2nd
July The year by year support shown by Cornish Pirates players to both
the Cornish Pirates Learning Zone at Penzance and the CPR Learning Space at Camborne
is greatly appreciated by all involved. Youngsters attending the CPLZ are
regularly given an opportunity to meet the players and interview them. A player
at a time attends a given session where the students will ask a series of questions
that they have prepared, recording also their answers to find out about life as
a professional sports person. CPLZ teacher Clare Moore commented: "It's a
fantastic literacy task that we use and the young students get to meet a player
and find out how they have got to be where they are today." Players
attending the CPLZ during the past week have included Paul Devlin, Carl Rimmer
and Rhys Jones; whilst Jimmy Moore and Chris Morgan have volunteered to this week
attend sessions at the CPR Learning Space. 
Rhys
Jones At The CPLZ
John Watson from the CPR
Learning Space said: "Having players coming to our
sessions is brilliant, and we also use them in our literacy programme. The benefits
for the students from meeting a player are boundless." The
teaching of English (literacy) in schools is split into three parts - reading,
writing and speaking & listening. Firstly, all students take part in
a discussion about what it takes to be a professional sportsman, including the
level of dedication required. They can then use website facilities to research
a player who is coming to visit a session and pick out relevant details such as
date and place of birth, previous clubs, playing position etc. It is a good reading
exercise after which they then write a set of appropriate questions to ask the
player during a formal interview. A second session provides the speaking
& listening opportunity, as on a player's arrival he is asked two or three
questions before students have a chance to meet the player and talk to him in
smaller groups. Then, on the player's departure, the children who were present
can again derive a writing benefit, as they compile a news article about their
experiences. | 
