure on other days can be arranged, but there will be an extra cost for a taxi)
At the end of March, we will be recommending specific flights from the main European capitals and will request that students be booked on flights which we recommend. This is to avoid journeys at inconvenient times.
For further information, please contact Piers Landseer, on 00 420 774543797 (mobile) or at pierslandseer@yahoo.co.uk