Studying a ‘Language Other Than English’
Year 7 German
The vast majority of year 7 students have had no previous experience with the German language, so it has been a rather steep learning curve for students. Many of them have been quite surprised by how much they have learned in the course of one term; at the same time, they are experiencing some of the frustration of not being able yet to express themselves in German as fluently as they can in English.
By the end of term 1 all students have shown they can:
- Say hello and goodbye;
- Ask people how they are and tell how they are feeling;
- Ask people’s names and how old they are;
- Introduce people to each other;
- Talk about their likes and dislikes;
- Talk about parts of the body and say where they hurt;
- Congratulate people on doing well;
Count to 100.
French
Year 7 classes who are studying French, so far they have learnt how to introduce themselves in French and other basic greetings, as well as a range of topics such as: numbers; telling the time; days, dates and months of the year; colours; the alphabet; family members and friends; and describing people.
The course which we are using is called Voilà, which is a word French people often use when they are presenting something to impress others. Apart from textbooks and workbooks this course also provides computer-based activities to reinforce what is learnt. We have one lap top computer, which we use in the classroom and we are hoping to gradually increase the use of this resource by purchasing some more. |
