22
AC ADEMIC
W H I N C H AT
Modern Foreign Languages
M F L R E P O RT WORDS BY
Madame Kelly Faulkner, Head of Modern Foreign Languages
I
n a year in which most international travel has been curtailed, we have felt the responsibility of bringing the continent into the classroom ever more strongly. During the fi rst lockdown last March, user numbers for language learning apps such as Duolingo and Memrise increased by 300%. There was a slight lull over the Summer, but then another surge in uptake during the second lockdown this January. Of all the pursuits people have adopted during this strange year, such as making banana bread, working out with Joe Wicks or doing Zoom general knowledge quizzes, learning a new language might seem like an odd choice. After all, it’s not like we could jump on a plane to Madrid to order “Un vino
Whinchat 2021_REPRO.indd 22
tinto por favor.” However, it is for this very reason that people have embraced language learning so willingly. Cancelled holidays and the time to devote to those things we’ve always been meaning to do (get fi t, tidy the loft, learn Portuguese) have inspired us to bring a fl avour of another country into our homes or in our case, school. From a cookery lesson in “pain perdu” for Year 3, to fi lming a video about our school in Spanish for Year 8, the boys have been working hard on their linguistic skills, learning and embracing other languages and cultures whether the borders have been open or not. We hope you enjoy this little taste of our department.
Y 8 G E R M A N TA S T I N G Both Y8 classes worked on the topic of food as their last unit this year and were fortunate to have a food tasting session organised for them to discover the different fl avours of German cuisine. Small samples were prepared by Chef Stuart who talked them through the dishes and his own experience of working with German Chef in his career. From Currywurst to Apple Strudel, the boys were able to identify which fl avours they enjoyed or found particularly strange. The most popular dish was probably the potato salad and Blackforest gateau. The Sauerkraut was certainly the most odd fl avour the boys tried.
26/10/2021 15:28
