Seniors and Sixth Form
MFL Week 2016
From 8th to 12th February we held our fifth Modern Foreign Languages Week. Linguists or not, it was a week full of events for everyone.
To mark the start of the week, boys got a taste of Brazil during Monday’s morning break and found out a few fun facts about this summer’s Olympics host country, capoeira and Brazilian drumming. Everybody enjoyed a taste of Brazil thanks to Brazilian-themed dishes that featured in the lunch menu throughout the week. To put their French skills on display, the Year 12 boys took control of the Year 10 French class on Monday morning to deliver a ‘Musical Masterclass’ of fun activities based on Stromae’s smash hit ‘Alors On Danse’. After playing Countdown in French, and a fierce competition to identify key lyrics, the boys gave their opinions on the song – en français, bien sûr! Well done Cameron and Asheek, for planning and teaching a successful lesson.
On Tuesday, Year 7 took part in a Europe-themed treasure hunt: ten challenges and one hour to accumulate as many points as possible. Tasks included tortuous tongue twisters like ‘Cinq chiens chassent six chats’ and ‘Camarón, caramelo’ ; recognising languages like this sentence – ‘Rakastan kieliä… Entäs sinä?’ Urdu or Finnish?; answering curiosities like why the Welsh flag is called ‘Y Ddraig Goch’; and learning how Tibetans greet each other (thrust up you right thumb and stick out your tongue).
On Wednesday, it was the Year 10 linguists’ turn to get a taste of MFL Week. Much excitement surrounded this particular event as we came together with Year 10/11 linguists over at Westfield School to enjoy a morning of linguistic fun. Boys and girls joined forces to compete in teams and take part in a cultural online quiz, speed dating in French and Spanish and a German taster led by the girls. Also that morning, we held the school round of the national Spelling Bee Competition with Year 7. Boys had to learn the spellings of 100 words in French or Spanish. They were given one minute to spell correctly as many words as possible. David Elliot, Tazwar Rajib and Will Joynson went through to the next round and will represent NSB at the regional finals at Newcastle University in April. In the afternoon, the hall was taken over by Year 8, who put their acting skills to the test as they performed in French their version of a short play with a soap style plotline: Girl dates boy then walks off with boy’s best friend in the clothes shop.
Thursday was our most eventful day. Year 8 and 11 boys had the chance to work closely with language student ambassadors from Newcastle University in two interactive, thought-provoking workshops where they learned about studying abroad, how useful languages may be in their future careers and had a go at a new language: Deutsch. This was followed by a cinema experience event for Year 9, as our classrooms turned into improvised screens showing the French film Le Petit Nicolas and the Spanish Cobardes. That afternoon, Year 6 donned their football gear and became professional French or Spanish footballers enjoying a pre Euro 2016 ‘friendly’ social gathering hosted by Alan Shearer (Mr Drax) at St James’s Park (West Avenue hall). Boys mingled asking each other questions and discussing favourite celebrities and cars in two languages, while enjoying Alan’s canapés.
The week was wrapped up on Friday with a day full of activities. In the morning, the Year 10 linguists met up with Andrew Boreland, an undergraduate student studying French and Spanish at the University of Newcastle, whose progress the boys have been following since Year 8, and through the ‘Adopt a Class’ project in Year 9. Fresh from six months studying in Paris, followed by six months in Barcelona, Andrew gave the boys an insight into how studying abroad broadens the mind and leads to a host of new and exciting experiences. Our linguists responded with a wide range of questions, leaving the session with a clearer idea of where their adventures in language might take them. During assembly a prize was given out to the tutor group who won the Olympic-themed language competition that had been held during the week. A tie breaker had to take place between Year 13 and 9JD but he Sixth Formers snatched victory. Well done to all the tutor groups who took part as they demonstrated excellent team work and language awareness.
In the afternoon, Julien and Sacha from La Petite Crêperie in Grainger Market paid a second visit to West Avenue during MFL Week. They set up their pancake cookers in the hall and prepared pancakes for Year 3 and 5. Nutella pancakes were again the best seller while a few tried Julien’s very own speciality – caramel with salted butter. All the boys ordered a pancake and answered basic questions about their age and where they live.
Finally, we would like to thank the boys and staff for their enthusiasm and their fantastic contribution to MFL Week. We look forward to doing it all again next year!