WORLD CULTURES

Castle and Holly Students

In World Culture lesson this term, students have been learning all about Germany. They know Germany is a country in Europe and its capital city is Berlin. Lots of people live in Germany (83.51 million, to be exact) and the weather ranges from moderate to snowing! Students discovered that the German flag is black, red and gold and it represents unity and freedom. Each lesson students greet the teacher with “Guten morgen (good morning) or Guten tag (good afternoon). They also enjoyed watching videos about German colours and numbers. Can you guess what “sechs sieben” means?

In South Germany, men and boys used to wear lederhosen, also known as leather pants. Women and girls used to wear dirndl, a shirt, dress and apron combination. These are still worn today, although usually only for special occasions or demonstrations for tourists. An annual large celebration in Munich called Oktoberfest is also a time where many people wear these traditional outfits. Students coloured in and made dolls wearing lederhosen and dirndl in many different colours and patterns.

After this, students discovered that Germany has many castles and palaces, with some dating back to medieval times. There are more than 25,000 castles in Germany compared to a handful of replica castles in Australia. Castle students drew their own German castles and Holly students designed and tested out catapults using a range of materials. They had lots of fun trying to knock down Mrs Mawson’s castle with a flying mini rubber duck!

Castle students then learnt a very important tradition for new school students in Germany called Schultüte (school cone). This is a large decorated cone-shaped gift given to students on their first day of school by their parents. At the end of the day, students can open up their Schultüte to discover a multitude of presents, chocolates, lollies and school supplies. Our students decorated and made their own mini Schultüte which they then excitedly filled with lollies, stickers and a toy to take home with them.

Now, students have begun learning about Christmas in Germany, starting with the Tannenbaum (fir tree). This is a special tree which was originally cut down in the 16th Century in Western Germany and brought into the home to provide good luck and protection. They would decorate the tree with apples, nuts and even candles. Students heard the song “O Tannenbaum” and Holly students made their very own paper tree to take home.

Stillwell Students

The Year 5/6s have spent the term working hard to design and make a Christmas tree to go on display for our school community to experience their very own Christmas Tree Festival. They have chosen different countries from around the world that celebrate Christmas and will be displaying a tree which represents that country and their Christmas traditions. Keep a look out for further information on when you can view these amazing trees.

I wish all of our students and families a wonderful rest of the term and a happy school break.

Lauren Mawson

World Cultures Teacher