Modern Languages @ Belfast High

Abenteuer Deutsch Mark II

On 11th June 2010 35 year 9 pupils headed off for a fun-filled German adventure weekend at Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle!

On Friday 11th June to Sunday 13th June 35 pupils and five teachers went to Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle.  The instructors on this trip were German, and this experience was planned for us to expand on our German knowledge and language.  At 3.40pm on Friday the last bell of the day went and everyone ran to the outside gym to get changed for the trip.  On Friday we got the bus down to Greenhill YMCA, it was one hour and thirty minutes.  Everyone dragged their bags off the bus, and then we went to the main hall to get allocated rooms where we would be staying for the rest off the weekend.  Mr Maxwell and Mrs Creighton made sure we were happy with the rooms we were in.  We went to our brand new chalets and unpacked, and then we went back to the main hall to make arrangements to go to Newcastle. 

We walked through the forests into Newcastle, where we got our dinner wherever we wanted, we got a KFC.  Meeting back in a main car park at 9.30, Mr Maxwell, Mrs Thompson and Mrs Creighton did a head count, and we walked back up to Greenhill.  We got back to our chalets and we played football and then were told to go to our rooms at 10.40 and lights out at 11.00. 

Mr Maxwell had invited anyone if they wanted to go for a run into Newcastle which was five miles long, at 7.00am.  Only Mark was brave enough to go out in the cold and join him! Everybody else was too tired!

On Saturday morning we got up early and we played rugby /football / frisbee in the pitches near our chalets.  Then we helped set up for breakfast which was at 8.30, everyone was really tired and hungry from the early start that morning which was good because the food was delicious.  After breakfast we were put in our groups and went bouldering with German instructors. When we arrived back at Greenhill we dried off and went for our very much deserved lunch.  After lunch we changed activities and did the high-ropes course in German.

We had a night of orienteering and the midgies were really bad!

Next morning we did the usual and had breakfast then we were told the activity we would be doing for the day which was raft building for our group. The German instuctors talked in German and gave us tips for making the best raft.

Some people did not go on the raft but helped build it. However most rafts sank really quickly!

 

We then went back to the chalets to pack and have lunch. This weekend was an enjoyable weekend and we would recommend it to anybody, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  We also enjoyed speaking and learning some new German words. Thanks to all the teachers involved, including Mrs Creighton, Ms Butten, Matthew, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Brown and Mr Maxwell.

BHS goes Italian to celebrate Europe Day!

To celebrate Europe Day, Belfast High's Virtual Learning Environment was translated into Italian for a week! A poll was carried out on our Moodle site and a total of 278 pupils chose Italian as their language of choice for the week!

Spanish visit to Mossley Primary School

Aimee Hull from Upper Sixth tells us about a recent visit to Mossley Primary School to teach Spanish.

To celebrate European day of Languages we were given the opportunity to teach at Mossley Primary School. Six pupils from U6 attended and taught a variety of subjects in Spanish, there was a choice between Maths, Geography and Art. Each of the pupils in primary four to primary seven dressed as tourists and joined in games and activities to help them improve their Spanish.

Group one was Maths which involved a review of numbers for the children and then a game of bingo using the numbers they had learnt.

Group two was Geography which involved colouring in a map of Spain in the colours of the Spanish flag and also reviewing capital cities of different countries.

Group three was Art which involved the pupils reviewing their colours and then creating a piece of artwork with pieces of tissue.

We found the experience very rewarding as the children seemed to enjoy the activities we were helping them with and it was great  to see how enthusiastic and competitive they were throughout the day.

Spanish Film Day

Natasha Smyth from Upper Sixth tells us about the recent Spanish Film Day

In Upper Sixth, as part of our speaking exam we have to talk about a topic in the film Solas. For us as a class this is a new thing to do and with the help of Queen’s University and our teachers we were able to go to the university to watch the film and do workshops on the different themes.

The film was very intriguing as it gave us an insight of the backgrounds and problems of poor families in Spain, and I was intrigued the whole way through. It followed the life of an alcoholic, showing the way women were treated by their husbands and the general poverty. I think this will be a good film to talk about for our exams as there is a lot of meaning behind the themes that were shown.

Our day consisted of meeting at Queen's University and then all the different schools who did Spanish for A-level were briefed about the film - who created it and the different characters in it. As a class we took notes and got a lot of information before it had even started. The majority of the time a lecturer spoke to us about it in Spanish and this was very inspiring as we picked up some new vocab. The film was all in Spanish with English subtitles so we were able to understand everything clearly, overall it lasted about two hours. We were then able to discuss the film with our teacher Miss Harte and the Spanish assistant Patricia. The university gave us a booklet of exercises in which we had to answer questions about the film. We then read our answers out to the auditorium.

Overall the day was an inspiring educational trip and it will definitely help us with our exam, it was good fun with our class and the teachers enjoyed it too. I hope we have another one soon!

¡ Tengo muchas ganas de hablar sobre esta pelí cula en mi examen!

Natasha Smyth U6

Lauren and Patrick's Big German Adventure!

In July 2009 Patrick Scullion and Lauren Carroll headed off to Frankfurt with thirteen other teenagers from all across the UK to shoot a video about like in Germany's second city.

So what did our two intrepid explorers think of it?

I found this trip an amazing opportunity to make new friends and experience the German culture. I was slightly nervous about meeting up with everyone at London Heathrow airport, in case no one talked, but we all introduced ourselves, and everyone was lovely. The flight couldn’t have been better, taking off and landing was smooth and no turbulence. As soon as we got off the plane, you could see a difference in the weather, it was very warm and sunny. Lauren

I personally thought that Schloss Freudenberg and its absorbing activities and refreshingly unique take on education was one of the highlights of our short but densely-planned three-day stay in Germany and is quite an under-publicised ideal spot for families and school trips. Patrick

Check out the full story and the video here!

Abenteuer Deutsch

On 20th March 2009 55 year 9 pupils headed off for a fun-filled German adventure weekend at Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle! Emma Heron from year 9R tells us all about it:

On Friday 20^th March to Sunday 22^nd March 55 pupils and seven teachers went to Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle.  The instructors on this trip were German, and this experience was planned for us to expand on our German knowledge and language.  At 3.40pm on Friday the last bell of the day went and everyone ran to the outside gym to get changed for the trip.  On Friday we got the bus down to Greenhill YMCA, it was one hour and thirty minutes.  Everyone dragged their bags off the bus, and then we went to the main hall to get allocated rooms where we would be staying for the rest off the weekend.  Mr Maxwell and Mrs Patterson made sure we were happy with the rooms we were in.  We went to our chalets and unpacked, and then we went back to the main hall to make arrangements to go to Newcastle. 

Walking through the forests using only the light from our torches we night orientated into Newcastle, where we got our dinner wherever we wanted, we go a KFC.  Meeting back in a main car park at 9.00, Mr Maxwell and Mrs Patterson did a head count, and we walked back up to Greenhill.  We got back to our chalets and we watched a German DVD and then were told to go to our rooms at 10.40 and lights out at 11.00. 

Mr Maxwell had invited anyone if they wanted to go for a run into Newcastle which was five miles long, at 6.00am.  At 5.00am girls were getting up to have a shower before the run, as they were drying their hair the very sensitive fire alarms went off!  These fire alarms were situated above peoples head and when it went off we ran out and most of the boys were already dressed outside playing rugby! Mark Hetherington and Philip Nesbitt were the lucky few that slept through the commotion. Poor Mr Maxwell was in the bad books with all the other teachers!

On Saturday morning we got up early and we played rugby with the boys in the pitches near our chalets.  Then we helped set up for breakfast which was at 8.30, everyone was really tired and hungry from the early start that morning which was good because the food was delicious.  After breakfast we were put in our groups and went bouldering with German instructors, Chloe was the one that got the wettest as she got wet up to the neck; most of us stayed dry (e.g. everyone but Chloe).  When we arrived back at Greenhill we dried off and went for our very much deserved lunch.  After lunch we changed activities and did orienteering in German. Chloe and Marian won then we went on to do the low ropes which was fun but extremely hard. 

Next we had dinner and to test our German language and knowledge we had a quiz.  Our team narrowly won but the German Haribo prize was delicious.  We had another night orienteering experience into Newcastle, where we stocked up on sweets in Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. In the arcade the bumper cars were filled by Belfast High pupils and teachers.  On the bumper cars somebody couldn’t work out how to make the bumper car go. 

Back in the chalets the people who didn’t go into Newcastle watched a film in German.  Chloe clumsily opened the door at a scary part and everyone screamed at her.  Everyone was tired from the early start so they went to bed early and slept the whole night through.  Next morning we were thumping about the room and having showers and every body except for one person wouldn’t wake up.  We did the usual and had breakfast then we were told the activity we would be doing for the day which was raft building for our group. The German instuctors talked in German and gave us tips for making the best raft.

Some people (Laura-Ann and Emma) did not go on the raft but helped build it and supported Chloe (the only girl on the raft).  Jake’s team (the losers) realised they were not going to win the race in the water and started using tactics to distract Chloe’s team.  Once they raced across the water they had to go through some tunnels holding on to each other hands. It was a race to dismantle the rafts and get the equipment back into the correct place. Of course Chloe’s team won!

 

We then went back to the chalets to pack and have lunch.  Upon boarding the bus Chloe and Laura-Ann’s bags were too heavy for us to lift into the boot of the bus so the boys helped us.  This weekend was an enjoyable weekend and we would recommend it to anybody, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  We also enjoyed speaking and learning some new German words. Thanks to all the teachers involved, including Mrs Creighton, Mrs Patterson, Mrs Weir, Miss Cassidy, Ms Butten, Mr Wilson and Mr Maxwell...and not forgetting Mr Patterson.

Spanish Salsa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members of Newtownabbey Forum recently completed an 8 week “Spanish Language and Culture” course at Belfast High School. Over 20 members attended the weekly sessions and enjoyed a chat over coffee and biscuits before getting down to some Spanish!!

Attendees studied basic “survival Spanish”, such as greetings, numbers, directions, how to read a Spanish menu (and to order from it!) to enable them to communicate in Spanish on holiday, along with a sprinkling of Spanish culture. They also learned about Spanish customs, food, and fiestas.

On the final week of the course, everyone had an opportunity to dust off their dancing shoes and take part in a “Salsa Master class” with Chris Scullion, Northern Ireland’s best-known Latin dance maestro! Attendees learnt some essential Salsa steps which they hope to have the chance to use on their next visit to Spain! Everyone involved gave it their all and thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

Special thanks go to our Upper Sixth Spanish students who volunteered to help out every week, to Belén our Spanish assistant, who helped with Spanish conversation and gave us some fascinating insights into Spanish culture, and to the wonderful Miss Harte!

¡Hasta luego!

 

Work - the German way!

   

In January 2009 eight year 13 pupils were given the opportunity to travel to Germany for a week's work experience. This is an excellent opportunity for students to explore a different culture; not only how they live but also how they work. Pupils were able to work in a bank, school, art gallery and headquarters of a school.  As part of the project pupils had to discuss with their German partners the differences between the two countries.  It is supported by UK-German Connection; an organisation wanting to develop links with the UK and Germany.  They provide funding to help towards the cost of the trip and Belfast High School is the first school to avail of this opportunity.

Emma McKinley tells us about her experiences.

"I definitely enjoyed the experience of being able to work in the bank for my work experience and see how it was run in comparison to how banks in Northern Ireland are run.

The people I worked with were really pleasant and funny and a joy to work with. They were very helpful and patient with me.

I was given a project to work on during my time in the bank about the history of money and banking. I enjoyed doing it and learnt some interesting things about earlier banking around the world.

The trip was planned to the second. There was always something for us to do which was great however a little bit of free time would have been warmly welcomed.

The activities we did on the trip were very enjoyable. I really had fun doing the pottery and loved the night we went to Poland and had dinner.

The complaining was to a minimum as I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and though it was a worth while opportunity which will also look good when applying for university...it was still extremely cold!

We had some really fun memorable times on this trip like people falling in the snow and we will always have the great pictures that were taken during that week that will soon be put up around the school for everyone to see!"

 

Spanish Immersion Weekend

For the third year running, Belfast High School pupils took part in the Spanish Immersion weekend in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra.  Shortly after arriving and getting sorted out into rooms, everyone took part in a few ice-breakers.  Not only did these help to get to know the fellow participants, it also helped everyone get over the initial shock of speaking only Spanish for the next few days!

One of the first activities was an interactive quiz, prepared using our new set of interactive Quizdom remotes.  Pupils were divided into teams to try and win the game.  The questions ranged from geography to sport and some were challenging even to our Spanish assistants! 

It wasn’t all fun and games, pupils were also divided into groups to take part in a set of five different tutorials, spaced out throughout the weekend.  These covered a range of exam-related topics, including young people, women and immigration.  There was also a game hour and a conversation hour with 2 native Spanish-speakers. During these classes, pupils were able to pick up useful vocabulary, practice asking and answering questions and get valuable oral practice.

We were also lucky enough to be able to get the head examiner for CCEA, Pat Dorris, to come down and give two talks about exams, one to AS level students and another to A-Level students.  Pupils were able to be told from the examiner himself what to expect and which areas to revise, they were also able to ask questions on anything that wasn’t clear.

On Saturday, we all took part in a treasure hunt around the grounds of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, in Spanish of course!  Teams of pupils raced around to answer all the questions on the sheet and be the first to be back with correct answers. The winner scored almost full marks and received a prize.

After the treasure hunt, everyone enjoyed a well-deserved break.  There were games such as Monopoly, scrabble and Pictionary: all available to be played in Spanish.  There were also a lunch provided, ordered in from Mauds, that everyone enjoyed, after some initial problems with a locked door…

One of the most popular activities was “Dragon’s Den.” Pupils again got into teams and had to make up their own product, design it and then deliver a pitch to our Dragons, who would then decide the winner.  We had a range of inventions and everyone really enjoyed themselves, with the winners receiving a prize for their team. 

There were regular breaks and free-time where pupils could play games or speak to one of the native speakers or even just chat with their friends in Spanish.  Each night, pupils were offered the chance of watching a contemporary Spanish movie, to carry on with the theme of speaking Spanish, before bed.  On Saturday night, everyone even enjoyed a Chinese which was ordered in for them.

To finish up on Sunday, each group had one last tutorial to go to.  We had a few last renditions of “dos patitos” and “un díá” which has been threatened to be posted on youtube! Everyone was presented with a certificate, and those who had tried hardest and progressed the most received a special prize at the end of the weekend.  Everyone gained valuable speaking practice and gained a huge boost of confidence coming up to their exams.  

Das BHS-Team ist im Endspiel!

Congratulations to the German Debating team who defeated a very strong side from Methodist College on Friday 20th February to go forward to the Northern Ireland Final!

The team consisted of Sophie Blaney, Annie Blair, Colin Taplin and Rachel Snoddy.

Each member had to debate for four minutes on the topic of "Nordirland hat beim Umweltschutz enorme Fortschritte gemacht" (Northern Ireland has made enormous progress in the field of environmental protection).