Deutsche Ecke

Briefe nach Österreich - Letters to Austria

These days it’s a rare sight to behold... a handwritten letter! Our fast-paced world is now one of emails, text messages and social media. And yet, stop to consider what we can learn about ourselves and others when we begin a conversation with a pen pal living on the other side of the globe. As part of a letter-writing unit, our Year 5/6 students have been exploring how language can reflect politeness and closeness between people, how greetings and dialects can vary according to the country, state or even town you come from, and how informal and formal pronouns in German can show respect or sometimes cause offence. Our Year 6 letters will now be sent to BRG & BORG School in St Pölten, Austria, where students of the same age will reply and share their culture and traditions. This intercultural experience supports our LNPS students to acknowledge and understand there are multiple ways of knowing the world. It helps them develop Fürsorge und Rücksicht (care and concern) for other cultures, as well as Respekt (respect) for cultural differences. We celebrate their hard work at completing this Term 1 project and look forward to hearing a Grüß Gott! from our friends in Austria very soon. 

Frau Chesterman