PROMOTING LANGUAGE LEARNING @ MCKINNON

As the McKinnon Language Leaders for at the main campus, we aim to promote language learning towards the Year 7s, as they begin their journey of learning languages. Our main purpose is to promote language learning in ways that are engaging and intriguing for the Year 7s. This will allow them to open up their minds to the perks of learning language, in a fun way to learn languages.

On Tuesday 16 June during the 2nd half of lunch, we held a Kahoot for all Year 7s in A-Block. In the Kahoot we incorporated the three languages being learnt in McKinnon such as German, French and Spanish. We had questions linked with geography, simple day-to-day phrases, and some general knowledge as well.

Event organisers: Sarvine R Jaya Raj (10K), Lily Baldwin (10A), Luka Magee (11H), Advaith Nandibevoor Patil (10J)

Overall, the experience was good, as the participants really enjoyed the Kahoot, and the event ran smoothly. One thing that could have been improved is the organisation at the start, as it took some time to set up the casting, but other than that it was an outstanding experience.

Moving forward, we hope to come up with more ideas and activities to show how learning a language can help benefit you, but also be fun at the same time.

Sarvine R Jaya Raj

Year 10 Student

FRENCH MODEL UN

On Thursday 21 July 2022 the Units 3/4 French VCE Class went to the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership to participate in the French UN debate. The topic was Climate Change.

We did some research related to our selected country to gather enough data for our arguments. The debate was held between many schools. Allies were made, while some friends became foes, and deals and negotiations were successfully done.

It was truly an amazing and fun experience giving us the opportunity to meet and discuss with other schools, come to arrangements and vote.

Thank you to Mister Chamontin for giving our class the opportunity to participate in this event!

Hugo Tran

Year 11 Student

UNTERNEHMEN DEUTSCH

The Year 10 German class has been enrolled into this competition and has been working on Module 1 and 2 in groups, researching our economic region, a business and creating the first presentation to submit to the competition. As part of these modules, students make contact with assigned businesses and collaborate with the businesses to create a service or product.

Students are looking forward to working with ‘The Hof’, ‘Insight Travel’ and ‘Dresden’, all German companies. First video conferences will be held in the next two weeks to conduct an interview with representatives of these companies and to learn more about the business they have already researched online.

I am looking forward to the final presentations of our students which are due for submission at the end of this term. It is a great opportunity for our German students to use the studied language in a work environment.

AFTV TRIVIA NIGHT

Where is Mont Saint-Michel located? Who was the last reigning queen before the French Revolution? On Saturday 6 August, a group of four Year 9 students participated in the AFTV Soirée Trivia Night, held in Sacré-Cœur, Glen Iris. The objective of this event was to provide French students around Melbourne the opportunity to practise the language, test our knowledge, interact with other learners, and most importantly– have fun as we bring out our inner competitiveness!

When we arrived at the venue, our team was unexpectedly separated into two tables despite our original belief that we would be competing together. However, once the initial uneasiness passed, we managed to start chatting with the people around us, exchanging our experiences with French over the past couple of years. The trivia questions eventually began flooding in, ranging from history, geography, gastronomy, language, general culture and francophonie. Each table united to answer as many of them correctly as possible, critically using the process of elimination. In the end, the mightiest of warriors rose to claim their prizes – including Joshua Aby Peediakal and Romani Parrish who successfully obtained first place in Year 9! (Félicitations!)

Here is what we each had to say about the night:

Without a doubt, the Soirée Trivia Night was an amazing experience! We signed up not knowing in depth facts about the categories but tried our best and ended up having a delightful time. The mini activities offered like “pin the tail on France” and decorating our tables with colourful pictures were also excellent additions to break the ice, as well as form meaningful memories with our teams!

Anya Aquende 9B

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the Soirée Trivia Night was much better than everything we could have ever expected. It was genuinely an enjoyable time, meeting new French students our age from different schools and actively "competing" to answer fascinating questions about French history, geography, gastronomy, language, general culture and francophonie. I will be forever grateful to each and every one of you for making the French Soirée Trivia Night an unforgettable moment we all got to experience together!

Caitlyn Sin Mew Cheung 9I

The trivia night is a fun activity for a year 9-10 student of any year or skill level. It was an amazing night out filled with memorable moments, new friends from other schools and free fake moustaches!

To any future Year 9 and 10 French students, we highly encourage you to take part in this magnificent event, as it is truly an authentic and unforgettable experience you can add to your language journey!

A special thank you to Madame Antal for organising this event and accompanying us!

Romani Parrish 9E

WINNING GERMAN RAP

In 2021, Sophia DIEGELMANN wrote a rap titled ‘Angela Merkel Rap’ for the German Song Writing Competition. She won the second prize in this competition and her song was published in the last SZENE, the AGTV German magazine.

Congratulations on the publication of your special rap!

LANGUAGES STUDENT OF THE FORTNIGHT - ANYA AQUENDE

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. My name is Anya, and I am one of your language leaders at the East Campus this 2022.

In my third year of studying French, I was introduced to many intriguing ideas on contemporary Francophone culture, including its celebrations, meals and customs. What’s remarkable is that by knowing these, one can gain an understanding and connection to millions of people across the globe. Learning how to write and speak the language itself gives me great contentment, as I know it can lead to exciting future opportunities inside the workplace, or even along the streets. Aside from French, it is truly significant to me that I talk to my family in Tagalog (Filipino) in order to further appreciate my native background, and to pick up more Spanish as I learn more about the historical relations between Spain and the Philippines!

My greatest advice is to continue valuing the study of languages. As daunting as it can be to face grammatical aspects unlike English, or to answer questions without preparation, the journey is ultimately worth it! Immerse yourself through fun activities and resources. If you like poetry, why not memorise a poem in your target language? If you like listening to podcasts, search for one that discusses interesting cultural facts. Remember to keep your goals in mind and maintain a positive attitude. Keep going on your language learning, McKinnon!

VCE PREPARATION COURSES

Jenny Lynd

Languages Learning Area Manager

DATES TO REMEMBER

AUGUST