Year 11

On Tuesday 19th October, Year 11 Russianists had the opportunity to zoom call Russian students of English from the International Arctic School in Yakutsk, Siberia. (https://arctic-school.com/en/home/).
There is an 8-hour time difference with this part of Siberia, so our 6 students arrived before school so that the Russian students could fit the session in before settling down for their evening.
The Russian students gave short presentations in Russian about ecological issues in their area of Siberia, and our Year 11s did really well listening for gist (an important exam skill, especially when the language is being spoken normal speed.) After the presentations in Russian, we discussed the issues in more detail and life in Siberia a bit more in English. We found out that due to the permafrost, all buildings are built on stilts and that -5 is considered warm weather.
It was a fantastic opportunity to broaden our use of Russian outside of the classroom and we look forward to the next contact with the students in Siberia.