During the week of 25th September – 29th September 2023 we celebrated a Global Week of Languages and Culture. In tutor groups the pupils took part in assemblies and cultural activities.

Presdales teachers greeted their classes in a different language every day. By lesson 6 they were quite proficient!

During the week the canteen provided themed food, there was French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. Everyone enjoyed tasting lunches from different countries.

On Tuesday lunchtime, students could buy ice cream, but they had to be ordered in another language or no ice cream! The students were excellent at ordering what they wanted and enjoyed posing in the photo booth.

In form time we celebrated all the different languages that are spoken at Presdales. Pupils wrote greetings in different languages on leaves to create a beautiful Community Tree.

Culinary Connections

The highlight of the week was when on Monday when over 50 pupils took part in our Culinary Connections competition. They were asked to make or bring food from home from representing another country or culture. All the participants were very enthusiastic and we had so many different types of food to try. There were dishes from all over the world including some from Bangladesh, Zambia, Lithuania, Poland and Brazil. The teachers and pupils enjoyed sampling all the dishes. It was great fun talking to the participants about how they had made the dishes and why they had chosen those particular ones to make. Everybody said how much fun it had been and the teachers were really impressed at how much time had been dedicated to preparing the food.

French

The French Department has been very busy during the week considering various aspects of French culture and the French speaking world, to help students design Bunting.

Year 7 researched food and drink and regional specialities from French speaking countries.

Year 8 pupils researched famous beautiful monuments and sites in French speaking countries.

Year 9 focused their attention on French inventions and creations from French speaking countries.

The students were very original with their designs and created some fantastic bunting on these topics, earning themselves plenty of rewards and prizes.

German

In German Year 7 researched famous places in Germany. Year 8 researched food and drink and Year 9 found out about famous German musicians and different genres of music.

Spanish

Key Stage 3 Spanish classes enjoyed cultural lessons about Spain and Spanish speaking countries.

Year 7 researched a Spanish singer or group and produced some wonderful Bunting about Shakira, Camila Cabello and many more.

Year 8 pupils researched food from Spanish speaking countries, and we had some great examples including Churros, Empanadas and Ajiaco, a soup from Colombia.

Year 9 students learned about some important and varied landmarks and tourist attractions in the Spanish-speaking world. Again some very impressive work was produced on a wide range of attractions, including the Sagrada Familia, Easter Island and Lake Titicaca.

 

Italian

Year 7 Italian students researched an Italian singer or group.

Year 8 Italianists decorated their bookmarks with information about and pictures of Italian brands. These included Gucci, Prada and of course, Ferrero, the company that produces Nutella, as well as Vespa, one of the stars of the recent animated film, Luca.

Year 9 Italian students researched a place in Italy to produce a themed bookmark. For some, this was a town linked to family or friends, somewhere they had been on holiday or simply an Italian spot they had heard about. Popular choices were Monterosso (the inspiration behind the town of Portorosso in Disney’s Luca).

Russian

Year 7 Russian students were asked to research food.

Year 8 Russianists researched Russian art to decorate their bunting. There were some beautiful Kandinsky patterns produced.

In Year 9 we researched Russian cities. Once again there were some lovely drawings and ideas.

Russian

Year 7 Russian students researched Russia and the Cyrillic alphabet to produce a themed bookmark. Students found out the names of cities, rivers, attractions. Other students found facts about the population. There was mention of popular hobbies including of course the ballet.

Year 8 Russianists decorated their bookmarks in the style of Kandinsky using it as an opportunity to practice the colours they have been learning recently.

In Year 9 we researched multilingual Russians or Russianists. Students found out more about Putin, Pavlova, and Kunis to name but a few.