Humanities Department

Report 

This week I wanted to shine a light on the amazing French program we offer here at Woodmans Hill Secondary College, and the amazing work of Rebecca Rough in developing our program.  

On Friday the 23rd of May, the Year 8's had an opportunity to learn about French-speaking cultures in Africa through music, djembe drumming, dance and performance. The Year 8's have been practicing language to discuss where people are from and what languages they might speak and were able to link this knowledge to French colonisation in Africa throughout the incursion. Importantly, they were able to understand the significance of practices like drumming to cultures in the West of Africa, for example Guinea, where our presenter was from. 

Here are some Year 8 reflections in English and French: 

• Reflection from Max Hall: The incursion was good and was very interactive.I learnt more about African music and culture. Thank you for coming to our school and teaching us about your country. 

• Reflection from Ruby Offer: J’ai appris que la culture en Afrique est riche et fascinante et qu’il y a beaucoup de gens en Afrique qui parlent plus de cinq langues! [I learnt that African culture is rich and fascinating and that there are a lot of people in Africa who speak more than 5 languages!] 

• Reflection from Seth Egan: It was very fun and funny, also was very interactive and enthusiastic. 

As for our Year 9 elective, our first rotation is coming to an end this semester. They have been exploring using French to navigate around town, with really practical tools for exploring the community using French. 

Keep an eye out for opportunities for the students to use these new found skills. We will also have a 2nd rotation of Year 9's coming next semester.  

Lastly, Misss Rough is currently preparing for all Year 7's to partake in French learning next term, introducing new skills to our cohort.