MFL @ Northgate

German Exchange 2011

2011-12-02T19:36:00.002Z

Home from home: today we decided to give our hosts a well earned breather and took ourselves off to the nearby town of Paderborn for yet more sightseeing and shopping. Our planned town trail turned into something of a damp squib as the cold, unrelenting rain drove our pupils off the streets and into the sanctuary of cafes, restaurants (McD...?) and even ice cream parlours. A few brave souls attempted to complete the trail in spite of the elements, but were soon thwarted by the gloomy, British skies (according to German weather reports the rain clouds had originated in England so we couldn't really complain!). And so we headed back to Soest where our pupils were met at the station by their partners and whisked away to enjoy the weekend. Tomorrow they are spending the day with their host families - and hopefully getting plenty of sleep ahead of our early start on Sunday! Herr Stewart

German Exchange 2011

2011-12-01T20:19:00.006Z

509 steps to heaven. Today we visited the city of Cologne, taking in its awe-inspiring gothic cathedral and of course the 509 steps up to the top of the bell tower. However we didn't have much time to drink in the more-than-impressive view as we had to get moving to the Deutsches Sport und Olympia Museum in order not to miss our guided tour...which was great fun; a mixture of interesting facts and hands-on exhibits, including long jump, cycling and reaction time tests. Our pupils shrugged off their weary legs and joined in with much gusto and Olympic spirit: gut gemacht Leute!

German Exchange 2011

2011-11-30T15:08:00.004Z

Official Greetings: Today we were welcomed at the Burghofmuseum by the Deputy Mayor of Soest, who gave us a talk about the town, adroitly squeezing over 7000 years of history into about 20 minutes! From its role as a major salt trading centre in the 13th Century to its virtual destruction and reconstruction during and after the Second World War, our pupils were regaled with interesting details from Soest's long and varied past. Due to an earlier than expected finish our youngsters were duly informed that they had to attend the last two lessons back at the school (did I hear a few groans at the back?), before enjoying more free time with their partners later. I believe many are going bowling tonight, also viel Spaß! Herr Stewart

German Exchange 2011

2011-11-29T18:51:00.005Z

How do you say 'Big Mac' in German? Day 3 and the exchange is in full swing; yesterday our pupils got their first taste of lessons at the Aldegrever Gymnasium, which was for many an interesting experience. Eager to avoid the 'spotlight', some pupils even borrowed text books from their partners in an attempt to pass as German pupils. Smart thinking there guys! Today we took the train to the historical city of Münster, enjoying a guided tour and then some well-earned shopping and, sadly, McDonalds time (sigh). I have to say our pupils were attentive and polite throughout the tour, drawing praise from our guide, so I guess the Big Macs are forgiven... As the temperature dropped to shiver-inducing levels we headed back to Soest, where we watched our pupils and their partners leaving the station to begin their evenings. And where did most of them immediately go? You guessed it...to McDonalds!

German Exchange 2011

2011-11-27T20:07:00.004Z

In The Middle Of The Night...

After the earliest of early starts (3 a.m!) we headed off to Luton for a hassle-free, if rather turbulent flight to grey and windy Dortmund, before catching a bus for the short hop down the Autobahn to our partner town, Soest. Arriving slightly ahead of schedule, our pupils waited to be collected from the town hall, many concealing their growing nervousness behind last-minute German practice; (how do you say ‘pleased to meet you’?).

And so our intrepid young Germanists were all whisked away to enjoy the rest of the weekend with their host families. And the teachers? I can’t speak for Miss MacEachern, but I most definitely did not go back to bed for some sorely missed sleep. Of course not!

More soon...

Herr Stewart

Soaking up the sun in Cadiz!

2011-10-09T22:18:00.001+01:00

On Saturday we all enjoyed a daytrip to Cadiz, a beautiful port city which grew rich as a major shipping centre in earlier centuries. We started our day watching an energetic street theatre show all about Cadiz’s revolution against Napoleon and the founding of the first Spanish constitution.

After a spot of shopping and a few well earned cafe con leche’s, we took a short coach ride to the beach for an afternoon of sun, sand and….more sand (our pupils resisted the allure of the water admirably)! Much sunbathing later and we were back on the coach returning to Sevilla, accompanied by a gentle singsong which rapidly deteriorated into a full scale singing war between the British and Spanish pupils…I’m sure I have never heard the Proclaimers sung so badly!

Tomorrow the pupils are spending time with their host families, and on Monday we are all off to Cordoba for more sun, sightseeing and, of course, shopping! Señor Stewart

Location:Cadiz, Spain.

Sampling the local cuisine...

2011-10-09T10:28:00.001+01:00

After an afternoon of high quality student theatre, we were invited to a communal dinner at the school, to which the host families each contributed a home-cooked local delicacy.

This feast of Andalucian cuisine was laid out on long tables on the school terrace and in no time were all helping ourselves to platefuls while asking our generous hosts all about the history of the delicious flavours assaulting our tastebuds. Que maravillosa!

The evening was then capped off by traditional Swedish nativity songs performed by costumed exchange students from Vaggeryd, Sweden. A rather surreal but highly enjoyable spectacle!

Mañana vamos a Cadiz...

Señor Stewart

Location:Seville, Spain

Discovering Seville

2011-10-07T09:50:00.004+01:00

We really hit the ground running on our first full day in Seville, packing in a full day at school, which included a fascinating lesson on Spanish history and culture by a Luxembourgian teacher, followed by a guided tour of the Moorish palace in the city centre. The latter was truly an ocean of beauty and tranquillity in the middle of this dynamic, bustling metropolis, and the infectious enthusiasm of our wonderful guide helped to capture the pupils' attention despite their weariness at the end of a long, hot day (muchas gracias Don Juan!).

The palace grounds really were stunning, with the peacocks in the English Garden and the water jet, which travels 15 kilometres into the palace along a Roman aqueduct, particular highlights.

Today our pupils are going to lessons in the morning, then we're off to see a play at the nearby community centre.

Que bien!

Hasta luego!

Señor Stewart

Arrival in Seville!

2011-10-06T13:21:00.004+01:00

Bienvenidos a Sevilla!

Well we arrived safely at Seville airport after a smooth, hassle-free journey (well almost, apart from one lost suitcase which was quickly found!) and enjoyed a fabulous welcome from our Spanish counterparts, who were all waiting excitedly in the arrivals area. After much hugging and kissing, which seemed to dispel any last minute nerves, our pupils were whisked away to begin their Iberian adventure!

This morning we all met bright and early at our partner school (IES Ramón del Valle-Inclán) for an introduction by the Head Teacher, followed by a tour of the site (with Miss Sear ably translating for us - gracias!). After that, the pupils were taken for their first taste of lessons – looking forward to hearing their impressions later!

Off to visit the Al Alcázares (old Moorish palace) after school...

More soon!

Señor Stewart

Northgate High School MFL CPD 2011-12

2011-07-21T18:37:00.004+01:00

This is the brochure outlining the courses that we will be running at Northgate High School next year in Modern Foreign Languages. If you are interested in attending a course, or wish to contribute to training for MFL across the region, please email us at training@northgate.suffolk.sch.uk

German Exchange 2010 - Chapter 5 (!)

2010-12-17T10:56:00.004Z

Just our luck. Forty minutes to go until take-off and snowstorm ‘Petra’, the worst winter weather in years, moves in over Düsseldorf, carpeting the runways and closing the airport. We’re going nowhere tonight. It’s nearly 21:00. Decision time. Do we brave the 200m queue to the ticket counter to try and rebook our flight or do we act quickly to ensure we don’t miss the last train back to Soest? It’s no decision at all.

Many frantic phonecalls and texts later and we’re back on the train, praying that we don’t miss the last connection in Dortmund, planning contingencies in case we do. The pupils are taking the bad news in different ways, some glum, others impressively stoic and philosophical. A tired and thirsty lad turns to me, “Ah well sir, I guess it’s just one of those things.”

We arrive back in Soest around midnight. The German teachers and host families have responded superbly and are all waiting at the station. No fuss, no bother; of course we can stay longer! Herzlichen Dank!

Friday morning. By now the job of rebooking our flights is well and truly underway. Our colleagues at Northgate have answered our call and are leaving no stone unturned as they try to expedite our rapid departure. Miss MacEachern is still working hard to keep both the British parents and pupils informed of our progress, and I’ve been giving the German teachers regular calls and texts so their pupils (who have school today) know what’s happening. Good teamwork; at this rate we’ll be home in no time.

German Exchange 2010 - Chapter 4

2010-12-17T10:36:00.010Z

Well our week in Germany is sadly drawing to an end. Tuesday saw our pupils spending a day in lessons at the Aldegrever Gymnasium; almost all found it an interesting experience, especially Miss MacEachern who was asked to teach Scottish dancing to a group of German youngsters!

On Wednesday we made our last day trip to Cologne, taking in first the chocolate museum, then the mighty, inspiring Kölner Dom (cathedral). Both groups of pupils braved freezing temperatures and 533 steps to reach the top of the cathedral’s tower, earning the ample reward of a truly spectacular panorama of the snow-blanketed city.

It's now Thursday morning, a few hours before we’re due to leave…the radio next to me is warning of severe blizzards this afternoon across all of Nordrhein-Westphalen; fingers crossed that we will be able to take off on time this evening!

So all that remains is for me to express my heartfelt thanks to Frau Kleve and Herr Kracht, to all the partner families, my fantastic hosts, and of course all the pupils, German and British, who have made this a truly unforgettable exchange. I have seldom seen such a well-mannered, positive group of young people and have been struck by how many Northgaters have really seized this opportunity to improve their German. Ich bin stolz auf euch alle!

Herr Stewart

P.S. Hmm, the radio has just announced 20cm of snow in this region after lunch; I hadn’t planned on writing Chapter 5, but who knows…

German Exchange 2010 - Chapter 3

2010-12-14T22:51:00.007Z

The darkness of a Monday morning; one by one our pupils are deposited, yawning, in the neon hallways of our partner school. Bleary eyes, mumbled protests; why so early, is there an emergency? No, in Germany school starts at 07:40! The Schulleiter (headmaster) greets us formally, warmly; then a short walk to the station and we’re in nearby Paderborn, shivering, lips chafing. A thermometer claims -7°C. We believe it.

The cold blast blows the sleepiness away; our troops are suddenly full of stories from the weekend. They seem mostly happy, excited, but a few remain quiet. Malcontent or still asleep? Perhaps a quiet word later, just to make sure.

And so to today’s challenge: Miss MacEachern and Frau Kleve’s painstakingly crafted Fotosafari (town trail). The teams coalesce, strategies are whispered, safe havens hurriedly planned from the clawing, biting cold. The teachers share glances; will the whole thing work? What if the pupils can’t find the tourist office, the town hall, the meeting point! Will they ‘play fair’ and ask the way in German or lapse into English? Das werden wir mal sehen! (We’ll see!)

An hour later and everything is wunderbar: the teams have ably surmounted the twin challenges of navigation and frostbite. A cold march back to the station, then a warm train ride back to Soest. On the way, the aforementioned quiet words are had but nothing arises. Everyone is happy. I suspected as much.

German Exchange 2010 - Chapter 2

2010-12-13T21:05:00.006Z

Day two of our visit! A change in the weather; the ice is melting. Can the same be said of our pupils and their German partners? A guided tour of beautiful Münster; highly informative if not especially dynamic; the youngsters show admirable patience and politeness; even the astrological clock in the cathedral gets a round of applause! The feeling builds: this is going to be a great German exchange. Shopping and souvenirs; how can teenagers survive on so much chocolate and cola? Pleased to see both groups intermixing; delighted to hear some of our pupils speaking German (knew they would do us proud). Heading home via a busy train station; astounded to notice our gang counting each other back onto the platform. Miss MacEachern and I double-check our figures: all present and correct! Drifting lights, dark landscapes, and then back in Soest. The parents are waiting; the weekend begins…

German Exchange 2010, Chapter 1

2010-12-12T23:18:00.002Z

Another year, another German exchange! This year we’re flying from Gatwick - a long journey, icy roads, news filters through of a road closure on the M25. Stress levels spiking; will we get stuck, miss our flight? Then relief; the incident is elsewhere, our journey is smooth. Realisation that we’ve been lucky; a pang of sympathy for those who have not. A routine flight, well almost. Our plane arrives late, delayed at its previous stop not by snow, but by air-rage! The Captain calmly explains that an obnoxious passenger had to be ‘re-educated by Her Majesty’s Constabulary’. His dry humour lifts our mood. And so to take-off. Twenty bubbling pupils, twenty singing (and rather merry) German football fans. Teachers watching for trouble, but they need not worry. A German voice sings Pink Floyd. A brave pupil practices his German and wins a Schalke scarf. Good omens. Arrival in Düsseldorf; ice cold, snow everywhere. Dark, soaking railway platforms – is this our train, or is it the next one? Miss M. sorts things out and we’re soon gliding through the Westphalian night on our way to Soest. Arrival after midnight; the pupils are quiet. Nervous yawns all round, brief huddles on the platform, excited laughs, then one by one the visitors are whisked away to the warmth of their lodgings. The teachers on both sides smile and sigh. We’ve arrived.

Year 8 Homework - Perfect Tense

2010-11-04T13:20:00.003Z

Perfect y8

Year 8, please read the first two slides and complete the two exercises on the last two slides in your books for Tuesday's lesson.

The final day...

2010-10-20T07:55:00.001+01:00

I'm writing this at 8am on the final morning of the exchange, and the students are about to gather together in the school library to have a lesson with us to finish off their diaries and to give their views on how they thought the exchange went; what they liked, didn't like, and what they think we should change for next year. We will be heading back into Seville for the last time a bit later on, which will give people the chance to spend their last few euros. We will go back to school at 2.45, which is when their school day ends, and go home for lunch, and to pack ready to meet up at the airport this evening.
Yesterday we went to visit Seville Cathedral, which was even more impressive than the one we saw in Córdoba on Monday.
The evening saw a party at the school organised by the host families, which each family bringing a typically Spanish dish for all of us to eat. There was much singing and some dancing, and it was a great way to 'officially' end this year's exchange. I will post more updates during the day, and update on the progress of our journey home via the @northgatemfl Twitter page - www.twitter.com/northgatemfl

Córdoba! (or let's compare cathedrals)

2010-10-19T07:51:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we took the coach with our Spanish counterparts to the ancient city of Córdoba, where the students had the opportunity to look at the Mezquita or mosque, which was converted into a cathedral in the 15th century. The students unfortunately didn't follow the example of the teachers in trying the local culinary delights such as 'Bull's tail' preferring instead the relative security of Burger King. Oh dear.

Spanish Exchange - Weekend update

2010-10-17T15:05:00.001+01:00

The weekend has arrived in Seville, and the students are spending the time with their host families. We spent the day as a big group on Saturday, visiting the ancient city of Cádiz, and making the most of the Spanish weather with a glorious afternoon on the beach. The day was a hot one, but not so hot that the students moaned about not being allowed in the sea. Mr Blagona and Miss Jebb bought the group a football, and the sixth formers were very inventive in creating sand based constructions. Despite the relative comfort of the temperatures, one or two students came off the beach looking a little red, having not applied quite enough Factor 50. Mr B had lovely white marks where his sunglasses had been.
It was really good to see all the students mingling so well together, and although beach days are pretty normal for our Spanish friends, the experience was great for the Northgate group.
On Friday night, we wandered back into Seville, and to the Parque Maria Luisa. This is where there is a fantastic palace, and we had an opportunity to walk leisurely through the gardens, and enjoy the company of each other. After the park, we walked around the Fería de los Naciones, a market that had stalls from all around the world. A walk along the river, where many of the students were also enjoying their evening, brought the night's events to a close.
Sunday sees the students on their own with their families, and no doubt Monday's trip to Cordoba will be filled with tales of Saturday night's group karaoke session. Hmmm.

Reales Alcazares and Seville - Day Two

2010-10-15T23:47:00.004+01:00

El Patio Sevillano - Day One

2010-10-14T23:12:00.004+01:00

The first day ended with an evening at the Flamenco dancing. Our visit to El Patio Sevillano gave our students a real taste of Spanish culture, and was certainly a new experience!

Tomorrow sees us head to the Plaza de España.

Images of Day 1

2010-10-14T15:26:00.001+01:00

A day in a Spanish school!

2010-10-14T14:07:00.004+01:00

After a safe arrival and a good night's sleep, we were up early to spend the first day of the exchange in our new school. The first part of the day was an excellent presentation from the headteacher of the IES Ramon del Valle Inclan school. The school is situated in a part of Seville called Sevilla Este, which is a fairly new suburb on the outskirts of the city. After the presentation, we will be enjoying a Spanish style breakfast in the cafeteria.

We then had a tour of the school, looking into how the Spanish students learn - the school day is a lot different to back at Northgate. School started at 8.15, and they are finished by 2.45. During the day, we visited lots of lessons, ranging from Art to Ecomonics, and we were also given a potted history of modern Spain in an hour long lesson.

The students then took part in some sport, playing either football or volleyball with their Spanish partners.

Lunch now, followed by a little siesta, then off to the Flamenco dancing tonight!

Vamanos!

2010-10-13T13:18:00.001+01:00

...and another trip leaves these shores as 27 students set off for our second trip to Seville as part of the Northgate High Spanish exchange.
The departure was without incident, and this first update comes from the world's best road, the A12. It should take us just over an hour to get to Stansted Airport, and the flight leaves a little after 5pm. We should get to Seville for about 9pm CET. I'll update later as we go.

Koblenz Diary Day 3

2010-07-16T19:34:00.004+01:00

Phew! What a scorcher. With temperatures reaching 35 degrees today, the students spent the day at either the greatest or the worst venue in Germany, depending on your viewpoint. Phantasialand is the German version of Alton Towers, and our 40 Year 8s risked the heat to ride on the rollercoasters. Despite numerous warnings to remain covered in suntan lotion, and to drink the vast amount of water we had bought them, the heat was a bit much for one or two, as was the temptation to buy many a sugary drink. With rides such as Black Mamba, The Talocan, and of course The Runaway Mine Train, our intrepid explorers went big, and had a fantastic time.

This followed a day in Cochem, with slides and jets at the pool, a tour of the town, and a lovely boat ride from Cochem to Brodenbach.

Photos by Foto-Roerig and Rens Kokke

Arriving in a whirlwind...

2010-07-14T23:01:00.004+01:00

Wow. In the 6 years that I have done this trip to Koblenz, I have never known anything like it. Having had a smooth crossing on the ferry, we descended into calamity with the weather turning into something out of a Hollywood movie. Out of the side of the bus, we could see the weather turning...

...and gradually the clouds got darker, and lower, and the wind got, er...windier. Then it began to rain. Not any old kind of rain, but like the heavens had just pulled the plug on their enormous swimming pool. A car in front of us had a tree uprooted and land on it - thankfully no one was hurt.

Students could see the tornado in the distance - and the driver of our coach expertly negotiated the awful conditions. We stopped at another Belgian service station - an ideal place to talk excitedly about what we'd witnessed. Luckily the roads in Germany were a lot calmer than in Belgium, and we all arrived safely and settled down for a nice, relaxing night. Phew.

...and so it begins - Koblenz 2010

2010-07-14T12:35:00.001+01:00

We've crossed the channel and are making good progress through France on our way to Germany. A very expensive cooked breakfast later, and the students are enjoying the journey. We aim to be in Koblenz in about 4 hours from now. I'll be using my iPhone to blog about the trip, and will be doing a daily podcast, once I get the wifi sorted out in the hotel.

Location:Loon-Plage,France

Auf Wiedersehen!

2010-05-26T18:11:00.004+01:00

Dies ist meine letzte Woche in Ipswich. Am Wochenende fahre ich zurück nach Deutschland. Ich verlasse Northgate mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge. Auf der einen Seite freue ich mich, weil ich meinen Freund und meine Familie wiedersehen werde. Ich kann wieder deutsch sprechen und wieder richtiges Brot essen...

Auf der anderen Seite hatte ich eine tolle Zeit in Ipswich, und ich bin sicher, dass ich meine Schüler vermissen werde. Ihr habt mir die 8 Monate sehr angenehm und unterhaltsam gestaltet, und ich glaube, dass ich fast so viel Englisch von euch gelernt habe wie ihr Deutsch von mir.

Ich habe Bewerbungen an mehrere Gymnasien in Düsseldorf geschickt, und ich hoffe, dort eine Stelle als Englisch- und Geschichtslehrerin zu bekommen. Drückt mir die Daumen! Alles Gute für eure letzten Prüfungen. Hoffentlich auf Wiedersehen!

(This is my last week in Ipswich. I’m flying back to Germany on Sunday. I’m leaving Northgate with one laughing and one weeping eye (as we say in German). On the one hand, I’m looking forward to going back to Germany because I’ll see my boyfriend and my family. I’ll be allowed to speak a lot of German and to eat proper bread...

On the other hand, I’m quite sad because I had a very good time in Ipswich. I’m sure that I’ll miss my pupils a lot. You have made my 8 months entertaining, instructive and overall memorable. And I suspect that you've taught me nearly as much English as I've taught you German.

I have sent off several applications to schools in Düsseldorf, and I hope I’ll get a position as a teacher of History and English in one of them. Fingers crossed! Good luck for your final exams. See you again sometime.)

Eure Bettina

Y11 GCSE Listening Revision

2010-05-19T12:52:00.002+01:00

Hello weary students, The homework for the tonight can be found on the Dulwich College site - Higher students should attempt the LCP Test B at the bottom of the page, and the Foundation students should attempt one of tests 1-11 at the top of the page. Please print off the test, fill it in with a pen, and bring it with you to Friday's lesson.

Can you promote Ipswich to tourists?

2010-05-11T11:57:00.003+01:00

With the 2012 London Olympics fast approaching, Ipswich and the surrounding region are poised to welcome lots of visitors to the area. By going to T:\Languages\tourist office video you will be able to see a promotional video for the town. The only thing is that is has no soundtrack, and that is what you will have to provide! Watch the video, and produce a script in the foreign language that will accurately describe the town. You can be as ambitious as you dare - but remember that you are promoting the town!!

Work for 8/2

2010-04-22T10:25:00.005+01:00

Today we are moving slightly away from the text book, and are going to be looking at creating an advert to enter into a competition. Northgate are running a competition, supported by BT, with big prizes on offer. What you have to do, is to create an advert marketing a new energy drink, but of course in French, Spanish or German. The winning entries may get the chance to make their advert professionally at BT.

First of all - get yourselves into pairs, or at most, groups of three.
Decide on a name for your drink - English type words should be avoided.
Design a poster ad, to appear in glossy magazines.
Come up with a slogan that people might remember
Make the poster eyecatching!

If you get that finished, you should move on to stage two - producing a script (in the foreign language) for a 20-30 second radio advert.

You'll need to decide on characters
Write out a short script - don't be too adventurous with the language, otherwise you'll make too many mistakes, and people won't buy your product.
Check your script for any obvious errors.
Make a note of any background music/sound effects
Practise, practise. practise.

We will we looking to record the adverts next week.

Nous sommes arrivés!!

2010-03-11T18:49:00.001Z

March 11, originally uploaded by Blaggers.

After a few awkward moments at the airport, and with much help from Mrs Gort back at Northgate, we all managed to get from Ipswich to Stansted to Lyon to St Etienne.

It's bitterly cold here, something as Brits we're not used to. Oh, hang on, we are used to that now, right?

With temperatures in the minuses, we're all in our families and are getting used to our new surroundings. The plan for tomorrow is a morning in lessons, with the students trying their hand at design, sport or photography. Then an afternon braving the cold in the city of St Etienne, looking at the history of the town!!

Bonne nuit!

Y12 Exchange to St Etienne - Itinerary and Useful Information

2010-02-23T11:13:00.001Z

Here is the latest information regarding our forthcoming exchange. The itinerary is subject to change.

Stetienne

View more presentations from Alex Blagona.

Happy New Year, and Welcome Back!

2010-01-03T13:51:00.000Z

Hoping you had a good holiday, especially as you managed to snag an extra day due to the snow which paralysed the region. It's quite a short term now, with only 6 weeks until the next break. However short, it's a packed term, with preparations in full swing for the Y12 French Exchange to St. Etienne, Y9 gearing up for options, Y10 working towards their first speaking assessments, and if course the old millstone of coursework hanging around for Y11. Who's hoping for more snow?

Location:Ipswich,United Kingdom

All Good Things...

2009-12-11T17:24:00.000Z

Well, after a fantastic week of history, culture and Xmas markets our visit to Germany is sadly drawing to an end. Today we gave our hosts a well-earned breather by taking ourselves off to nearby Paderborn for a tour of the world’s largest computer museum, before heading into town for some last-ditch shopping and a final Bratwurst or two (nobody went to McDonalds, honest!). Tomorrow we're looking forward to a nice lie-in before taking the train back to Dortmund airport for the short hop to Luton – fingers crossed for a smoother trip this time (at least the trains should be free of football fans). It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable week all round; our pupils have been a credit to the school with their impeccable manners and positivity, and I’ve been particularly impressed by their fearless attempts to develop their knowledge of German. Gut gemacht Leute!

Soest 2009: Sieges, Saints and Sinners

2009-12-08T08:29:00.008Z

Today we took our pupils and their German partners to the nearby city of Münster for a guided tour of its countless historical treasures. Despite near total destruction by the RAF in 1945 , the city centre was completely rebuilt in 1950 using plans and photographs and today it is difficult to tell the old from the new – quite an achievement! Our excellent tour guide regailed us with stories from Münster’s at times inspiring, at times depressing history, successfully striking a chord with our pupils as he showed them a stone donated from Coventry Cathedral in the UK, which was also obliterated by the massed air raids of the Second World War. Particularly gruesome was the story of the three metal cages which still hang from the spire of the St. Lamberti church (see above) – Year 9 pupils wanting more details should apply for next year’s exchange! In the afternoon pupils enjoyed some Xmas shopping and, dare I say it, Starbucks with their partners. It was good to see the English and German groups intermixing and the bilingual laughter on the train home certainly bodes well for the rest of the exchange. Bis gleich!

Soest 2009 - Our arrival

2009-12-06T16:25:00.003Z

Another year thunders past and another plane lands at a quiet German airport bearing a cargo of 15 excited Year 10 pupils (and 2 only-slightly-less-excited teachers). Yep, that's right folks, the first leg of Northgate's highly successful and long-running exchange with the Aldegrever Gymnasium in Soest is already underway! As far as outward journeys go, this one certainly could have been worse.... but not much. Omens weren't great when our bus driver managed to get lost on the way to Luton airport – despite using a Sat-Nav – and then our flight was mysteriously delayed for an hour. Once aboard and awaiting departure, passengers were duly informed that our plane had been grounded for inspection due to a suspected hydraulic leak, which the pilot then cheerfully admitted they were unable to find! After spending the entire flight in the 'brace' position I was pleased to note that the enthusiasm of our pupils remained thoroughly unshaken. Indeed, as we made our way from baggage reclaim to the bus/train stations my colleague and I began to feel like walking phrase books as members of our group eagerly compiled lists of 'survival German', including 'Can you speak English?', 'Sorry I don't understand' and for one particularly hungry lad, 'What time is dinner?' Narrowly missing our desired train to Soest was by now par for the course; we remained in good cheer as we waited half an hour at Dortmund Hauptbahnhof for the next connection. When the train finally arrived it was standing room only due to hoards of Dortmund football fans on their way home after the big match, who could euphamistically be described as being in 'high spirits'. Thankfully the mood among the fans was good (Dortmund having won 4-0) and the journey passed free of incident...right up the point where the train broke down and we had to disembark and wait a further 30 minutes for another one! Having checked that we were actually in Germany and not still in England, Miss MacEachern and I then shepherded our tired and hungry (though to their credit still positive and polite) group onto the rescue train (full of even higher-spirited fans) for what we prayed would be the final leg of our now rather irksome trek to Soest. And so we finally arrived and were greeted on the platform by cakes and flasks of tea from the German pupils and their parents. What a relief! Finally, in what has to be one of the utmost highlights of this job, Miss Mac and I then stood to one side with our German colleagues and watched as the exchange partners tentatively got acquainted, swelling with pride as we heard our students putting their German to practical use for the first time. Wunderbar!

Homework for 8.2, Mr Blagona's Group

2009-11-09T10:40:00.003Z

Here you go - click on the picture, print it out, and complete your timetable in German!

If the picture won't load, click here.

Y9 Homework for Mr Blagona

2009-11-05T19:26:00.002Z

Following on from our lesson on predictions, and using the Je serai / J'aurai constructions we learned today, I want you to answer the following questions in your book, and not to print it out, as I asked you to do earlier today. Write the questions down, and put your answers underneath.

Comment seras tu en 2080?
Quel âge auras-tu?
Tu auras les cheveux de quelle couleur?
Comment seras ta maison?
Est-ce que tu seras marié? Avec qui?
Est-ce que tu auras des enfants et des petits enfants?

We made history, but now it's time for bed.

2009-10-22T00:37:00.000+01:00

I'm writing this on the A12, as we head home in the mist and drizzle from Stansted Airport. The farewells in Seville were heartfelt and tearful, and strong friendships have been made. This is what exchanges are all about. We have experienced life in a Spanish school, lived in a family environment for a week, and the students have learnt as much about themselves as about the culture and language of this wonderful country. From the city of Seville itself, to the history of Cordoba, from the beaches of Cadiz to the excitement of the flamenco dancing, our students have experienced things that will stay with them forever. It's been a pleasure to have accompanied them on this trip, there have been many laughs, and I've been surprised yet delighted at how our students so openly approached life in a foreign country. The only thing I'd probably avoid in the future would be the buses in Seville, but that's a different story... On behalf of Miss Sear, Miss Berllaque and myself, a massive thank you, and see you all in school!!

Dancing the Spanish Way - Ole!

2009-10-21T09:24:00.001+01:00

So we're now on to the last day of what has been a fantastic exchange. We were caught a bit by surprise yesterday as from mid-afternoon onwards, it poured down with rain, leaving most of our students a bit damp. The morning was spent at Seville Cathedral, with the highlight being seeing Christopher Columbus' tomb. After a bit more retail therapy, we had an evening at El Patio Sevillano, watching some fantastic examples of flamenco dancing. With Miss Berllaque leading the shouts of "Ole!!" our students got quickly into the spirit of the occasion, trying to predict when the next appropriate "Ole!!" moment would be! Let's just say it's all about the timing! Today is all about the World Expo park...

Over to Cordoba...

2009-10-20T08:03:00.001+01:00

After the weekend with their families, we met up early on Monday morning for the two hour coach trip to the ancient city of Cordoba. The city is famous for it's mosque, which was converted into a cathedral when the Moors left the city. We had a tour of the site, which left us all impressed by it's size and scale, whilst our students were very respectful of the requests for silence in the church. After an hour or so, the students had plenty of time to relieve themselves of some euros on shoes, t-shirts and other items that will push them over Ryanair's weight allowance!

Life's a beach!

2009-10-17T21:09:00.001+01:00

Cadiz. What a city. Obviously I'm blinkered by the non-stop sunshine and heat, but nonetheless it's such a beautiful place. We travelled by coach for just over an hour from Seville, and then on arrival had a walk around the city. It's on the south coast of Spain, and Miss B was getting more excited the nearer we got to Gibraltar! We saw the cathedral, and the pretty cobbled streets and shops and then had our lunch on the beach. The afternoon was spent tanning up by the sea with our Spanish friends and with Becca organising the beach games like a Kid's Camp rep, a really amusing time was had by all. Sunday sees everyone with their family for the day. No prizes for guessing the weather forecast!

Day One report, and on to Day Two

2009-10-17T11:06:00.001+01:00

Day one saw our students getting to know the school, the classrooms, and our hosts gave our students a brief insight into the Spanish school system. After getting the bus into the centre of the city, we visited the Real Alcazar, which is a royal residence and garden. It was a wonderful place, with some great scenic views. After our afternoon siesta, we went back into town for a town trail. The students, with differing levels of enthusiasm, had to wander around the town, finding out key bits of information about the city. When we all met up again at the end of the event, it was time for a bit of tapas then off home. Today, we're off to Cadiz, which is a beautiful coastal city on the southern tip of the country. Oh, and it's hot again!

The week's programme...

2009-10-16T08:02:00.001+01:00

The first morning...

2009-10-16T07:43:00.001+01:00

As the school has wifi, I am able to update the blog easily on my phone! Yay! The students are all awake, even if they are only just awake. It was a very muggy night, we may struggle with this heat, but even our Spanish hosts are finding it too much. 30 degrees in October is still unseasonal. This morning the students have an hour or so in lessons. The school is very modern with about 1000 students, comparable with the facilities we have at Northgate. At about 10am we are having a bit of a welcome committee with the Headteacher (who unlike in England is voted in to the job) then partaking in a Spanish breakfast! The evening is our tour of the city, more updates later...

Arrival in Seville

2009-10-15T22:16:00.002+01:00

It's a mammoth task, getting 25 students across Europe, and as polite as people try to be, 'other' people complicate stuff. We left just after 1pm, having been waved off by the Deputy Head, and drove in the sunshine to Stansted airport. Security is tight at UK airports, and when Becky had her sandwich taken and tested for drugs and explosives, we knew we'd be a while. With belts and shoes back on, we I got the last Starbucks fix and then the queue to get on the plane. Ryanair was perfectly acceptable, but the fanfare through the plane's sound system on arrival was a bit much -

"Yet another Ryanair flight on time" we were told.

"Uh...great." We thought.

A bit of a queue to get through passport control, and we heard the screams of our waiting Spanish hosts. I've never had that before. Screams. It was like we were 25 X-Factor winners. Many hugs, photos, and handshakes followed before we left the airport and headed home.

Fish, potatoes and salad was my initial Spanish dish, in a very welcoming and helpful ( I don't speak Spanish) family.

School tomorrow, another update then...

Hasta manana!

A belated welcome back, and we're off to sunny sunny Spain!!

2009-10-05T14:25:00.003+01:00

With no updates since the start of this term, you'd be thinking that we were ignoring the blog. Not true! It's been a very busy first few weeks of term, with the intake of new students, new classes, and in the case of Miss Jebb, new teachers. We've also had a fun week with our colleagues from Amiens.

So, now the countdown begins, on Thursday 15th October, we head off to Spain for our very first Spanish exchange, with a school in Seville. 25 students from Years 10-13 will be experiencing life in a Spanish school, some Flamenco dancing, and the cultural visits to Huelva and Cordoba as well as the wonderful city of Seville. It is my intention to update the blog while we are in Andalucia, and keep you up to date with the events of the trip!

We're on the ferry!

2009-07-08T10:42:00.000+01:00

-- Posted on the road to Koblenz.

On the road to Koblenz

2009-07-08T09:13:00.000+01:00

After an early start, we had a coffee at Maidstone. The ferry is 45 minutes away, and the weather? Well it's a bit dodgy. We will update more en route. Posted on the road to Koblenz.

Work for Y10, Friday 19th June

2009-06-18T22:50:00.003+01:00

While I'm away, here's what I want you to do today;

Log on to : http://www.berlin-life.com/eat/restaurant_directory.php, and take some time to read through the list of restaurants mentioned in Berlin. Go through each restaurant, and find their own individual website. Write a short evaluation of which restaurant you think has the best website, and make you give at least 5 reasons why you think it is better than the other restaurants. Be sure to also check out if you can, each restaurant's menu. If the word 'Menü' isn't on the website, look for 'Speisekarte'. When you have been through each website, begin to create your own restaurant that would fit in to the Berlin Guide. Think of the name, and style, and design an appropriate menu. You can create your menu in English, but you must also create a German version as well. Make sure you print off what you have achieved and hand it in at the end of the lesson.

Katie's Last Diary Entry...

2009-05-19T10:53:00.001+01:00

Hello Everyone! This is my last entry as my year abroad has now come to an end. It's such a weird feeling but I really have had the best year of my life! I’m so sad it’s all over and would do it all over again in an instant if I had the chance! I’ve learnt so much in the last 8 months - obviously the language, but also living in another country on my own for a period of time has made me more independent and has introduced me to new cultures and new ways of life. I’ve met so many different people from all walks of life and had so many laughs along the way! Looking back, Lucon really was the perfect location for a year abroad. Originally I wanted to be in a big city such as Nantes or Paris, but living in a small town, I found it was so much easier to integrate myself into the community and meet people. Everyone knows everyone, and as long as you behave yourself, it's a lovely community feeling! Not once did I feel intimidated or lost, even though I was in a strange place. I made many trips to the bigger cities and along the way met other assistants who were experiencing an array of troubles from behavioural troubles with the children to general troubles in and around the city. Life in Lucon was so relaxed, the children were keen to learn and the local community were willing to help with anything. I was really very lucky with the other assistant I was placed with in Lucon. Me and Sam (the American assistant) got on so well and really made the best out of life in Lucon. I’m looking forward to cheap holidays in America!

Of course, throughout the year, there were hard and frustrating times - it wasn't always a bed of roses!! It can be frustrating living in a foreign country and adjusting to a new culture, but getting through these times just makes the experience more gratifying at the end!

This year in France, and only working 12 hours a week has enabled me to travel all around France and see a lot of what it has to offer, speaking and learning French along the way (and different dialects and accents!) For example, in the April holidays, I was lucky enough to do some travelling - beginning in Lyon, then moving on to Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence, St Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Monaco. It was so much fun and was a nice 'beginning of the end' of my year in France!! A year abroad really is a great experience and is a year where you can just grasp all opportunities to discover a new language and culture, whilst having great amounts of fun along the way! My French speaking has improved no end as well as my confidence in my ability to be able to do it (something I've always struggled with!) To finish the year, I went to Bordeaux for a week to complete an intense language course at a school called B.L.S. I'm so pleased I did this, as not only did I learn more, but it gave me a chance to consolidate everything I’d learnt in the previous 7 months and enabled me to clear up any queries I had with different aspects of the language. I stayed with a Bordeaux host family. I was lucky enough to be placed in a lovely family who I got on very well with. Bordeaux is amazing so I'm excited to go back and visit!! I attended intensive French lessons with all different nationalities for a week. Well worth doing!

So in conclusion, my year abroad has been the best year of my life. Of course there were tough times but these were massively outweighed by all the fun times! I've learnt so much and met some brilliant people. I now have friends all over France who I will definitely be keeping in contact with. It's just so strange to think that this time 8 months ago I was upset because I didn't want to leave England - And now I'm upset because I'm not in Lucon anymore and my year abroad has come to an end. I just want to be back there continuing my French adventure!

Now all that's left is back to Nottingham in September to complete my final year which counts for 80% of my final degree mark!!

Our friends from Seville!

2009-04-29T14:17:00.002+01:00

On Tuesday 21st April at three o’clock, the languages department at Northgate High School made history when, in brilliant sunshine, twenty three excited Spanish pupils and their two teachers arrived at the school to start the first leg of our first ever Spanish exchange. After months of planning, thousands of emails and an inspection visit, the day had finally arrived! Nervous and excited, group by group the students recognised each other, eye contact was made, hesitant conversations began and our English pupils took their partner home to begin their week long stay with their families in Ipswich. The exchange is with Ramon Valle-Inclan High School, a secondary school of 800 pupils in a leafy suburb of Seville. The Spanish pupils involved range from 15 – 17 years old and are paired up with some of our Year 9s, 10s and 12s. Throughout the week the group has spent time in lessons, made presentations on life in Spain and learnt to play the English game of rounders, The students have also made trips to Norwich, Cambridge, Southwold and Dunwich as well as participated in those organised by the host families. The return visit to Spain will be made at the end of October when twenty five students and three members of staff from Northgate will fly to Seville for a week of language and culture. Both schools hope that this will be the first of many such exchanges where our youngsters have the opportunity to learn about themselves and other cultures in the hope that this leads to a greater understanding of others.

Y8 Bist du fit - Das Handbuch

2009-04-01T01:27:00.003+01:00

Bist Du Fit

Y8, by using the attached template, you should be able to start putting together the beginnings of your healthy eating guidebooks. Use the phrases and the questions to help you, and we sure to use both modal verbs and weil clauses in your work where it makessense to do so!

Going Global 2009 - The Magazine!

2009-03-30T22:32:00.006+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More spanish

After a great project with some fantastic results, we'll be sending out this magazine-type thing to all the students and schools that participated in this year's project. It's fairly short but sweet, and includes a few photos of the event, interviews with some of the students, and a roll of honour. It also includes an interview with Tim Vickery, who is the BBC football correspondent in South America. Originally from London, now living in Rio de Janeiro, Tim tells us how languages played such a massive part in his life, and how it went hand in hand with his love for football. During the Easter holidays, we'll be uploading the resources that the students have produced on to Slideshare, where you will be able to download them!

Lost in Translation?

2009-03-25T21:45:00.007Z

It's the time of the academic year where Year 11 are frantically (or not so frantically) finishing off their GCSE Coursework. Of course we, like many schools allow our students to type up most of their coursework on the computers, accepting that they will use spell checkers to clear up mistakes. The problem behind the use of computers in writing up coursework is the terrible temptation to use the dreaded internet translators, which is in all honestly, a lazy way to produce writing. The concept of learning a language involves getting a grasp of the vocabulary, having a knowledge of grammar, and getting a grip on past, present and future tenses. Just typing in your English text and expecting the computer to produce you an A* piece of work, is frankly a crazy idea. What's more, for the teachers who mark it, it is so easy to spot, and then you'll lose marks anyway for having used a translator. Translators don't always spot the little nuances of the English language, and what's worse, if you make a spelling mistake in English, or if you use poor grammar, then the translator won't pick that up for you! There are a few helpful websites, however that you can use without making a mess of your work.

www.leo.org - German-English dictionary
www.collinslanguage.com - Online multilingual dictionary
www.wordreference.com - A really useful tool for looking up words, includes a foum to ask questions, and also comes with an iPhone app!

Le Diner de Cons - What a film!

2009-03-20T22:41:00.001Z

If you are in Year 13, then you will have seen this film in lessons - if you are in Year 12, come and see us if you want to borrow it!

MFL @ Northgate goes to Language World!

2009-03-20T18:22:00.003Z

It's been a very busy month for the Language College here at Northgate; both in and out of school. In case you've missed any of it, here's a quick recap. Last week saw the arrival of our German exchange visitors from the Aldegrever Gymnasium in Soest. Staying with some of our Year 10 students, our guests visited the wonders of Ipswich, as well as having a day in Cambridge and a day in London, including a 'flight' on the London Eye, and a visit to the London Dungeons. This week, our friends from the Lycee St Louis in Saint Etienne will be staying with our Year 12 French group. They will also be going to Cambridge, but will also be taking in the delights of the Suffolk coastline with a visit to Dunwich and fish and chips in Southwold! Northgate has also been represented at the Association for Language Learning Eastern Region speaking competition. If you were wondering what those hoards of children were after school on Thursday, that would have been 225 students from across Suffolk and Essex, from Year 7 to Year 10 who were at Northgate to take part in the 'Have Your Say' speaking competition. It was a fun, if frenetic event, and the judges were delighted with the standard of the entries. We've also been out and about across the country, with presentations on podcasting and how we use wikis at our school. Mr Blagona was in Liverpool at the CILT Primary Languages Show explaining how podcasting can motivate students in languages, and on the weekend of April 3/4, we will be at the ALL's annual show 'Language World', held this year at the University of Leicester, where we will be talking about how to use wikis to promote group learning. Language World is a great event, and is one I look forward to every year. It brings together such a wide spectrum of professionals from within the languages community, and our session is just one of 60 that delegates can chose from! From the National Director for Languages to the newest trainee teacher, there is something for everyone. It's not too late to sign up to go, and if you are interested, get in touch with Sheila James at the ALL, either by email, or by calling 0116 229 7454. This blog has also been featured in the Top 10 Language blogs in the ALL magazine! Yay!

Using Twitter to keep in touch with MFL @ Northgate

2009-03-12T16:15:00.003Z

Do you tweet? To keep you up to date with what is going on in the Language College here at Northgate, we've set up a twitter account that will feed you with the latest news, important things like dates and deadlines, up to the minute links to useful websites, and may even help or advise you with French, German or Spanish work. So remember to add us @northgatemfl!

Ich habe getwittert / J'ai tweeté

Get help with your verbs using VERBIX.

2009-03-12T16:03:00.002Z

Logging on to Verbix can help you find the right ending for those verbs you're not really sure of. It works in quite a few languages, not just French, German and Spanish, and having tried it out with a few awkward verbs, it seems to work quite well. It's free, and also comes with a feature that allows you to install it on your computer, so that you can conjugate verbs even when you are offline. Give it a go, and let us know what you think.

Year 8 - Beim Arzt

2009-03-11T09:46:00.004Z

Today's lesson in the computer room will need you to log on to the 'Gut' website, so click here. You will need to enter in your login details, which I will give you if you have forgotten them. Please work through as much of the content as you can. When you have worked through those, log on to this section of the Languages Online website - no password needed - and then work through these exercises.

Photo by tschröda

Year 10 Ipswich Coursework Mindmap

2009-03-05T09:14:00.002Z

Here is the mind map we put together for the lesson on the Ipswich coursework - in French. Remember to cover each strand and don't forget the grammar and opinions section! The map was made using text2mindmap, if you're keen on making your own!

CinéMoi - A channel for French movies

2009-02-17T12:51:00.004Z

It's half term, so obviously I catch up on all the television that I've not had the time to watch over the last six weeks, thanks to the wonder that is Sky+. So whilst wasting away an afternoon flicking through the channels, I stumbled across channel 839 on Sky Digital - CinéMoi - a channel dedicated to French movies. For those of us that have a liking for cinema from our friends over the channel this could be a great find. Up to now, French films occasionally find their way to BBC4, sometimes even Sky Movies, and more frequently on to the World Movies channel (Channel 331), but to have a channel just for movies from France, well it could be fantastique!

Mixing Language and Video - reelfrench.com

2009-02-11T19:20:00.003Z

I spotted a post from another Language Teacher, Helen Myers at Ashcombe School in Surrey (visit their website!) which mentions a website brought to you from the creators of Linguascope. Reelfrench combines common topics in French with a video, transcript and gap fill exercises. If you think the accents are a little different, that's because the videos are recorded in Quebec, Canada - I love that accent. Have a look and let me know what you think!

Sorry for ignoring you, and more news from France...

2009-02-09T19:27:00.002Z

I'm sorry, but it's been a busy few weeks in the Language College. To update you, I thought I'd better post the latest update from Katie, our former student, who is currently working as an assistant in France.

Sorry I haven’t written anything in a long time - things have been pretty hectic! Where to begin...

Well, the last thing I wrote to you about was the Vendee Globe and other things at the end of November. Since then things have been very busy, what with Christmas events and so on.

At the end of November it was my birthday. My parents came out for a week which was brilliant. It was so nice for them to see where I'm living and to see how I've settled in. They were allowed to come in and visit the school - the kids went mental of course at the presence of new foreign people!! They tried their best with the french... by the end of the week mastering une grande biere, un chocolat chaud and knowing when to say Bonjour / Bonsoir. In December here in Lucon, there was a Christmas market. It was so nice to go to (even if I did hear about 1000 Hellooooo’s from all the kids we bumped in to! In typical french style there were some weird sights - a special kind of pretend battle being staged with swords and all, and 2 camels walking around carrying kids being led by 2 very dodgy looking men! We were all slightly tired from "Boogie" the previous night (yes Boogie still entertains us!!) but we still managed to have fun. The Christmas period was really fun at school. Singing carols and making Christmas cards for a living is not a bad thing!! All the kids were so excited and it was lovely telling them about Christmas in England - they didn't like the sound of Christmas pudding! Instead they have a type of chocolate cake which sounds yummy! However, they loved the idea of crackers - they've never heard of them over here so I bought some back with me after Christmas holidays - the jokes proved a bit difficult to translate for them though seeing as they're all relative to the English language!! They were happy with the little presents inside them though. I went home for 2 weeks over christmas. Although I love it out here, it was absolutely brilliant to go home. The first thing I did when i got home was have fish and chips. Yes, being in France makes you miss every part of English culture!! I also spent 6 hours non-stop shopping. The shops in Lucon are not very good to say the least! So I had 3 months catching up to do. The 2 weeks flew by however, and before I knew it, I was back in France. It was really nice going back to school to see the kids, and I was happy to find out that they still remembered the English I’d taught them despite the 2 week break! Being a language assistant really is turning out to be very rewarding. Its so nice to be a part of these childrens' learning and so rewarding when they finally are able to perfectly say what you have taught them and participate in English language conversation - even if it is pretty limited! But the point is, they didn't know any of it before I came along. Even the very little kids are picking lots up - they're so proud to be able to count to ten - so proud in fact that they constantly tap me on the shoulder and sing out 1 - 10! January has gone by really quickly. Of course, we visited Boogie on our first Friday night back - they’d missed us and our Englishness a lot of course!! We had a few of the other assistants in the area over for dinner (raclette of course) and then off to Boogie. It's becoming a bit of a tradition. How French of us! Raclette is by far my favourite French dish ever! My flatmate bought me the apparatus for my birthday which is so fun to use. Mr B will explain raclette to you I'm sure if you don't already know! The last 2 weekends have been very fun fun fun! On the 17th, I went to Paris to meet my best friend who is also doing an assistantship out here. It was such fun - Paris is my favourite French city by far!! The shops are amazing... a little too expensive so window shopping only!! The weekend just gone, a few other assistants and myself went to Nice for the weekend. It was such an adventure and such good fun! We set off on friday evening at 8pm and took the night train to Nice. A total of 14 hours to get there. It was an experience though - I had a couchette which was actually surprisingly comfortable! Had a good nights sleep considering other people were coming and going at every stop. It was brilliant to wake up in the morning and open the door to look out to the south coast, whilst winding through the mountains. We passed a lot of nice expensive looking yachts which one day I will own!!! The weather in Nice was absolutely gorgeous so we were very cultured and spent time wandering and laying on the beach!! And of course a bit of shopping. Sunday afternoon, we headed across to Toulon. A lot of rough people here and felt rather intimidated, obviously being foreign so we didn't stay out long!! We were supposed to get a night train back on Sunday night at 6pm to get us back to Lucon at 8am Monday ready to be at work for 9am. However..... that train was cancelled!! We went to the help desk to see what they could do for us... and in true French manor... we got a blank look, a shrug of the shoulders, and a "Pffff" sound. After much deliberation, we were told we could go to Paris at a cost of 18 more euros. So, to add to the adventure, we had to take another night train to Paris which didn't leave until 11pm which meant hanging around Toulon station for 5 hours.... we sat ourselves in the corner and didn't look at anyone. The tramps were aplenty by about 9pm. Anyway... we finally got to Paris at 8am Monday morning... obviously we weren't going to make it into work for 9am - they were fine about this luckily! We finally got back to Lucon at 2pm... extremely tired but so worthwhile as we had a fantastic weekend! We worked out, we’d spent more hours on trains than it would take to fly around the world. To add to that, we travelled a full circle of France. So thats been January! I'm going home again for 2 weeks on the 7th february so looking forward to that. School is manic at the moment - there seems to be an epidemic of flu and other viruses so a lot of teachers are off, and there's not enough supply teachers to replace them which means kids are distributed throughout other classes which makes the classes rather big!! On top of that, I’m continuously surrounded by snotty kids wanting a kiss - Luckily I haven't come down with anything...yet!

Brrr! Welcome back!

2009-01-12T12:28:00.003Z

Welcome back (a touch belatedly) to school, and Happy New Year! I hope 2009 is a great year for you all. The first week back was a touch cold, with snow on Sunday, which had many of us hoping for a 'snow day'. Not to be of course, as we don't normally get that much snow in East Anglia. For others across the globe, last week brought boat loads of snow, in amounts that would frankly close this country down for days. In France, the south of the country - more used to warmer weather - was brought to a standstill by heavy snow. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Canada, a country more used to the cold, was hit with temperatures of -35! You can see for yourself how cold it is here!

Soest 2008: Final Thoughts!

2008-12-07T21:20:00.010Z

Well the first leg of our German exchange is sadly now over; upon reflection it has been an unforgettable week for all involved and Ms MacEachern and I would like to express our thanks and admiration to the pupils for their excellent conduct and heart-winning good humour throughout our stay (I think it’s safe to say you will be sorely missed by your host families!). We were truly impressed by the way our group overcame their initial nervousness to throw themselves wholeheartedly into German life and culture, and it was already evident during our return trip today that many students have grown significantly from the experience. It remains only for us to express our warm thanks to our German hosts – we’ve all really appreciated your generous hospitality and tireless commitment to making our visit so successful and we promise to do our best to return the favour when you come to Ipswich in March! Nochmals danke und bis gleich!

Another Update from Soest!

2008-12-06T13:24:00.011Z

We’re now nearing the end of our stay in Germany and I think it’s safe to say that the pupils have enjoyed an absolutely fantastic week (several have already said that they don’t want to go home!). From a teacher’s point of view it has been a privilege to watch firm friendships develop between the Northgate pupils, their German partners and, by all accounts, their host families as well – a credit to the politeness and positive attitude of our students (well done guys). Despite the cold, wet weather we’ve enjoyed an action-packed schedule, including a visit to Cologne where our first port of call was the highly educational Lindt chocolate museum! Afterwards we visited the hugely impressive cathedral, where all of our students braved the 510 steps up to the tower. Our thanks go to the German teacher who accompanied them, as both English staff members were laid low by severe colds (at least that’s our excuse). On Tuesday the pupils spent the morning in lessons at the Gymnasium, during which they were struck by many differences between German and British school life. Afterwards we were given VIP treatment at the town hall where we were officially welcomed by the Burgermeister (mayor) and photographed for the local paper! Yesterday we decided to give our hosts a well-earned rest so took ourselves off to nearby Paderborn on the train. We spent the morning at the Siemens-Nixdorf Museum – the biggest computer museum in the world. Despite some initial groans, the pupils clearly found the ‘interactive exhibits’ (ahem, computer games) so interesting that some forgot all about the meeting time and had to be rounded up by Mr Stewart (you know who you are!). And so the last day has arrived and the pupils are spending it with their partners (thankfully everyone survived the communal ice skating last night!). It will be surprising if there are not at least a few tears shed at our departure tomorrow morning.

Update from Soest!

2008-12-03T14:08:00.010Z

The first leg of Northgate’s 2008-09 exchange visit to the Aldegrever Gymnasium in Soest is now three days old and all participants are having a great time. The trip got off to a somewhat shakey start when our connecting bus broke down, leaving us stranded at Düsseldorf-Weeze airport for over four hours! However, the students responded to this mini-crisis with exemplary patience and fortitude (aided by several tons of chocolate and sweets from the airport’s shop) and we finally arrived in Soest under cover of darkness and just in time for dinner!

The first night with the German host families was naturally a somewhat nervy affair for many pupils; the teachers went to sleep that night clutching their mobile phones under their pillows, ready to tackle any homesickness-related emergencies, but of course the dreaded calls never came and we were greeted by a well-rested, bubbly group of pupils at the train station the next morning.

And so we made our first excursion to nearby Münster for a day of sight-seeing, shopping and, of course, friendship making! Initially, both sets of teachers noted with slight concern that two distinct groups of pupils had formed, one German, one British, neither having very much to do with the other. However, by the end of the day our whispered discussions about ideas for games and activities to break the ice had proven unnecessary as both sets of pupils were now fully interspersed. On the homeward journey our train carriage was filled with bi-lingual conversations, constant laughter and slightly bemused German commuters.

That’s all for now, bis bald!

Photo by Mihr-i

It's time for Going Global 2009!

2008-12-03T00:00:00.000Z

Tonight sees the start of this year's Gifted and Talented Linguists project for the best Year 11 students in French, German and Spanish across the entire county of Suffolk. Over 50 students from 17 high schools will arrive at Northgate to begin preparations for their projects. With technology a key part of the project, many students will be looking to make films, design websites or record podcasts in an attempt to raise awareness of a global issue. The online element of the project will be run via the Going Global Wiki, which will allow students to carry out their research and share ideas and resources wherever they may be in the county. Keep an eye on the Flickr badge for photos from the project, and as the projects near completion, they will be uploaded as well.

Motivate your students - make a podcast!

2008-12-01T18:12:00.004Z

This is the presentation from today's session at the Middle School MFL subject leaders conference in Ipswich. The audio will follow shortly!

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: french podcasting)

Robert and Ross talk politics...well, kind of.

2008-11-18T23:35:00.002Z

Make your own minds up on this one... :)

French Grammar: Infinitive Constructions

2008-11-18T18:19:00.002Z

Y13! Bonjour! Follow this link to read through and complete the exercise on infinitives and their uses.

It's time to sign up for the French Exchange!

2008-11-17T21:13:00.003Z

See your French teacher for more details!

The MFL @ Northgate Podcast is back!

2008-11-17T19:27:00.005Z

Thanks to the wonderful customer support from the chaps at Jellycast, we have managed to get the podcasts back on track. So after a very long time without anything, you get two updates in a week! Firstly Y8, who have been practicing their restaurant role-plays get it together live for you to...er...enjoy, and then Y7 show you what they've learnt so far by introducing themselves. For the time being you can listen to both podcasts on the Jellycast website, our by subscribing to iTunes. They're all free - well this morning someone did ask if they had to pay for them... Now that's an idea!

Really useful grammar sheet for French

2008-11-13T09:27:00.002Z

In response to some of the questions raised from today's lesson, I've put a grammar help sheet online for you to download. It's adapted from one emailed to me by colleagues at The Ashcombe School in Surrey, but feel free to copy it, print it and put it in your books.

Katie's France Diary, Part 3 - Getting settled in, and seeing the sights

2008-11-13T00:30:00.000Z

Katie, ex-Northgate student is currently living in Lucon, in the Vendee region of France, working as an assistant at a local school. She's been sending us regular updates of life in France...

Hello again! The last few weeks have been extremely busy! So here goes...

The last week of teaching before the Toussaints holiday seemed to drag on because I was so excited to see my friends!! I think what made it worse was the fact that because of the holidays, the kids were EXTREMELY restless and excitable! I managed to make the most of it though ad put all of their energy into making them sing and dance to English songs - yes of course - the standard ones, "Heads and shoulders, knees and toes", "Old MacDonald", "ABC", and the "Rainbow Song!"

The Toussaints holiday was fantastic! It was so lovely to see my friends from uni and have a good catch up. I think for me the strangest part of my year abroad, apart from adapting to living in another culture (!!), has most definitely been that fact that all of my friends are still at uni doing their 3rd years getting up to all the fun and games we all used to get up to last year - except this year I'm not there!! And when I go back for my 4th year, they’ll all be graduated. But that's life - And I can honestly say, I would not change this year for anything. It really is turning out to be the best experience of my life. It was really nice to show my friends my new home. I think also, during this week - I realised just how much I've accomplished since getting out here. Having my friends tell me how proud they are of me after seeing how I've settled in really made me realise how much this year can teach you and build you as a person. (slushy stuff over with now!) I have definitely noticed an improvement in my French as for the majority of the week I was managing to talk and translate for all of them! By the end of the week, we were all feeling slightly fragile - I think Boogie had taken its toll on us!

Also, an excellent thing happened during Toussaints - I got paid!! And what shocked me the most, was I got paid the full amount, on the exact date I was told - could French paperwork actually be getting it right?!

Toussaints went by very quickly, but by the end of it, I was actually looking forward to returning to work and seeing all of the children again. I returned to work on the 5th November, but not for long as another regional holiday was looming - the 7th - 13th November. Yes I know - an assistantship really is the best thing - get paid lots for doing hardly any hours of work and getting to explore France!

For this holiday, myself and Sam arranged to meet up with other English language (and some Spanish) assistants, all working in the Vendee, for the Vendee Globe (09/11). Its a massive thing over here and people come from all over the country / world to watch it. It takes place in Les Sables d’Olonne where luckily we had a place to stay chez an American assistant. Cutting a long story short - we missed the launch of the boats, and in fact missed seeing any of the boats due to arriving in Les Sables too late!! But we had a fun filled party Sunday night. The following day, a few of us returned to Lucon, my home town, where we decided to be civilised and have a dinner party that evening. In typical french style, we made our was through the numerous courses consisting of salad, bread, main course (cream pasta), cheese, and ice cream. YUMMY!

By the time they all left yesterday, I was very tired so have been taking it easy since then, doing tedious things like walking 25 minutes each way to the laundrette!!

So there you are, things have been very hectic the last few weeks but I'm really starting to enjoy myself. After the first month or so, I suddenly felt settled in to my new life and started to really appreciate just how lucky I am to be discovering a new culture and enjoying living and working in France. There isnt a day that goes by where I dont have a laugh and every day I learn something new and exciting. Things at the school have settled down now and I’m getting into a routine of what I need to do. I'm getting to know the kids and they're getting to know me and they really are adorable - so eager to learn English. And if I'm honest - I quite like all of them being my adoring fans!!

Hope you're all enjoying French - it's not long until Christmas!!!

"We must save the planet!" say Naomi, Rachel and Charlotte.

2008-11-12T20:21:00.004Z

Year 13 have been producing party political broadcasts this week, and Naomi, Rachel and Charlotte, aided by many friends have created a little video that might make you think, but will certainly make you smile.

Using Glogster to create resources for students

2008-11-12T01:12:00.007Z

Glogster is a really cool way of bringing resources, topics and language to life using the internet. In this example, I have downloaded YouTube videos using Zamzar relevant to the topic of transport for A2 French, as well as a video of myself from my webcam, and photos picked up from Google images. The only thing missing for languages is the present inability to insert foreign accents and letters, something that will surely be addressed soon. All elements of a 'Glog' can have a certain amount of interactivity, photos can be made larger, you can embed links to other pages (click on the footprint!) as well as adding video and sound files.

I'm thinking of letting Year 10 loose on this to describe themselves and their hobbies, anyone else tried it?

Reflexive Verb Practice in French

2008-11-10T01:48:00.003Z

OK, Year 10, we've been working on reflexive verbs in French, and just to check that you know what's going on, head over to the wiki page, and download the powerpoint and the word document. Complete the word doc, and hand it back in!

Obama speaks a bit of Spanish!

2008-11-06T15:42:00.002Z

I'll leave it up to you to decide after watching this whether Barack Obama is more fluent than Tony Blair in another language, but I know who I'm going for!

Useful environment resources for A Level French

2008-11-06T14:27:00.003Z

A wonderful resource for teaching the environment - sponsored by the french bank Caisses d'Epargne - there are loads of little videos, many of which are mildly amusing - dealing with various 'green' themes. There is also a quiz section that goes with it!

A2 French: Les Transports topic resources

2008-11-04T09:00:00.000Z

Today sees the start of our topic on Transport in France. Using the wonderful website of MonJTQuotidien, you can click on the subject of transport and by using the self access sheets you should watch the videos related to transport.

Teachers, overcome your technophobia!

2008-11-02T20:39:00.001Z

Teachers, overcome your technophobia!

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: wikis education)

This is the presentation I gave at the Language Show in London earlier today. Many thanks to all of you that came, and a big thanks to the students who have made our wiki such a success at Northgate!

Open Evening 2008

2008-10-24T00:38:00.005+01:00

What a busy night! With lots going on around the school, we decided to take some snaps of the evening and the building - this year's new addition being of course 'Le Cafe de la Porte du Nord' which was giving away lots of pastries and some rather fine coffee. With the help of some very conscientious 6th Formers, we managed to show languages at Northgate in it's best light... Enjoy the photos!

Practice your tenses with Francis Cabrel!

2008-10-23T09:44:00.002+01:00

It's a classic, but this song by Francis Cabrel is sung at such a nice pace and has lyrics that make for a wonderful gap fill activity. You can watch a different version with just the lyrics here.

Studying abroad can get you that great job!

2008-10-22T10:10:00.001+01:00

Here is a link to an article in the Guardian from this week about how studying abroad can help you get one of those high paid jobs you'd like to get.

Katie's France Diary, Episode 2.

2008-10-21T00:15:00.004+01:00

Our former student Katie is spending her year abroad as an assistant in the Vendee. She's now settled in, and here's how she's getting on...

"This week I made the best purchase ever. Sam and I bought a chair each, a recliner chair to be precise which can be put into many different sitting and laying positions! It may sound like a small thing but believe me, it's not when you have an empty apartment with nowhere to sit. It was a mission getting them home from the supermarket seeing as we have no car - we attracted many strange looks from people driving past. Must have looked pretty weird walking with big boxes balanced on our head! "Stupid English people!!" Had our first big night out at BOOOOGIE! Let me tell you just how special it was. First of all we couldn’t find it anywhere but managed to get some young people to show us where it was. No wonder we couldn't find it - it looks like a small house with an illuminated sign on the front where half the letters are missing. We entered to an empty club (which looks like a shed) and then realised that we were too early for it to be busy - it was only 11.30pm! Eventually it got busy, some extremely special french music playing but mixed with English too. It ended up being an excellent night. We got to meet and speak with young French people - something that’s rare in such a small town and they actually understood me!! I actually started teaching on Thursday last week after much fuss from the Headteacher of one of the schools. In typical French fashion, he was completely disorganised and it took him the whole morning (and me being herded around each class like a sheep) to decide what class I’d be teaching first. But finally after nearly one month of being here, I have a definitive teaching timetable - a very strenuous 12 hours a week!! It's difficult at the moment seeing as I'm not fluent - I chose to teach the really little ones thinking that in the long run it would improve my French seeing as they speak no English. It’s really good fun though although teaching them ‘head shoulders knees and toes’ and the rainbow song all day is becoming a little tedious!!! Especially when the teacher told me to teach them ‘mouse’ instead of ‘mouth’ because ‘th’ is difficult for french people. Fair enough I thought, although it changes the whole meaning of the song!!! Apart from songs, I'm just teaching them ‘les bases’ at the moment - "What's your name, how are you, hello, goodbye..." If I had a pound for everytime I've asked a child "What's your name?", I'd be a very rich person!! And what astounds me most is after asking 20 students what their name is and them responding, there's always 1 at the end who doesn't know the answer! But it's good fun - the kids are really eager to learn and treat you like a God! French schools are very different from English ones. It's almost like stepping back in time when entering one. Everything is so, so basic, not to mention old, and they still use chalkboards. I think if a French child was to go to an English school for a day, they’d think they’d been catapulted 100 years into the future!! Tomorrow night, I have a meal with head people of the education authority in my town and all of the teachers at one of the schools I'm teaching in. It's free so that makes it better!! The teachers at the schools are generally really nice and find time to talk to you, as long as you make the effort too, rather than simply just going into school and leaving at every free opportunity. The past weekend, my best friend who is also an assistant on her year abroad came to my town. She’s an assistant in a tiny tiny town called Haute-Ville near Lyon. Unfortunately, she has not been so lucky with her placement - she is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains with only 2 buses a day leaving the town. Not much fun! So I guess I've been pretty lucky. I took her to Boogie on Friday night which of course injected some fun into her year abroad! We visited Nantes on the Saturday. It's an amazing city with lots things to do. The shops are amazing so I was in heaven!! I've nearly been here a month now and I can feel an improvement in my French. My everyday language has improved and I can understand what is being said a lot easier now. Still a long way to go though - it most certainly isn't easy. I think what makes it difficult is I'm not having any actual teaching of the language anymore like I've been used to for the past few years. Its just learning through listening which obviously takes time, especially when the french speak extraordinarily fast!!!! Ive got one more week of teaching and then its "Toussaint" holiday in France for a week and a half. My friends from home are visiting for a week which will be excellent! I think Boogie is a definite! As well as showing them the finest culture in France of course!! Until next time!

Another useful link for French Essay Phrases!

2008-10-17T22:26:00.003+01:00

One of our students found this file for really peachy essay phrases! Make sure you download it, print it and stick it in your folders!

Booing of the French Anthem

2008-10-17T14:36:00.005+01:00

photo by adrienne leigh

The recent coverage following on from the booing by Tunisian supporters of the French national anthem last Wednesday at a friendly between France and Tunisia in Paris has formed the basis of a really interesting Sixth Form lesson. Thanks mainly to a couple of videos on YouTube of the various news channels coverage of the event as well as some very well written English and French articles from Le Parisien and The Times. On that note, if you are looking for insightful background knowledge on all things about life in France, you'll be hard pushed to find anything better than Charles Bremner's blog, written for The Times. He has blogged a couple of times about the events of the this week, and more relevantly, about the reaction (or over-reaction) of politicians and media.

The Times: President Sarkozy orders soccer match ban if fans jeer Marseillaise

Charles Bremner: Sarkozy over-reacts to French anthem incident

Le Parisien: «Marseillaise» huée: 80% des Français choqués

Y9 In der Schule

2008-10-13T08:26:00.002+01:00

To start with this morning we are going to be looking at the vocabulary associated with school - go to Languages Online, and then Deutsch. Under the heading of Logo 3 Units, follow the link to "In der Schule". When you have completed the tasks, turn to page 25 of your text book, and read exercise 5. Answer the questions like you are Lilli, then answer the questions with your own opinions.

Life as an assistant in France...

2008-10-10T17:53:00.007+01:00

This year we have two former Northgate students who have just started the biggest adventure of their lives - spending a year in a foreign country! Over the course of the year we hope to get regular reports and observations from both Katie and Gerardo, as they get used to life in France. Our first report comes from Katie: "I study French Studies at Nottingham University (officially the BEST uni ever!) Ok, for my year abroad, I’m in a small town in the Vendee region of France called Lucon. I'm a Language Assistant for 7 months in 2 primary schools mainly working with 6-8 year olds. I've been here for two weeks now so here's my first ‘diary’ entry!! University has without a doubt been the best time of my life so far - it’s non-stop fun and of course a little bit of work!!! And as for the year abroad - it really hasn't been as bad so far as I’d been led to believe. When I was in my 2nd year, everyone I spoke to who had completed their year abroad said that the first 2 months were the worst of your life and then it eventually starts to become the best year of your life. Don't believe them!! I'm not saying its all been a bundle of fun so far (because obviously it is strange turning up in a foreign country not having a full grasp of the language) but generally, yes, I'm having a great time and it's by no means the worst time ever!! I'm staying in an appartment with an american guy who's also the assistant at the schools. It was originally a nightmare because we were told the appartment was unfurnished. I arrived in France at 9pm on a Friday night so I had visions of curling up in the corner of an empty room with my clothes as a pillow! Not fun! But it all turned out okay. The kitchen is the most special room with one cabinet, a picnic table and a camping stove to cook on! Needless to say - I haven't been cooking grand meals!! I have a bed (that's smaller than a single), and some special ancient furniture but it does the job! And I'm pleased because I have PINK wallpaper!! My main observation of the French so far - they're so laid back about EVERYTHING! Nothing is urgent and the response to everything is "Bahh Non!!" or "Pfff je sais pas!" But its fine, everything will get done in the end I'm assured and things are coming together! Saying that though - they are so uptight about paper work! Everything you do over here, no matter how small needs signed documents so just imagine how much paperwork you need to spend 7 months over here?! Fun fun! I'm yet to start work in the school. Officially I was supposed to start on the 1st October but in typical french style - they don't know what to do with us!! So far I've just had to observe classes and should start within a couple of days. I only have to work 12 hours a week and get paid 759 euros each month after social security and on top of that I get the Erasmus grant of about 300 euros a month - what an incentive to do an assistantship!!! When you go on a year abroad, you are assigned a ‘responsable’ - someone to look after you when you’re in France. Mine’s called Catherine. She's extremely nice and does anything for you. And from speaking to my friends also on their year abroad, they are finding the same with their responsable. Have been round to hers for dinner a few times with her family. Love having dinner at a french persons house - the food just keeps on coming in different courses! Except I don't like all the cold meat that I can't chew so have to gulp down with water - not a good look when you're with people you don't know trying to be polite!!! Lucon is gorgeous... just down the road from Les Sables de l’Olonne and La Rochelle and only 1 hour south from Nantes - an amazing city. On my first weekend here, I went to the beach with Catherine - it was so hot and sunny which was excellent to make all of my friends at home jealous seeing as they're in lectures now!! Lucon itself is an extremely typical french village. Had a look around a few shops but the clothes are slightly ‘different’. There’s a massive cathedral so thought I should be cultural and explore it - that lasted 5 minutes as I then found a bar with free wi-fi access in - perfect seeing as we are yet to have internet in our appartment!! Guess where I spent the rest of my day??? A great thing about not having to work much is being able to travel around France. I went to Paris last weekend to meet my friend who’s also doing an assistantship which was superb! Although, one bad thing about Paris, all the french people assume you can't speak French and speak English to you. Not the whole point of the year abroad!!

Ok well that's the first entry. I'm going to be going to the only nightclub in the town on saturday night called ‘Boogie’ so I'll let you know what that's like and any other amusing observations of France!!

Enjoy all of your exciting lessons at Northgate!! P.S. Be nice to your language assistant -its a hard job!!"

Watching French TV for Sixth Formers

2008-10-03T10:30:00.004+01:00

Thanks to an idea given to me a long time ago by Helen Myers, at The Ashcombe School in Dorking, we've put together a worksheet for Y12 and Y13 students to use when watching TV in a foreign language. You can either watch news programmes online, for example on TF1, France 2 or maybe M6 or France 24, or you can go a bit 'old school' and watch the satellite television that we have in the Languages Computer Room, C3. Either way, make sure you save a copy and print it off. Fill it in whilst watching your chosen programme, and hand it in to your teacher.

European Day of Languages at Northgate!

2008-10-01T17:08:00.003+01:00

We went big this year. Bigger than ever before. Miss MacEachern roped in the support of lots of other departments this year to give the EDL a real 'whole school' feeling! The photos above are not from language lessons, but are from a Music lesson, where students learned songs in different languages and from different cultures, and also from Food Technology, where Mrs Bannister and her classes looked at different breads from around the world. Yep, breads. Add to that the fun events and quizzes that took place in the language lessons, and it all made for a very exciting day!

Y12 French Essay Phrases - Revisited

2008-09-30T14:42:00.002+01:00

Seeing as so many people still log on to the blog to find these essay phrases, which disappeared, I have put them back online, on the Y12 wiki, which you can see by clicking here.

Y10 Holiday Coursework Resources

2008-09-30T09:00:00.004+01:00

It is that time of year, when we are starting to look at putting together our first draft of coursework based on holidays. Following on from today's lesson, you will be able click here to download all the resources that we went through in class today, plus a couple of extra ones. The extra one that could be help you contains a number of useful phrases and extensions that could help you gain extra marks. Hope they prove to be useful.

Lingus.tv - A fancy way of learning Spanish?

2008-09-28T23:17:00.005+01:00

Spanish teacher and Lead Practitioner Chris Fuller wrote yesterday about Lingus.tv, a flash video based Spanish language site, which lets you watch videos at different levels accompanied by the text. The site allows you to download videos to watch at your leisure, and having watched (but barely understood) a couple of them, the picture quality is indeed also very good. The content appears to be a bit off-beat, removed slightly from the situations that you are usually placed in at GCSE. Have a go and let me know what you think.

A night at the LAFTAs!

2008-09-26T06:30:00.001+01:00

After months of suspense, the evening of the LAFTA awards was upon us. Having travelled down by train from Ipswich to Liverpool Street, we were quickly at the venue for the evening's proceedings, the British Library, next to St. Pancras station. Upon arrival, we were given drinks and nibbles, and as one does, had a pre-ceremony chat with Lord Dearing, and also with Mick Webb from the BBC. A very well organised event followed, hosted by Helen Groothues of CILT, where we were treated to all 25 of the final clips. For each, it was kind of a public screening, and it was great to gage the assembled finalists reactions to all the entrants. Did they get the joke, or did they laugh in the right place? Despite our obvious desire to win, there were some that were trully outstanding. Our particular favourite was one called 'French Oral Exam' which scooped the 'Best Individual Award' on the night. You can watch it on YouTube by following the link. Ross' film, 'It's better to be bilingual' was in contention for the People's Vote Award, chosen by a public vote. All through the voting process, it was nip and tuck between Ross' video and another, called 'Languages Animated'. However despite leading for most of the vote, Ross was somehow pipped at the last minute, and pushed into second place. Nevertheless Ross' video received a framed certificate, and was 'Highly Commended'. After the ceremony there were more photo opportunities, and a chance to mingle with some of the other finalists, many of whom had travelled long distances to get there. It was a fantastic evening, brilliantly run, and was a fine celebration of the work and creativity of so many students. Ross, although disappointed to come away empty handed, left with the steely determination to do even better next year. Which was your favourite? Watch and let us know!

More from Zattoo...

2008-09-15T20:08:00.006+01:00

Well, having gone crazy when I saw all these French channels on Zattoo before the holidays, I was gutted when I saw that the next day they'd gone. Thankfully a very polite chap called Alex, from Zattoo itself, messaged me to say that it was an error, and that they'd gone, but that they had had a number of requests for more French channels. So today I logged on again to see TV8 Mont-Blanc, a French regional channel from the Alps (obviously) having made the listings. So, to the best of my knowledge, students of French and German can pick up France 24, SF info, a news channel from Switzerland, and Telezüri, which I imagine comes from Zürich. I wonder what the chances are of ever getting ARD, ZDF, TF1 or France 2, or even something like France 5 which could be educational - TV5 maybe?

Last Chance to Vote for Ross!!

2008-09-13T11:21:00.003+01:00

In a vote more important than the forthcoming US Election, Ross Kelly's entry into the National Language and Film Talent Awards is challenging for the 'People's Vote' prize. Entitled "It's better to be bilingual", it is one of 25 contenders for the prize, which has had over 15,000 votes so far. Watch the video on the site at the Multilingual Vacancies website - they are sponsoring the prize, and VOTE for ROSS!