/Wonder Heritage Language Centre2021-03-20T13:21:51-04:00Wonder Heritage Language Centre offers language lessons for multilingual children and education on multilingualism for parents.Marina Sherkina-LieberJekyll/upcoming%20workshops/workshopMarch23/Starting school without English - How to survive and keep the first language2021-02-01T00:00:00-05:00Marina Sherkina-LieberGet the facts, act now, have a plan for the fall<h4 id="tuesday-march-23-2021-730pm-900-pm-est-online-on-zoom">Tuesday March 23, 2021, 7:30pm-9:00 pm EST, online on Zoom</h4>
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<p>For various reasons, some children start school in Canada being fluent in their heritage language, but with no or very little knowledge of English. One obvious difficulty these children have is adjusting not only to a new environment, but also to a new language. It typically takes several months for children to start communicating in English; for some, this transition seems easy, while for others, it may cause daily tantrums. The other, less obvious, difficulty is to realize that English should be added to their heritage language, not replacing it. It often happens that as soon as children gets comfortable in the new language, they keep using it even at home, at the expense of the “old” language. Unfortunately, sometimes parents concentrate so much on English that the child quickly loses the heritage language, or, on the opposite, ignore English, hoping it will “come by itself”, and then it takes a long time for the child to catch up with peers. Loss of heritage language is especially bad for the child in this situation, because it leads to lack of age-appropriate command of any language. We will discuss what happens when a child starts learning a new language in this setting, and how to work toward balance between the new and the old languages.</p>
<p>The workshop is conducted by Dr. Marina Sherkina-Lieber, Ph.D.</p>
<h6 id="participation-is-15-per-familydevice-to-register">Participation is $15 per family/device. To register:</h6>
<h6 id="a-click-here-to-register-via-eventbrite">a) <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/starting-school-without-english-how-to-survive-and-keep-the-first-language-tickets-139545808269">CLICK HERE</a> to register via Eventbrite</h6>
<h5 id="for-more-information-email-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-or-call-1647891-4507">For more information, email wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com or call +1(647)891-4507.</h5>
2021-02-01T00:00:00-05:00/upcoming%20workshops/workshopJanuary26/The best start for a bilingual child - A workshop for new parents2020-12-15T00:00:00-05:00Marina Sherkina-LieberLearn what you can do and create a plan<h4 id="tuesday-december-26-2021-800-930-pm-est-online-on-zoom">Tuesday December 26, 2021, 8:00-9:30 pm EST, online on Zoom</h4>
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<p>What is the best way to start if you speak a language other than English and want your child to be fluent in it too? What are the challenges of bilingual parenting, and how to deal with them? What approach will work for your family? Will the child be confused? How to teach the child to read in two (or more) languages? Why are some kids fluent bilinguals, but many others are not so fluent in the heritage language? Which aspects of language learning are the most time-sensitive? We will discuss all the basics, and you will work on creating a plan for your family.</p>
<p>The workshop is conducted by Dr. Marina Sherkina-Lieber, Ph.D.</p>
<h6 id="participation-is-15-per-familydevice-to-register">Participation is $15 per family/device. To register:</h6>
<h6 id="a-click-here-to-register-via-eventbrite">a) <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-best-start-for-a-bilingual-child-a-workshop-for-new-parents-tickets-132980629643">CLICK HERE</a> to register via Eventbrite</h6>
<h5 id="for-more-information-email-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-or-call-1647891-4507">For more information, email wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com or call +1(647)891-4507.</h5>
2020-12-15T00:00:00-05:00/upcoming%20workshops/workshopDecember15/Boost your child’s heritage language during the winter break2020-11-15T00:00:00-05:00Marina Sherkina-LieberLearn what you can do and create a plan<h4 id="tuesday-december-15-2020-800-930-pm-est-online-on-zoom">Tuesday December 15, 2020, 8:00-9:30 pm EST, online on Zoom</h4>
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The winter break is a great opportunity for your child to hear, speak, read and write more in the family language(s) and compensate for that large amount of time spent in mostly English-speaking school environment. We will discuss how this time can be used effectively. This involves planning ahead, selecting activities, preparing any learning props or materials, and being ready to address problems. We will discuss what activities are best for you your children (taking into account their knowledge of the language, the setting, and other factors). We will also discuss how to make learning interesting for children, and what to do if we encounter resistance. You will leave with the necessary tools to create your plan.</p>
<p>The workshop is conducted by Dr. Marina Sherkina-Lieber, Ph.D.</p>
<h6 id="participation-is-15-per-familydevice-to-register">Participation is $15 per family/device. To register:</h6>
<h6 id="a-click-here-to-register-via-eventbrite">a) <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boost-your-childs-heritage-language-during-the-winter-break-a-workshop-tickets-129244448625">CLICK HERE</a> to register via Eventbrite</h6>
<h6 id="or">OR</h6>
<h6 id="b-send-an-e-transfer-to-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-and-then-email-us-to-receive-the-zoom-link">b) send an e-transfer to wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com and then email us to receive the Zoom link.</h6>
<h5 id="for-more-information-email-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-or-call-1647891-4507">For more information, email wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com or call +1(647)891-4507.</h5>
2020-11-15T00:00:00-05:00/upcoming%20workshops/workshopNovember19/What to do if my child answers in English instead of the heritage language?2020-10-13T00:00:00-04:00Marina Sherkina-LieberLearn the reasons and solutions<h4 id="thursday-november-19-2020-730-900-pm-est-online-on-zoom">Thursday November 19, 2020, 7:30-9:00 pm EST, online on Zoom</h4>
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Children who live in an English-speaking country and have parents who speak another language to them (called a heritage language) often show understanding of the heritage language but answer in English. In this workshop, you will first learn why children do this: how much they really understand, what their heritage language knowledge is like, and what makes it difficult (or impossible) to answer in the heritage language. Then we will discuss what parents can do. This consists of two parts: ways to encourage more speaking, and giving the child tools to become a better speaker of the heritage language. You will receive specific recommendations for both.</p>
<p>Ask questions, share your observations and concerns, hear other parents.</p>
<p>The workshop is conducted by Dr. Marina Sherkina-Lieber, Ph.D.</p>
<h6 id="participation-is-15-per-familydevice-to-register">Participation is $15 per family/device. To register:</h6>
<h6 id="a-click-here-to-register-via-eventbrite">a) <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/what-to-do-if-my-child-answers-in-english-instead-of-the-heritage-language-tickets-126624728973?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1">CLICK HERE</a> to register via Eventbrite</h6>
<h6 id="or">OR</h6>
<h6 id="b-send-an-e-transfer-to-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-and-then-email-us-to-receive-the-zoom-link">b) send an e-transfer to wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com and then email us to receive the Zoom link.</h6>
<h5 id="for-more-information-email-wonderheritagelanguagegmailcom-or-call-1647891-4507">For more information, email wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com or call +1(647)891-4507.</h5>
2020-10-13T00:00:00-04:00/news/newschoolyear/Sign up for Russian classes2020-08-30T00:00:00-04:00Marina Sherkina-LieberGroups are formed not only by age, but also by the level of language knowledge. This year, all classes are online on Zoom.<p>It is still possible to join the groups where there are still spaces.
See the schedule <a href="/Russian-lessons/">here</a>.
To register, email wonderheritagelanguage@gmail.com or call +1(647)8914507.</p>
2020-08-30T00:00:00-04:00