'Graded Readers' of Slovene Classics: A New Approach to Language Study

In recent years, teachers and students of various languages around the world have explored the utility of 'graded readers', or simplified versions of literary texts, to facilitate language learning. This interactive workshop will bring together students and language teachers at SSEES to consider the potential of graded readers of older Slovene literature and folk literature such as Lepa Vida, Povodni mož, and Martin Krpan. After an introduction of the new graded reader editions by SSEES Slovene lector Maja Rančigaj Beneš, participants will divide into groups ('reading islands') led by current students of Slovene to read and discuss individual texts. A plenary discussion and refreshments will follow. The event is part of both the PROLang Seminar Series and the 2022 World Festival of Slovene Literature coordinated by the Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language at the University of Ljubljana. It is open to all language students, but especially to current and former Slovene students at SSEES UCL who are not complete beginners (i.e. from Lower Intermediate level on), including evening Short Courses students.

Maja Rančigaj Beneš is Lector of Slovene language at SSEES UCL. She studied Slovene and Czech language and literature at the Universities of Ljubljana, Prague, and Brno and has taught in the United Kingdom since 2014.

Image credit: Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana