Austausche, die wir immer in Erinnerung behalten

A week ago, five other students of AS German and I returned to England after spending a week in Wiesbaden. Whilst in Wiesbaden, we all had very different experiences, which were largely shaped by the type of work experience placement each of us had. Personally, I carried out my work experience in a museum, where I had the chance to learn all about tourism, the way the museum worked and the exhibits themselves, as well as completing a complex, philosophical translation concerning the relevance of women to the meaning of wisdom. In addition, I also assisted in the museum’s education department, which provided me with an opportunity to see how children acquire language and to improve my own basic vocabulary.

The other placements took place in a kindergarten, primary school, hotel, theatre and newspaper, where the tasks were varied but the hours short enough to allow us plenty of time to spend both with each other and our host families. During the weekend, we were all taken to Frankfurt as well as various other places, which was an excellent opportunity to visit a new place and get to know our exchange partners better. As a group, we visited the cinema, received a tour of the town and were treated to luxury cakes. The importance of foreign links was emphasised at a reception at the town hall, where we realised how privileged we were to have such an opportunity. For me, this was one of the highlights of the week, because I was invited to make a speech thanking all of those involved in the exchange, which I know I would never have had the ability to do a year ago.

Overall, we all agreed that our spoken language has improved considerably as a result of the exchange in a way that it would never have done by merely sitting in a classroom; we were exposed to many registers of speech and had to think quickly in numerous situations. In addition, the way of life allowed us to become more independent and confident whilst in a foreign country, and many of us have made friends and connections which will hopefully be a part of our futures.

Ich hoffe, dass viele andere Schüler in der Zukunft solche Möglichkeiten haben werden. Wir möchten noch einmal unserer fleißigen Lehrerin danken.

Bis zum nächsten Mal!

Teachers Learn New Things Too!

During the French Elbeuf exchange, I produced an invoice for the French partner school in order to settle accounts for the first part of the trip. Not knowing the exact title of the French finance office worker in the French school I used the general term: "financier" for the signatory section of the invoice. However, what I learned during the week is that the term "financier" can also mean a small cake! The same term for finacial person appeared on the gift that I received from the French teacher for allowing her to stay with me during the week. This proves that Teachers Learn New Things Too! Another reason why exchange trips are a good thing.

Miss Hardman

Extended Sentences

In languages it always gains more marks if you extend your sentences and elaborate from the basic facts of what you want to say. Here are some good examples from 8I FR's second writing assessment:

Elbeuf Exchange 17-25 mars 2011

We have just said "Au revoir" to our exchange partners from Elbeuf near Rouen in France. Student reviews of the trip to follow, but for now why not read the French teacher accounts of their stay here from the French school's website "Lycée André Maurois":

23rd March - Day in Tunbridge Wells

21st March - Day in London

22nd March - Day in school with partners

Mlle Hardman

Modal Verbs - French

8I have been making comic strips to experiment with modal verbs and invitations. Here is Mlle Hardman's effort. There is not the opportunity to embed code from the website we used (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/) so we have added a screen shot using our visualiser here. Hopefully we will get some students efforts here soon too...
8S &

Weald Student Feedback on national languages website

Our students have been getting to grips with the MYLO (MY Languages Online) Goverment funded language learning website recently and feedback from our students has been posted on the CILT Languages website "Languages Work". Take a look to see how our students are finding it!

(Students - you will find your comments under your MYLO screen names).


Mlle Hardman