7. Year
7
Issue European “passports” to pupils (in tutor bases). There is a sticker sheet at the back which
can be used to complete the enclosed map. NB Countries are labelled on the map in their main
language, ie. Germany is Deutschland. There are quiz questions in the passport as well.
Year
8
Issue “Languages Take You Further” booklet(in tutor bases). Get pupils to guess how they might
say the key phrases in different languages. Teachers can then access an online version which says
all the words correctly when you click on them. http://www.europe.org.uk/external/languages-
take-you-further-tool/
Year
9
Issue “Let’s Explore Europe” booklet(in tutor bases). Give time limit (15 mins) then collect in
booklets and visit http://europa.eu/europago/explore/init.jsp?language=en where they can play
an online boardgame in groups using the information from their research.
Year
10
In groups, work out which words used in English come from which foreign languages. Sheets will
be in registers. Answers provided!
Year
11
Esperanto!Show video clip about Esperanto http://shows.howstuffworks.com/stuff-of-
genius/41742-esperanto-the-ll-zamenhof-story-video.htm. (NB Please wait for advert to be over
before projecting onto screen) Issue text in Esperanto. In groups, can they translate into English?
Answer provided!
Years
12/13
Alongside normal tutor programme, you might like to show this short (2 mins) video clip about the
Erasmus programme [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eO1D4GObng
ALL http://europa.eu/kids-corner/index_en.htmThis website has lots of games and quizzes for
further languages related fun.
Sue Lutz, started as Head of MFL at HHS in 2002, joined Beaumont as Head of MFL in 2010
Why do we want to raise the profile?
Create a buzz round our subject. Become/remain one of the subjects that is talked about
Options numbers, bargaining tool
Staff recruitment (known dept attracts good staff)
You can’t create a buzz around the dept if the dept members don’t feel motivated.
Ways to do this: have individual non-appraisal meetings with each member of your team: what ideas do they have? How do they want the dept to develop? LISTEN!
Praise, praise, praise: emails, cards, Secret Squirrel
Book monitoring: do in a dept meeting, everyone wandering around and looking at books, writing positive feedback on post it notes: celebrate good practice rather than making it a test, then put all the post its on sugar paper and stick on the wall of a dept office/cupboard!
Encourage your team to celebrate each other: A3 sheet for each member of the dept with “(name) is outstanding because…” on it, all dept members write their thoughts on the sheet
With cake and bubbly of course!
Important that the rest of the school staff support the MFL dept and are allies.
European Day of Languages: bake international cakes for the staff room (timing fits with Macmillan coffee morning, so can make it for charity) , staff quiz in pigeon holes (multiple guess) first correct entry out of the hat wins bottle of bubbly. Plenty of quizzes on Internet or email me: I have quite a few different ones.
Easy to do some sort of themed week around MFL , esp around European Day of Langs in Sept.
Storytime in library
Dressing up day
Get canteen to offer themed food
Make videos of staff saying “hello” in their native tongue for registration each day
Year 7 performing song per class to Year 6 audience (used good old Kilo de Chansons)
Offer to do assembly and tutor time resources
MAKE IT VISIBLE (trips can be invisible)
Examples of my tutor time resources
Order many freebies http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/information/publications/index_en.htm
This deserves a slide of its own. The Art department did these as an inter-house competition.
Alongside all your great teaching, you can engage the students by getting them to enter competitions.
Germanists are especially lucky: Goethe Institut offers many competitions with prizes just for entering (Digital Days)
Routes Into Languages run a number of competitions/projects e.g. adopt a class etc
Speak to the Future 1000 words
Uni of Herts will come in and do presentation about international opportunities while at uni.
School newsletter
Twitter: I got into it because that’s what the “buzzy” depts in my school were doing
Create your own publicity: tell people why your dept is great!
Please contact me for any resources, questions etc