One of the most interesting aspects of CLIL activities is the functional integration of language, the use of English to achieve goals in non-linguistic areas. In this case the students are following the instructions for building materials that we'll use to play in PE classes.
Soon we will develop an unit about skills and abilities focused in the circus. An important part of this unit is "juggling" and we need to build suitable materials for developing the exercises.
In the picture we can see how a group of boys and girls build balls with balloons with the help of our language assistant,
The activity is not new, the novelty is the use of a foreing language. For doing this task they have to use structures to give instructions, ask questions, request further explanation ... in short, communicative and realistic use of language.
This activity includes math skills as well as weighing and comparing, environmental knowledge and experience with the qualities of matter and movement possibilities that are also conducted in English.
Now we have a material that will allow us to initiate us into the practice of juggling and that once dominated the most basic techniques, we can extend to other objects. Our students will have acquired the communication skills needed to build new materials in another language.
In conclusion from my point of view the use of multiple languages in PE classes enriches learning, not just the specific content area, but also the integration of content from other areas and therefore a more meaningful learning
