Languages

Year 8 German Excursion to Queen Victoria Market 

At the start of Term 3, Year 8 German students concluded the unit of food and shopping with an excursion to Queen Victoria Market. They explored the influence migrants from German-speaking and other European countries had on the rich variety of foods offered at the market.  Students participated in a guided tour of the market and learnt about the early history of the market from knowledgeable tour guides. They also completed search activities to help them identify typical foods from European countries. They learnt several interesting facts, for example that Gruyere is a vital ingredient in a Swiss cheese fondue, that many Eastern European breads contain a high portion of rye flour, that Glühwein is an integral part of Christmas markets in German-speaking countries and that ox tongue is eaten as a cold cut on sandwiches. A few students were sceptical of my insistence that it is a very tasty sandwich meat. Many students, however, were keen to sample a sausage at the famous Bratwurst Shop. I highly recommend a true German combination of Sauerkraut and Bavarian mustard. 

Pen pal Project with PASCH school in Vietnam 

Over the course of Term 3, a group of interested Year 8 students met once a week at lunchtime to write an introductory letter and decorate a pencil case as a gift for their future pen pal.  Letters and pencil cases will now be sent to the Goethe-Institut in Vietnam to be passed on to students at the PASCH school.  Once the initial letters have been exchanged, students will start to communicate via email using their Box Hill High School email account. It is not too late to join the project!  Interested students should contact Ms Kühn for more information.

Reading in the Target Language 

In Term 4 2021, I reported about the book launch of “Federsammler – Fietje and Arti in Australien”, a German comic book that was created in collaboration with German students from all PASCH schools in Australia.  It was a joy to see James Wells honouring 'Jubes', the main character in the BHHS part of the story, as part of our Book Week Celebrations.  The book will soon be available in our library along with many other graded readers and magazines.  We encourage students to take advantage of the wealth of German and Chinese resources our library has to offer.  Reading in a foreign language might be tedious and hard work to start with but the sense of achievement after finishing a book in a foreign language is something to be remembered.  I can vouch for this experience as I ploughed my way through Jane Eyre as one of the earliest books I read in English.  Reading in the target language helps students to build their vocabulary bank and literacy in general.  So, let’s take up the reading challenge and finish one of the graded readers or novels over the school holidays! 

Y12 Language Exams 

Term 3 is a very important time for Y12 students preparing for their oral exams in October. The oral exam consists of a 7-minute general conversation about their personal world as well as an 8-minute discussion about a chosen topic related to the culture of the target language.  During the general conversation students answer questions about their family, hobbies, school, and future aspirations.  In preparation for the oral exam, Y12 students are provided with opportunities for speaking practice over the year in form of additional conversation sessions with their teacher.  German students are also lucky to receive additional support from our current German language assistant Barbara Uecker.  Finally, all language teachers organise mock oral exams in Term 3. Whilst the preparation for the oral exam is a major focus during VCE language studies, it should be pointed out that developing students’ speaking skills and vocabulary starts as early as Year 7. The language curriculum in junior years develops students’ ability to talk and write about their personal world.  In Year 8 German, for example, students learn to describe their hobbies as well as their living area.  Language studies are cumulative and each year counts in helping students to communicate successfully in the target language. We wish all Y12 language students the best of luck in their upcoming exams. The long hard work will pay off! 

By Jana Kühn

Languages Domain Leader