Languages Faculty
Lucie Dickens, Academic Dean of Languages
Où est Wally? A hide and seek activity by Year 3
Can you find Capybara? Can you find Pikachu? Our Year 3 students LOVED creating a Hide and Seek activity in PowerPoint on their iPads. Some students made their hidden objects incredibly challenging to find! But don’t worry — they provided clues for us in French.
It was a fun way to showcase their knowledge of prepositions and La Maison (The House). Now it's time for us to start the hunt!
A Modern Fairytale by Year 4
Once upon a time, there was a teacher named Madame Mullins and she taught a class of truly TERRIBLY clever children. She made them read a fairytale in French called 'Boucles Violettes et Les Trois Ours' (Purplelocks and The Three Bears).
The students fell under her spell and after two sessions of entranced writing, they realised they had written their OWN story entirely IN FRENCH. The Year 4 pupils could not believe their own talent, but Madame Mullins waved her magic wand, and poof! They also added A.I images to their picture books!
Delighted with their results, Madame Mullins whisked them away to the fantastical world of Preps, where the Year 4 students read to the younger cohort and cast their own magic spell over them!
You can view samples of the Year 4 students' own fairy tales and watch their visit to the Prep classroom.
Year 10 French - Paris Assignment
Last term, Year 10 French students learnt about the city of Paris. As part of their assessment, students had to write a dialogue about a pretend holiday in Paris, detailing their plans and activities. The assignment required them to show their understanding of the Parisian brasserie culture, the metro system and other cultural aspects covered in their studies.
Assessing this task was very entertaining, and I am very pleased with the process, results and challenges students had to face to stretch their learning. Well done, everyone!
Below is a student reflection on this task.
Alexis Liew, Year 10 French
The French oral task was both fun and enjoyable. I learned so many new things, especially about Paris and its famous landmarks. My pronunciation has improved immensely as well!
This unit and task really expanded my knowledge, and the assessment was an engaging and creative way to bring everything together.
Izzy Ou and I had a great time making the video and sharing laughs and ideas throughout the process. It was a memorable experience that made learning French even more enjoyable!
Japanese calligraphy incursion
Cameron Leighton, Year 8 Japanese
On Monday 26 August, the Year 8 Japanese classes participated in a calligraphy workshop. We learnt how to write 弁当（べんとう）, which means 'packed lunch'. I was delighted to have my calligraphy work submitted to a competition.
The skills we learned built on our Sumi-e workshop during the Year 8 Cultural Day. I enjoyed practising the stroke techniques and discovered that writing kanji can be quite relaxing.
During the workshop, we explored many different strokes, and learnt that slow and steady writing produces superior results. I greatly enjoyed and appreciated the calligraphy workshop and would like to thank Saito Sensei for teaching us these valuable skills.
Global Connections Program – School Tour to Japan!
Recently, 17 of our students and some staff left for Japan on a two-week trip to visit three of our partner schools in Hiroshima, Ogaki, and Tokyo.
They have been having an incredible adventure!
In Hiroshima, our students met their wonderful host families and had a fantastic time soaking up everything the city has to offer, from local big-league baseball to Japanese TV productions, as well as the sights and sounds of the beautiful island of Miyajima.
Next, after saying a very emotional goodbye to their Hiroshima host families, our intrepid travellers began their journey northeast to Kyoto via bullet train. There, they visited the ancient Buddhist shrines, Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji, before immersing themselves in modern Japanese pop culture at the Kyoto International Manga Museum.
Their next stop was Ogaki, where they were honored to meet the Mayor and participate in a photoshoot for the local news!
We can't wait to hear more about their experiences and the lasting memories they are creating during this amazing journey!