Learning Languages Newsletter October 2014 by Auckland UniServices Limited

NEWSLETTER Vol. 4 | 28 October 2014

CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWS

FRENCH LANGUAGE NEWS

GERMAN LANGUAGE NEWS

CHINESE CONSUL-GENERAL

JUNIOR SPEECH COMPETITION

GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

VISITS NORTHLAND

COOKING UP A STORM

IDO 2014

FAREWELL TO TRACEY ZHANG

SHARED HISTORIES PROJECT

OSKAR

ASIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING in SCHOOLS PROGRAMME (ALLiS)

JAPANESE LANGUAGE NEWS

SPANISH LANGUAGE NEWS

NEWS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

KAZARIMAKI SUSHI

SALAMANCA SCHOLARSHIP

CULTURE DAY

MOVIE COMPETITION

$10 MILLION FUND FOR ASIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING

UPCOMING EVENTS

LA SHARING DAY

2015 PLD PROGRAMMES

For questions, comments or to contribute to this newsletter, please contact Georgina Ma at georgina.ma@auckland.ac.nz or on 09 623 8899 x48506

Chinese Language News Chinese Consul-General visits schools in Northland In August, a Chinese delegation visited the Far North to promote the learning of Chinese in Northland Schools. The Consul–General, Mr Qingbao Niu of the Chinese Embassy in Auckland, accompanied by Wang Yu, the National Chinese Adviser, visited schools in Kerikeri and Whangarei. The delegation received a warm welcome from schools and students in Northland. At a school in Whangarei, they were treated to a very impressive welcoming assembly for Mr Niu, where students sang three Chinese songs. On their visits, Mr Niu spoke about the upcoming Principals’ delegation to China, which provides New Zealand principals with an opportunity to travel to China to visit schools, businesses and cultural sites in Beijing and Shanghai. The Principals’ Delegation trip is sponsored by Hanban, the Office of the Chinese Language Council International. He met with senior leaders and Year 10 students who are currently learning Chinese. Mr Niu donated Chinese history books to schools. The National Chinese Adviser, Wang Yu, spoke to senior leaders about setting up Chinese language learning programmes in schools where there are no Chinese teachers. Overall, the visit was very successful. Principals, teachers and students showed a lot of interest in Chinese and there was keen interest by some of the schools visited to introduce Chinese language learning. Chinese delegation visits Northland school. Pictured here are the Consul-General, Mr Qingbao Niu of the Chinese Embassy in Auckland and the National Chinese Adviser, Wang Yu with Northland principals and teachers.

Chinese Cultural Day 2014 The Chinese people have just celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival and Holy Cross held a Chinese Culture Day. Sixty children from Holy Cross participated along with students from St. Dominic’s College, Sunnyvale School and Henderson North School. This was a fantastic opportunity for students to connect and share in celebrating and learning more about Chinese culture. The students did Kung Fu, cooked a Chinese omelette, played Chinese card games and practised using chopsticks. They had a go at Chinese painting, calligraphy and paper cutting. The teachers’ hard work and the students’ good behaviour resulted in a very successful day.

Christchurch Chinese Immersion Day On Sunday, 17 August nearly 300 students and parents At two oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock in the afternoon, all the attendants attended the Chinese Immersion Day at Rewi Alley assembled in the school assembly hall for an official Chinese School in Christchurch. The Chinese Immersion opening. It was an honour to have the Chinese Consul Day was organized by the New Zealand Chinese General of Christchurch, Madam Tan Xiutian attend. Language

Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Association

Canterbury,

in Speakers included the deputy chair of Wigram/

cooperation with Rewi Alley Chinese School and the Riccarton Community Board, the president of New Confucius Institute of Canterbury University.

Zealand China Friendship Society Canterbury Branch, the Education Director of Asia New Zealand Foundation.

17 August was the first day of the International Language Week this year so the Chinese Immersion Day was a good start to the week. The event provided over

The speakers shared their experiences of Chinese language and culture and inspired the students to see the purpose of learning the language.

twenty different Chinese language and cultural activities in which students from primary and secondary schools The guests, parents and students all enjoyed the day in Canterbury could participate. The cultural activities and gave congratulations on the success of the event. were designed for students with no prior knowledge of There was a strong demand for this event to be the Chinese language while the language activities were repeated in the future. designed for students currently learning the Chinese language.

$10 million Contestable Fund for Asian Languages Schools interested in teaching second language learning of three Asian languages now have access to a $10million contestable fund. The three languages to be funded are Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Schools who wish to be considered for funding need to register their interest by 20 November, 2014. If the school is considered eligible they will be invited to submit a proposal by late February next year. The fund is designed to increase the number of students who are learning Asian languages to support our trade and international relationships. The three languages chosen were those with curriculum and assessment infrastructure around them. For more information go to: http://education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/asian-language-learningin-schools-programme/

An Interview with Chinese Language Assistant, Tracey Zhang, before her return to China Tracey Zhang spent a year in New Zealand as a Chinese Language Assistant. Before Tracey returned to China, we caught up with her to learn more about her experiences in New Zealand, tips on learning Chinese and her plans for the future. Where do you come from? I come from the middle part of China. Hefei city is the capital city of Anhui Province. It is a small city, but is lovely. It has many lakes and rivers. It is quite humid, like here, so I like it. Fried dumplings made from rice flour are very popular in Hefei. My hometown is well known for the tomb of the Army General, Zhou Yu, which dates back to over 1000 years ago.

a longer break in the middle of the day, for one or two hours. After our morning work, we go home and have lunch with our family and sometimes have a short nap in the summer. We then go back to work for the afternoon. It is more relaxing than New Zealand, where we work from morning to afternoon. In the beginning it was hard for me to adjust as I always felt sleepy in the afternoon. Can you tell us about a funny or memorable experience you had in New Zealand?

My friend, who is also a language assistant and I went to Mount Eden to see the beautiful view of Auckland. I pretended that I was falling into the volcano and my friend held my arm and said, ‘Help! Help!’. The people around us thought it was funny and they laughed and Why did you choose to come to New Zealand? smiled at us. One of the ladies close to us joined in and I wanted to travel to a country where English is spoken so helped my friend to shout, ‘Help! Help! Help this girl.’ So I found the people here are very nice and it is easy for that I can practise my spoken English. them to be happy. Some other teenagers copied us and What did you enjoy about New Zealand? also pretended to drop into the volcano. New Zealand is a wonderful country. I enjoyed the fresh What are three things you will miss about New Zealand? air, blue skies and tall trees. I will miss the people here; especially the people at What were the top three places you visited in New International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP). I Zealand? will miss the blue skies and big tress. The third thing I will I think the Tasman Sea is very beautiful. That was my miss are carrots. I did not like to eat carrots in China. The favourite. I also liked Milford Sound. It is very beautiful, carrots here are sweet and different. like a fairytale. I also went to Fox Glacier, where I tried Can you tell us about the work you did at ILEP? walking on the ice. It was a challenge for me. It was very I taught five to six hours of Chinese per week. I also interesting there. assisted Yu Wang, the National Chinese Adviser with Were there any things that you tried for the first time in some administration work. New Zealand? How did your experience in New Zealand and working I tried wine. I like Chardonnay wine. I also tried Thai and at ILEP benefit you professionally? Indian curry and sushi. They are different from Chinese I improved my Chinese language teaching skills. I got to food, but very nice. understand different levels of Chinese learner and the What challenges did you face in New Zealand? approaches I needed to take when teaching them. I also Before I travelled to New Zealand, I thought that life got to use the Task-based method for language teaching. would be quite peaceful, with no stress. But once I I knew the Task-based method before but through my arrived, I realised that life is a little more stressful than I experience of teaching here, I find it is easier to use this had thought. In New Zealand we only have a 30 minute method. I enjoyed working with people here. They are lunch break, which is very different from China. We have very friendly and hard-working. I assisted with workshops for teachers and got to meet many new people. I also

attended the New Zealand Association for Language Teachers (NZALT) conference in Palmerston North in July. It was an excellent conference and I attended many interesting presentations. What are your plans for the future? I am currently studying a Postgraduate Degree in Teaching Chinese for Foreigners. I will continue with my studies and write my thesis. I plan to find a job in a year. I would like to find an English or Chinese teaching job in the future. Do you have some advice for New Zealand Chinese teachers who are not Chinese native speakers? I suggest that they attend a language class to develop their language knowledge. Some people might think that Chinese is a very difficult language. It is not really difficult. It is just different from European languages as it has special tones and characters. Chinese grammar is very easy compared to other languages. If the tones and the characters can be mastered, Chinese is easy to learn. Chinese is an important language to learn. It is used all around the world today and China has a very long history. I encourage everyone to give Chinese a try. Teachers can also attend the workshops that are run by the National Chinese Adviser, Yu Wang. By attending the workshops, teachers get to develop their teaching skills, language knowledge and have the opportunity to network with other teachers.

Upcoming Chinese Workshop

Senior Resources Sharing Workshop Facilitator: Feng Yu 1 November 2014, 10:15am to 3:15pm Chinese classroom, Christchurch Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; High School

To attend, please RSVP to admin@ilep.ac.nz

French Language News Year 12 French Students Cook up a Storm in the French Ambassador’s Kitchen Amelie Kelder, the French teacher at Wellington East Girls College arranged a trip for her Year 12 students to the French Ambassador’s house. On Thursday 19 June, 15 students of the Year 12 French class were invited to the French Ambassador's house to follow a cooking lesson with their chef, Fabien Legalle. Under Chef Legalle’s direction, the students prepared an exciting menu, including salmon tartare and a typical French dessert called Oeufs á la neige or “floating island". In addition to cooking the students learnt to set the table for official occasions. They could put their knowledge into practice as the wife of the Ambassador had some guests for lunch and the students had to serve them. It was an exciting experience,. They thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the language and culture of France and enjoyed tasting all the delicious food that they prepared. Amelie Kelder and her Year 12 students would like to thank the French Ambassador and Chef Legalle for spending time with them and opening their home to them.

French Language Assistant Resource Sharing Day The 2014 French, German and Spanish Language Assistants got together on Friday, 19 September to share some of the resources that they created while working in New Zealand schools. Here are some of the ideas shared by French Language Assistants: Create a Playlist Auriele Tanguy, Language Assistant at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch created a playlist of French music on You Tube that her students were able to access. Her French playlist included current popular music as well as some older classics. Tsunami Game Camille Leost, Language Assistant at Auckland Girls’ Grammar uses a Tsunami game to practice and review vocabulary and grammar with her students. The game involves pre-preparing a grid and assigning points and tsunami-related pictures (wave, hole, circle, etc.) that bear points to each square along with a target language practice item. On the board draw a blank grid and number the grid A–E along the top and 1-6 along the side. Before the game starts explain the key to the students (a hole = remove points from other team; waves = teams swap points; circle = team doubles points). The students are divided into two teams and students from each team takes turns selecting squares. The student is asked a target language–related question and if the answer is correct, the picture or points assigned to the square are revealed. The team with the most points at the end wins the game. Create a story with cards Claire Lavialle, Language Assistant at Onslow College, Wellington gets her students to practice core review vocabulary and grammar points by using cards. Each group is supplied with a pack of picture and word cards that cover the targeted language area for practice or review. The cards are laid face down on the table and students pick 5 cards and make a story using the vocabulary in the correct tense. Points are assigned on some cards. Cards can be added by the teacher to make the activity more challenging. Points are won if the story is grammatically correct. 6

South Auckland Junior French Speech Competitions The South Auckland Junior French Speech Competitions were initiated by Jasmine Hanawy, the Year 8 teacher at Sutton Park School and have been run for several years. These competitions are proving to be very popular, to the point that they are regularly oversubscribed. After a few years the host school changed to St Kentigerns College where Pascale McMillian organised a very popular event for 3 years. In 2013 and 2014 Sue Read of Sancta Maria College was responsible for promoting, collating entries and staging the competition. The South Auckland Junior French Speech competitions provide an opportunity for students of levels 1 to 4 of the Learning Languages curriculum to express themselves to a combined audience of peers, parents and teachers. They are pre-selected to compete in their schools as entries are limited. The topics can vary from year to year with the aim of giving students a choice in presentation methods, cultural knowledge and language type. Students are judged on topic information, language knowledge, fluency, pronunciation, and authenticity. Participants may use props, although these are not used in judging. The 2014 competition saw the addition of an open section which permitted students from any level to illustrate their language learning at a higher level and showcase any specific talents. Congratulations also to Sue Read, Head of French at Sancta Maria College for an extremely well organised day on Tuesday 2 September. Thank you to Sancta Maria College for hosting the competition again this year. Sueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s model for this competition is ready to be transported to other regions.

Results Open section Place

Student

School

1st

Elysia Burns

Howick College

2nd

Madison White

Rosehill College

3rd

Elizabeth Leaning

Sancta Maria College

Year 10 Section Place

Student

School

1st

Manvinder Kaur

Macleans College

2nd

Isabella Bowman

Rosehill College

3rd

Cuan Pillay

Sancta Maria

Highly commended

Rachel Biggelaar

Rosehill College

Year 9 Section Place

Student

School

1st

Shontelle Lilly

2nd

Chris Dee

Sancta Maria College

3rd

Jinella Lopez

Sancta Maria college

Rosehill College

Highly Reiden Purificacion Rosehill College commended

Year 8 Section Place

Student

School

1st

Logan Fenton

Sancta Maria College

2nd

Tewrin Tali

Sutton Park School

3rd

Gabriel Leota

Sutton park School

Kelly Macarehas

Sancta Maria College

Highly commended

Year 7 Section Place

Student

School

1st

Langaola Vaka

Sutton Park School

2nd

Caroline Sikel

Sutton Park School

Judges Nathalie Bourneville and Glenda Palmer with Sue Read awarding prizes to successful participants 7

Shared Histories Project at Taupo Intermediate Colleen Westerman works at Taupo Intermediate where she is a Year 8 classroom teacher and teaches French to other Year 7 and 8 classes. Colleen is a passionate French teacher who started teaching French at Taupo Intermediate in 2007. Students at Taupo Intermediate have active links with French-speaking students from New Caledonia through a sister school partnership with College Jean Mariotti in Noumea. Students can participate in a yearly school tour to New Caledonia and Taupo Intermediate and College Jean Mariotti have a mutual exchange programme.

Histories Project and got very caught up in it. Participation in this project has helped Colleen’s Year 8 students to be more aware of the World War 1, the effects of war and the sacrifices made by many soldiers and their families. It served as a way to remember the past and pay tribute to all those people who were lost or injured in World War 1. The project was also an excellent way to engage parents and families in their children’s learning. ‘It was great how the whole family got involved in the project’, commented Colleen.

Colleen advises all teachers to get involved in the Shared Histories Project. There are more and more schools in France who are looking to partner with a New Zealand school and there is lots of support provided through the Shared Histories Project team. There is also funding available through the French Embassy for the project. Colleen warns that it does require thought and planning but it is well worth it. "I was posted to Northern France for my Language Immersion Award in 2012 and was very keen to participate in this project The Taupo Intermediate Year 8 class partnered with after having visited the College Jules Verne in France for the Shared Histories many moving historical war project. In Terms 1 and 2 the students researched and sites there." compared letters and photos from French & New Colleen Westerman Zealand soldiers. They also studied the involvement of Colleen started the Shared Histories Project with her Year 8 class in March 2014. She found out about the Shared Histories project through her contact with Glenda Palmer, the National French Adviser at International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP). Colleen had previously visited Northern France while on a Language Immersion Award in 2012 and had been moved by the historical war sites she visited. She thought the Shared Histories project would be an excellent way in which to give her students the opportunity to learn more about World War 1.

civilians in the war effort and shared the significance of battlefields in Northern France. The value of the Shared Histories Project is that it can be use across the curriculum, in English, French, History, Art, Mathematics and Social Sciences. Some activities that the Taupo students completed as part of the project include:  The creation of a video and posters introducing

Taupo Intermediate School for the students at College Jules Verne in France.  Research on a family member involved in World War 1 and the creation of a booklet on the soldier.  Research on individuals and animals involved in the war, such as nurses, stretcher bearers, horses, dogs and the creation of a poster.  A trip to the National Army Museum and the creation of crosses for the Dolores Cross Project http://www.dolorescrossproject.org/. Her students were very enthusiastic about the Shared

Clockwise: Colleen Westerman; Dolores Crosses; Remembering those who fought during World War 1; A student’s poster on Taupo. 8

Partner with a French school! Shared Histories, the France-New Zealand WW1 commemoration programme for schools, is entering its second year of existence and gathering momentum. The intention of the programme is to provide students with the opportunity to discover the profound significance and impact of the sacrifices made by participating countries and territories through interacting and exchanging in an authentic context. This is a wonderful opportunity for students who are studying French to use their language in an authentic way. Shared Histories website posts, comments and forum discussions will be carried out in both languages. The Shared Histories support team also encourage the use of online conferencing services to allow students to speak to each other directly and use their listening and speaking skills. Young Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to visit France and immerse themselves for a short time in the culture and language within a French family, school and community. Since the second call for projects was launched in September, an increasing number of French schools have got on board and are keen to make contact and set up a partnership with New Zealand schools :  to create a collaborative project, interact and exchange on the theme of WW1  to use language authentically  to discover and understand each other’s culture. French schools seeking NZ partners are listed on the Schools seeking partners page of the Shared Histories website. (http://sharedhistories.com/how-2/schools-seeking-partners) To find out more how you can get started and get the support you need for success visit the Shared Histories website or contact the Shared Histories team. Patrick COUSTANCE Education Attaché French Embassy in New Zealand patrick.coustance@diplomatie.gouv.fr

Pascale HYBOUD-PERON Shared Histories Communication Facilitator pascale@thinkagency.co.nz

Glenda PALMER National Adviser for French french@ilep.ac.nz

www.sharedhistories.com

German Language News Goethe-Institut Scholarships for German Teachers The Goethe-Institut invites teachers of German in New Zealand to apply for a scholarship to attend a professional development seminar in Germany in 2015. The seminars offered by the Goethe-Institut focus on broadening teachers’ intercultural competencies and knowledge of teaching methodologies while helping to expand their German language skills. In order to apply, complete an application form (available from http://www.goethe.de/ lhr/prj/fid/abw/deindex.htm) and Principals’ Reference Form (available from Dmitry Mitenkov at d.mitenkov@auckland.ac.nz). Completed applications must be saved in the following format— Neuseeland_Surname_First name and sent to Judith Geare at judith.geare@wellington.goethe.org . Applications close on Monday, 10 November 2014.

ShortFilm Festival 2014—Sehnsucht The winners and runner ups of this year’s ShortFilmFest for students of German in New Zealand have just been chosen by a jury consisting of representatives of the Goethe-Institut, the German Embassy and the National Adviser of German.

mirrored students’ concern for others and for their immediate environment. The jury enjoyed the diversity of genres which covered the whole scope from a beautifully done animated film, dramatic love stories and action films to Each year there is a different topic and students are documentary style films. Well done to invited to use their language skills, creativity and everybody who took part in the teamwork to make a film of about three minutes length, competition! all in German. This year 30 groups of students from all of NZ, ranging in age from primary school to tertiary The trophies and prizes will be awarded students, produced short films on the topic of at a prize giving ceremony at the Film Sehnsucht. The different interpretations the students Archive in Wellington on 5 December from noon to which we invite the German came up with covered surprisingly diverse topics, from Language Community in New Zealand. Please the desire for love and for “real” friends in this age of register beforehand with the German National Facebook over a boy’s strong wish to seek revenge for Adviser. his parents’ death to students longing for a continuous Heike Papenthin National Adviser of German German programme at their school. These clearly

“1000km bis zum Meer”

Upcoming National

A multimedia-based approach to teaching about North Germany, its language, customs and characteristics. Thursday, 30 October 4-6pm Villa Maria College, Christchurch To attend, please RSVP to admin@ilep.ac.nz

Adviser Workshops

Networking Meeting & Resource Sharing Columba College, Dunedin, Tuesday, 28 October 4-6pm Epsom Campus, Auckland, Wednesday, 5 November 4-6:30pm To attend, please RSVP to admin@ilep.ac.nz

IDO 2014 A Report from Andrew Thompson, Westlake Boys’ High School The International German Olympiad, a competition for young people learning German from all over the world, is hosted every two years by the Goethe Institut. This year, along with another Kiwi, Bella Woodward, I was lucky enough to be representing New Zealand. Nearly 100 participants from 47 countries arrived at the Haus der Jugend, a big youth hostel in Frankfurt on the 3rd of August for two weeks of language competitions. Over the first two days we were tested and put into groups, for me B2. We were also welcomed to Frankfurt at a mayoral reception. The first part of the competition involved making a poster about Frankfurt. My topic was “People in Frankfurt” so I interviewed some people on the street as my starting point. The second part was a drama-presentation on the topic “Fashion and Beauty” which we completed in groups of 4. The final part was the most fun. We had to describe the missing part of a picture to an artist, who then drew our crazy ideas. Luckily we had some free time to explore Frankfurt with our group leaders, including going up the Main Tower and visiting the Goethe University. We also took part in a Festival of Cultures held at the Frankfurt Airport. Each country was given a table to set up a display about their country. Many people walking through the airport stopped to look and talk to us. On the weekend we had day trips to Mannheim where we visited the Technoseum and saw a high tech robot operating. We also went to Heidelberg, a really nice old city, where I had the chance to eat my favourite German food, Currywurst. A highlight which everyone had been looking forward to, was a concert with the German band Revolverheld where we were VIP guests. It was an awesome evening. On the last Friday we had the prize-giving, followed by a special meal and then a farewell party which lasted all night, even though some people needed to be up at 5 am. These two weeks were definitely the best two weeks of my life. Getting to know people from so many different countries, and improving my German at the same time was a once in a lifetime opportunity which I am very grateful for. My dream now is to get back to Germany for an exchange semester while at university or maybe work there sometime in the future.

Andrew Thompson about to dig in to his favourite German meal, Currywurst; Promoting New Zealand at the Festival of Cultures; Visit to the Main Tower.

Goethe-Institut German Film Festival 2014 4 - 28 September in Auckland, Wellington & Dunedin

A scene from Ostwind (Windstorm), directed by Katja von Garnier. This film proved popular at the Goethe-Institut German Film Festival 2014. Learners and speakers of German have had the chance to see a good range of German movies this year: The NZ International Film Festival featured some superb films including Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) and Die andere Heimat: Chronik einer Sehnsucht (Home form Home: Chronicle of a Vision) and two of the films in the British-French -German Film Days in the October holidays commemorating World War I, Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) and Die Männer vom Emden (Odyssey of Heroes), are – at least partly - in German. But September was the highlight with the Goethe-Institut German Film Festival running in three major centres (Wellington, Auckland and Dunedin) and screening a total of 25 recent German movies. The Goethe-Institut organized special school screenings at reduced prices of the prize winning films Ostwind (Windstorm) and Der ganz große Traum (Lessons of a Dream) and school groups in all three centres enjoyed these two very different stories. Other highlights included the opening film, Sound of Heimat, which featured New Zealander, Hayden Chisholm, on a musical odyssey through Germany to rediscover German folk music which lost favour in the mid 20th century, tainted by the Nazi period. Hayden was joined by one of the film’s directors, Arne Birkenstock, and Yodelling expert and teacher, Loni Kuisle, as festival guests in Wellington and Auckland. Teachers in other centres are welcome to borrow the DVD of Der ganz große Traum from the Goethe-Institut to show their German classes. The film explores the very beginnings of football in Germany.

This page (left to right): Die Haribos; Prize giving - ‘And the Oskar goes to…’; Oskar Inter-school German Drama Competition 2014. Opposite: (top to bottom): A bomb in the typewriter; The adjudicators—Jeni Lemberg, Heike Papenthin, Judith Geare and Laura Matten; Die Faschingsfreunde Team from Villa Maria College; Die Haribos Team from Avonside Girls’ High School.

Oskar Inter-school German Drama Competition 2014 This year’s Oskar competition was held on Tuesday 16th September at Villa Maria College, Christchurch. Six groups from Year 10 to Year 12 took part, 107 students in all, coming from four schools. The line to be incorporated in this year’s sketches was: Aller guten Dinge sind drei! (All good things come in threes!) This made for interesting plots for the skits. There was a dying King Ludwig II, a bomb in a type writer, a genie coming out of an old vase granting three wishes, fairy tales, a winning trip to the dream country New Zealand and superheros rescuing their kidnapped girl.

And the Oskar goes to….

The adjudicators (Laura Matten, German Embassy Wellington, Judith Geare from the Goethe-Institut, Jeni Lemberg, Secondary Curriculum and Learning Facilitator Languages and Heike Papenthin, National German Adviser) commented on the exceptionally high quality of German and creative ideas in this year’s competition.

Oskar trophy for 1st equal: 

Die Faschingsfreunde from Villa Maria College



Die Haribos from Avonside Girls’ High School

Mini-Oskar: 

Die Gegensätze from Christ’s College

Mini-Oskar: 

Die Schnuckiputzies from Villa Maria College

Special prize for combination of old and modern aspects: 

Es war einmal from Christchurch Girls’ High School

Special prize for energetic execution: 

Die Superhelden from Villa Maria College

It was particularly pleasing to see such a large number of parents, friends and supporters in the audience. German teachers are, as ever, immensely grateful to the German Embassy for its very generous sponsorship of the event. This event provides German students with an excellent opportunity to show-case what they have learnt and we hope that it will continue for many years to come. Vielen Dank!!

Japanese Language News Japanese Day at St Dominic’s College Celebrating International Languages Week 2014 Who doesn't love a good culture festival? St Dominic's which students made a variety of different origami College girls certainly do! On Monday the 18th of shapes, including the crane which went towards the August, we celebrated Japanese Day in accordance annual 1000 Cranes for Hiroshima project that Mrs Ito with International Languages week - and it was quite had been running. the sugoi event!

Everyone had a great time and the event was an

Hosted by the Year 12 Japanese class and with the astounding success.

Also, many of the Japanese

help of the other classes by way of supplies, we held students were parading around the school in fabulous our own Japanese Culture Festival in the Japanese t-shirts with kanji written on them and many curious classroom at lunchtime. Some of us had baked students were encouraged to find out what the cupcakes, a few had brought homemade onigiri and intricate characters meant. A big thank you to the whole school, including the teachers, were invited everyone who took part and to all the students who to spend the hour learning just a bit more about helped to run the event - Japanese culture was Japan’s interesting culture.

proudly and artfully represented and enjoyed by St

There were calligraphy lessons, bookmarks on which

Dominic’s College this year.

student’s names were written in Katakana, an Looking forward to Japanese Day next year! invigorating Japanese Culture Quiz with free cupcakes Sayonara! for every correct answer - this was where the biggest crowd was, unsurprisingly - and origami workshops in

Written by: Nain Alfante, 12MC, St Dominic’s College

Kansai Immersion Scholarship Six Japanese teachers from schools around New Zealand recently returned from a two-week trip to Japan as part of the Kansai Programme. This immersion-based scholarship programme ran from 29 September to 10 October and was sponsored by the Japan Foundation and managed through International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP). The participants were based at the Kansai Japan Foundation Centre in Osaka, Japan. A host of professional development activities were arranged and included, home visits, a one-day tour of Osaka, an excursion to Koyasan, calligraphy classes, as well as language classes. In the language classes, participants learned more about Kanji exercises, topic-based learning, developing teaching resources as well as useful websites. We will feature an article on the participants’ experience in our next newsletter. 14

Culture Day November 3rd is Culture Day, a Japanese national holiday when people are encouraged to love freedom and peace and to promote culture. Historically, it was celebrated as the birthday of the Meiji Emperor (reigned 18681912), but after World War Two, the Constitution of Japan was promulgated on November 3 rd and this date has been designated as Culture Day in commemoration of this event since 1948. Prior to Culture Day, the government selects people who have contributed to the development of culture. These people are regarded as people of cultural merit and called 文化功労者（bunka-korosha）in Japanese. They are elected from among many people who are engaged in a wide range of fields in science and the arts including literature and music. Then, their names are announced by the media on Culture Day. The government also chooses several people from among them who have made the greatest contributions to the development of culture and awards them the Order of Cultural Merit, which is called 文化勲章（bunka-kunsho）in Japanese. A ceremony is held every year at the Imperial Palace on Culture Day to celebrate the winners of the Order of Cultural Merit, and the Emperor gives medals to the winners at the ceremony. Many cultural events are held throughout Japan during the period around Culture Day. Art, film, drama, broadcasting, and music festivals take place at this time. Many schools also have culture festivals where students use cultural activities to display what they have done.

Washoku (Japanese Cuisine) Workshops & Lectures The Washoku Workshops and Lectures were held on 25 and 26 October at the North Atrium of the Auckland Art Gallery. Washoku was designated Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO last year, and it was the wish of the organisers of Taste of Japan to convey this culture to the wider Auckland Community. Visitors experienced the charm of washoku, edible art that was almost too beautiful to eat. Washoku was demonstrated by a Top Authentic Japanese Chef Mr. Kinji Fukuda of Kurumaya who travelled from Tokyo, Japan for this event.

Kaiseki (懐石) Dinner For one night only, 50 lucky patrons had the chance to experience Japan's exquisite Kaiseki cuisine prepared by Top Authentic Japanese Chef Mr. Kinji Fukuda of Kurumaya in Auckland. The event took place at Auckland University of Technology’s Four Seasons Restaurant. Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. It is a special art from that balances taste, texture, appearance, and colours of food.

ry a i d ur o y r Fo

Japanese Film Festival

Dates: 6 - 12 November 2014 Venue: Rialto Cinemas Newmarket, Auckland The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is presented and run by The Japan Foundation, Sydney and is now an established calendar event. The JFF started in 1997 with three free film screenings by Festival Director Masafumi Konomi and is now the largest Japanese film festival in the world. Last year, the Festival celebrated its 17th year with an audience of approximately 25,000 Australia-wide. The Festival has enjoyed great success over the years, with the opportunity to showcase a vast variety of cinematic delights from classics to newly released films currently screening in Japan. The JFF brings out special guests from Japan for Q&A evenings and film screenings and debuts its main program in Auckland, New Zealand this year.

http://japanesefilmfestival.net/location/auckland/

Kazarimaki Sushi Japanese Immersion Workshop These days rolled sushi has become very popular around the world and it is well known for its freshness and presentation. But have you heard of Kazarimaki sushi? Sometimes it is referred to as “Sushi art rolls” or “Decorative sushi” and is a relatively new form of sushi using designs such as flowers, animals or animation characters. Making Kazarimaki sushi is a little more complicated making than normal sushi due to the intricate designs but it is something that anyone can do once you’ve got the hang of it. Kazarimaki sushi gives you an opportunity to take the extra step up with a type of sushi that will really impress with its beautiful designs and presentation. We had a Japanese language immersion workshop for Kazarimaki sushi on 14 August with 6 people at the ILEP office. It was a great opportunity for the teachers not only to learn how to make Kazarimaki sushi but to do so while interacting in Japanese. The cooking theme also allowed the participants to explore various onomatopoeia that are used during the cooking process, so they spent much time talking about how Japanese onomatopoeia are used. The day was a huge success. All of the participants involved in the workshop walked away brimming with satisfaction and some were already planning to show their skills at upcoming home parties. As you can see from the photos, Kazarimaki sushi certainly does stand out compared with your typical rolled sushi that you would see at your local sushi shop. It would undoubtedly brighten up the table if you are either hosting or going to a party!

Kazarimaki Sushi One roll ＜Ingredients＞ rice …1.5 rice cups (225g) seaweed…3.5 sheets yukari…add according to colour preference smoked salmon…5~10 strips egg…１ avocado …１/4 sushi vinegar…add according to taste

＜Recipe＞  First, mix 2/3 of the rice with yukari.  Mix the rest of the rice with sushi vinegar.  Cut two pieces of seaweed into three strips.  Place the salmon and 1/5 of the rice which you made in ① onto each strip. Roll to make sushi. Repeat to make 5 rolls.  Make 1.5 times sized seaweed using some rice grains to stick the seaweed together.  Spread the rice on the seaweed you made in ④. Put a few sliced avocado on ⑤. Make a thin omelet and roll it tight. Make a flower with ③ and ⑦. First, hold the MAKISU with one hand and put 3 rolls on it. And then, in the middle of these 3 rolls, insert the rolled omelet and place the other 2 rolls on top. Put ⑧ on top of ⑥ and roll. 17

Spanish Language News Salamanca Immersion Programme 2014 Marilyn Wilkie, HOF Languages, Wanganui High School About Me / Why I Chose to Go

and talk, some were interactive (none, by the way, were BYOD) - the quality of discussion, the flow of ideas and For 12 years, working as a Spanish teacher in a busy overwhelming good humour were what made the Languages department, I have waved goodbye to teachers excellent. students as we send them off on exciting exchanges to Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Tahiti and China. Inevitably they Highlights come back glowing and inspired. When I was a There were so many highlights, including excursions to schoolgirl, we were lucky to have a trip to a local factory places I had always wanted to visit – Toledo, Segovia, in Wellington – certainly not the overseas trips and Sevilla, Granada and the Alhambra – with all their exchange opportunities that have become part and historical and geographical wonders. (We were parcel of building confident young international particularly privileged to be admitted to the old communicators these days. But this year, ILEP and the University of Salamanca Library, housing some of the Spanish Embassy gave me and 10 other New Zealand most ancient of explorers’ globes and illuminated texts.) teachers the opportunity to rewind to our youth and But the main highlight was just being able to observe the have the same kind of immersion experience as our minutiae of daily life, living with a family for the first lucky students. After a simple application process and an week – what you eat for dinner, what it’s like living in an orientation day, I was on my way to spend two weeks at apartment block, who they gossip about, where the Universidad de Salamanca, one of the oldest and everyone sits, how the plumbing works, what flowers most prestigious universities in Europe, living and are grown on the terrace, what life has been like for speaking Spanish 24 hours a day. It was a real eyethem over the years. The Fiesta de San Fermin was on opener. that week, and each morning at 8 am we gathered Cursos de Verano around the TV to watch the 3 minute running of the bulls with endless replays and excited commentary. The most The summer courses in Spanish language and culture at moving moments were when my hosts talked about the University of Salamanca attract students of all ages what it meant to be Spanish, what they had learned from all over the world. While there are many options to growing up, how they felt about their country and the choose from, the course arranged by ILEP/Spanish various regions and people within it, and what their Embassy involved two weeks of study with two hours of aspirations were for their children. language instruction each morning, followed by two elective courses – I took Culture and Art/Architecture. Several weeks later, it is the sights and sounds of Spain The four teachers I experienced there were frankly that linger – the endless fields of olives, the big plains inspiring, and a good kick in the pants for this tired and the open sky, magnificent bulls wandering about teacher drowning in NCEA assessment. They were under the trees, delicious bacalao and tortilla española intelligent, provocative, self-deprecating and funny, and and potaje topped off by our daily tinto de verano and you left each lesson buzzing with things learned and with relaxed conversation in the plaza, the singing of the tuna a heightened appreciation of humanity. It has taught me minstrels, the glow of the sun on the distinctive beige not to be afraid to throw personal observations about stonework of Salamanca’s old buildings, walking the life and the universe at my students, along with streets with the entire populace in the evening paseo, formulaic expressions and conditional verbs, because readjusting my time clock to eating at 10pm, and the what is a language if not a means of naming and smell of flowers in the south. How to convey all this to exploring our human experience. The teaching styles in students? Salamanca did not seem to matter - some were chalk 18

From right (clockwise): Marilyn Wilkie in Salamanca; The Salamanca Immersion Programme 2014 participants; At the Alhambra; Chocoloate and churros

Professional development / taking it to the classroom

Recommendations

In terms of development as a teacher, a valuable part of the programme was a cooking course. We prepared some typical dishes (pisto, paella, gazpacho), acquired a lot of new vocabulary and explored different food practices. For example, we learnt that doggy bags are frowned upon in Spain. One eats food when it is cooked to perfection. Eating it 12 hours later after a sodden night in the fridge is bordering on sacrilegious. My growing teenage students were understandably happy to explore these recipes and customs on my return, and have filmed their own video cooking demonstration. Other effects on my teaching have been a greater use of the vosotros (you plural) form in the classroom, a large stock of photos to use for units on food, shops, architecture, the Alhambra etc., and a clearer appreciation of how the subjunctive mood is used. I was intrigued by the widespread use of clozes in my language classes, for both lexical and grammatical purposes, and this has prompted me to return to incorporating clozes and dictations more often in my daily teaching, to hone studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reading and listening skills. I am slowly converting the cultural knowledge I picked up into a set of questionnaires designed to provoke discussion in class and comparison with studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own cultures. The most obvious benefit of the programme is this wider store of intercultural experiences, which will surface more often in my teaching now to inform, stimulate and entertain students. My project for the summer is to get some of these resources into a form that can be shared with cluster partners and the ELENZA listserv.

The summer courses at the Universidad de Salamanca are an international treasure. The immersion programme was an amazing experience and I am incredibly grateful to ILEP and the Spanish Embassy (especially Pablo Mateu GarcĂa) for offering and coordinating this programme for NZ teachers. If you have the chance to go, do not hesitate! Do not worry about your level of Spanish, there are classes for all abilities. I have also started recommending the summer courses to students looking for a gap year experience (see http://cursosinternacionales.usal.es/index.php/en/ cursos-en-verano). The combination of travel, study and lodging in a family home and/or a university hostel, and the fact that you are dissecting Spanish language and culture with students from many countries certainly provides far more insights than travelling as a tourist. It challenged me. It was fun. It has deepened my knowledge and appreciation of Spanish culture and made me more determined to make language learning a meaningful and exciting experience for students. Not all of our students will have the opportunity to go on exchanges and travel the world, but I want to be a teacher who reveals how fascinating other languages and cultures can be, helps students think about the kind of person they are in the context of their own culture, and helps them formulate the kind of person they want be. Deciding who we are and where we fit in the world is the big adventure of life, and learning a language is one very useful way of answering those questions. 19

Year 9 & 10 Spanish Movie Competition Let your students showcase what they’ve learned! Spanish Teacher’s Association New Zealand Aotearoa (STANZA) invites Year 9 and 10 students from across New Zealand to enter a national video/movie competition to promote the learning of Spanish. Theme: ¡Vamos a la playa! Deadline: Friday November 26th, 6:00 pm.

Video/Movie specifications: 2 – 3 minutes maximum in length. Students may do their own acting or use animated characters and drawings, but there must be more than one participant speaking in the video/movie. (Please follow copyright laws. Videos should be appropriate for all ages. No commercial content is permitted.) Submission Guidelines 1. Participation is limited to Year 9 and 10 students in secondary schools in New Zealand. 2. Students should not be native speakers of Spanish. 3. Limit of two submissions per school. 4. Follow video specifications and judging criteria. 5. Submissions that do not meet these guidelines will not be considered. Judging Criteria 1. Content 40%: Be sure the content of your video/movie addresses the theme but remember you can be as creative with this as you want to be. 2. Creativity 20% 3. Language 40%: The video/movie is to be entirely in Spanish. Entry: Upload the video to YouTube and send the link to Cheryl van Dijck cheryl.vandijck@stcuthberts.school.nz; alternatively, send a hardcopy on memory stick or DVD to Cheryl van Dijck, St Cuthbert’s College, PO Box 26020, Epsom, Auckland 1344 by the above date. Prize for First place: $100 in classroom resources and $100 voucher for a celebratory party.

Fiesta Nacional de España - National Day Fiesta Nacional de España is the National Day of Spain. It is held annually on 12 October and is a national holiday in Spain. This important Spanish holiday commemorates the first arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. Christopher Columbus was an explorer who was born in the Republic of Genoa, which is now part of Italy. He completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Spanish Empire. Through these voyages, he initiated the Spanish colonization of the New World. This holiday is marked with the raising of Spain’s National Flag in Madrid by the king of Spain. The flag raising ceremony is followed by a military parade by the armed forces which showcases the country’s weapons and artillery. An air show also takes place with the armed forces performing acrobatic manoeuvres in the air. An event was held at the Spanish Embassy in Wellington to celebrate Fiesta Nacional de España on Wednesday, 22 October 2014. Government officials, the Diplomatic Corp, VIPs and the Spanish community were invited to the event. See pictures of the event on page 21.

Christopher Columbus Wikipedia

Spanish Language Assistant Resource Sharing Day The 2014 French, German and Spanish Language Assistants got together on Friday, 19 September to share some of the resources that they created while working in New Zealand schools. Here are some of the ideas shared by Spanish Language Assistants: Las tiendas—going shopping Raquel Martínez Ramírez, Language Assistant at St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland designed a lesson to practice and learn vocabulary about shopping using the internet. Each student is given a 150 Euro budget and has to create a shopping list of clothing items that they want to buy. Students then access the Spanish language sites of the online stores such as Zara, Mango, etc. They have to find the items on their shopping list while staying within their budget.

La Sorpresa – The surprise Maria Segarra Beneyto, Language Assistant at Rangitoto College, Auckland, used a video on Youtube called La Sorpresa as part of a lesson on the relationship between the economic crisis in Spain and the phenomenon of migration. The video reflects the current situation of Spanish qualified young people who have to migrate to other countries to find a job because of the economic crisis in the country.

Monster time! Cristina Velázquez López, Language Assistant at Botany Downs Secondary College, Auckland, gets her students to practice and review vocabulary for describing people, but in this case, monsters! In groups, students are provided with different pictures of monsters and they take turns describing them (hair, colour, number of eyes, teeth, etc.) and drawing. The pairs then check to see how close their monsters resembled the original ones. Students also get an opportunity to create their own monster and then describe it to the group.

Celebrations at the Spanish Embassy in Wellington to mark Fiesta Nacional de España

News Asian Language Learning in Schools Programme (ALLiS) Since China, Japan, and Korea are amongst New Zealand top 5 trading partners, there is a special interest in increasing the number of students learning these languages. The number of students learning these languages is currently lower than students learning other international languages. The government will support the teaching of Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean in schools through ALLiS, a $10 million contestable fund. The aim of this fund is to support New Zealand’s growing trade and international relationships with those Asian countries. Moreover, international evidence shows that learning a second language can enhance students’ development of literacy skills in their first language. ALLiS funding is expected to support schools by setting up new or strengthening existing Asian language programmes. Available for up to 90 primary and secondary schools or clusters of schools, the funding for programmes in individual schools is up to $100.000 and for multiple schools it may be higher. Collaboration between schools and Asian Language and Cultural organisations will be encouraged, and sustainability of all programmes established after the termination of support is expected. All state-integrated schools can apply for funding under ALLiS and the first call for registration is open up to 20 November, 2014. Successful applications will be entitled to submit a proposal by late February 2015 which will lead to the notification of successful schools and clusters in March 2015. Similarly, the second call for registration will be open until early August 2015. Successful applications will be also entitled to submit a proposal by October 2015 and schools and clusters will be notified in November 2015. For more information go to: http://education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/asian-languagelearning-in-schools-programme/

University of Nouméa students visit Auckland 16 students from the University of Nouméa in the final year of their degrees in Languages and Culture with a major in teaching French as a foreign language visited International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP), University of Auckland Epsom Campus in September. The majority of these university students come from the New Caledonian province of the Loyalty Islands, Ouvéa, Maré and Lifou, and Vanuatu. The purpose of this visit was to learn about French language learning in New Zealand and the support provided to teachers of languages.

New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association Language teacher associations play critical roles in allowing teachers access to a professional network, where they can support each other, share resources, as well as access professional development. Due to the increase in Chinese language learning in New Zealand, it is important to have an association that represents Chinese Language Teachers. The New Zealand Chinese Language Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association (NZCLTA) was launched in August 2014 at a ceremony held at Epsom Campus, University of Auckland. The aim of the NZCLTA is to provide professional networking opportunities and professional development opportunities for teachers of Chinese at primary and secondary level, in order to promote effective Chinese learning and teaching in schools. The NZCLTA is a national association administered by an Executive Committee comprising the following: the President, the Senior Vice President, the Junior Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and Regional Officers. Currently there are 8 Regional Officers. The association encourages teachers of Chinese at secondary and primary level to become members. However, the Association is also open to any persons who subscribe to and share the same aims of the NZCLTA, including tertiary teachers and community members. For more information, visit the NZCLTA website - http://www.nzclta.org/

NZCLTA Launch (Clockwise): Prof. Martin East (President NZALT); Pat English (NZ China Council); Tian Huang (president of NZCLTA); Dr Christine Biebricher (Pathway Manager, ILEP); Delegates.

Professional Learning & Development Increasing Target Language Use in the Foreign Language Classroom Research shows that the amount of time spent on language learning and the intensity (time on task and use of the target language in the classroom) of the experience have significant effects on students’ language acquisition and proficiency levels. It is important for foreign language teachers to consider how they can increase the use of target language (TL) in the classroom. Here are some ideas:

sentences that illustrate a particular structure in use. After studying the four sentences, the teacher elicits information about the grammar point from the students (Moeller & Roberts, 2013).

4. Use ‘comprehensible input’ (Krashen, 1982) By presenting information, such as new vocabulary, using a range of techniques (pictures, sounds, visualisation, gestures, mime, non-verbal clues, and prior knowledge) 1. Create a respectful community of learning that makes input more comprehensible and enhances promotes risk taking students’ recall and recognition (Moeller & Roberts, 2013). A community based on mutual respect among students 5. Reward errors and celebrate self-correction and between teacher and students promotes a Making errors when learning a language is normal and comfortable and low affective environment in which errors should be seen as an important part of the learning students feel free to produce language without fear of process. In a safe learning environment, errors are seen as being mocked. One effective strategy that communicates developmental and are rewarded by the teacher and to students the importance of respect consists of posting peers who laud self-correction by students who make and using a poster that defines clearly and makes errors. By creating an environment where students are transparent to students what respectful behaviour is not afraid to make errors, you promote risk-taking and a suitable in their learning community (Moeller & Roberts, more affective learning environment. Consider initiating a 2013). ‘Penguin Award’ that is awarded each week to a student 2. Employ ‘meta moments’ that encourage student who took risks in his/her language learning (Danzeisen, reflection 2014). If you are not a proficient speaker of the language ‘Meta moments’ allow students to see purpose and you are teaching, it is just as important that you can show rationale behind the strategies and approaches used by your students that you are also taking risks in using the TL, the teacher in the classroom. For example, after and making mistakes too (Moeller & Roberts, 2013). presenting vocabulary through a story using PowerPoint, 6. Exhibit enthusiasm for your students’ learning – the teacher could pause and ask students, ‘How did this celebrate each ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ become comprehensible to you?’ Why do you think I used A sincere compliment instils confidence in your students images rather than English translation?’ Affective learning and communicates your belief in them. You can push strategies such as this enable students to exercise students to higher levels of learning and achievement ‘executive control’ through planning, arranging, focusing though encouragement (Moeller & Roberts, 2013). and evaluating their own learning. In order not to interrupt the flow of TL use in the lesson, these stages 7. Integrate technology to move students from being may be better at the end of class, unless, of course, the consumers of language to users of language students are of a level to be able to have this discussion in Technology provides the opportunity to create an the target language! (Moeller & Roberts, 2013) environment where language use is authentic, relevant 3. Present grammar inductively – ‘crack the code’ Language teachers typically revert to L1 when teaching grammar. By presenting grammar inductively, the students are engaged more deeply in the learning process, developing their language learning strategies such as noticing and prediction. It also makes the learning more memorable. For example, a teacher sets a context for the TL (a story, pictures), then provides students with four

and meaningful. Some examples of Web 2,0 tools where the student is actively involved in producing language include, Poplet, Prezi, Voki, Toondoo and many others. (Moeller & Roberts, 2013). 8. Extrinsic motivation strategies that help students move towards intrinsic motivation Students may need some incentive to use the TL at first. One effective strategy is to reward participation by 24

awarding points that result in students winning tangible  at the end of class to review the lesson and get student items or awards (Mandarin Star of the Week, Best Student feedback. of the Week, Most Improvement of the Month, Top Risk12. Classroom management language taker, Most TL Use) (Moeller & Roberts, 2013). Teachers can easily use the target language when giving 9. Personalise lessons and make them relevant to the instructions, evaluating and correcting, in disciplinary students interventions and when gaining class control. Reverting to Students love nothing more than to talk about themselves! L1 for these only breaks the flow of the TL. Consider having Look for opportunities to adapt materials or activities a poster with some of the more common expressions on it wherever you can so that they can personalise the TL. For until students become familiar with them (Chambers, example, if they watch a video about Maria from Madrid 1991). and her typical day, how is their typical day the same/ 13. Beat our best different? What do they think are the best / worst parts of Use a timer to see how long the class can keep talking only their day? (Moeller & Roberts, 2013) in the target language before someone starts to speak in 10. Language ladders (aka washing lines) English. Keep a record each lesson for them to try and Language ladders are an effective strategy for building beat. In schools with more than one language class at the students’ use of the target language in the classroom. A same level, this can be an inter-class challenge or it could language ladder consists of a set of commonly used be done in groups within the class. expressions focused on a particular function. The functions 14. Something to say can relate to student-to-teacher/teacher-to-student Have a display space for pupils to “build” a wall. Every time interactions (seeking information, expressing confusion/ a pupil is heard using a good target language phrase they lack of understanding, asking permission, praising/ write it on a “Sprechbaustein” (speech brick). encouraging, commands, etc.) as well as student-to-student interactions (making small talk, expressing likes/dislikes, 15. Language police giving compliments, asking for something, etc.) Each day Appoint a police officer each lesson without the class the teacher introduces one expression related to the knowing who it is. At the end of the lesson the police function through mime, gesture or visual clues, drills it, officer reveals him/herself and reads out any expressions in numbers it and posts it under a visual representing the English he/she has heard. These are then stuck onto a function. Once the expressions are posted, students are “rubbish bin” poster and the person who said them has to responsible for understanding and using them. Students find out the target language equivalent for homework and could be encouraged to copy the expressions into a write it up. dedicated section of their notebooks to further reinforce them. To reinforce the expressions, teachers could use the References ‘password technique’, where by students must say an expression to the teacher at the door when leaving or Chambers, F. (1991) Promoting the use of the target entering the classroom. Placemats and booklets are also a language in the classroom, The Language Teaching Journal, fun way to reinforce commonly used expressions that are 4:1, 27 – 31. focused on a particular function within the classroom and Danzeisen, A. (2014) Ideas for retaining our students from provide a permanent record of this language for students one year to the next, Workshop, NZALT Conference, Palmerston North. (Knop, 2009). Knop, C. (2009) Increasing use of the target language in 11. Outline of lesson plan on the board classroom interaction, http://www.oomroom.com/ An outline of the lesson plan on the board could help the resources/knop_article.pdf [Accessed 06/08/2014] students better understand and use the target language Krashen, S. (1982) Principals and practice in second (Knop, 2009). The lesson plan outline should be written in language acquisition, www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/ the target language and can be exploited in the following principles_and_practice.pdf [Accessed 06/08/2014] ways: Moeller, A & A, Roberts, 2013 Keeping it in the target  at the start of class as an advance organiser that language, in MultiTasks, MultiSkills, MultiConnections 2013 students can read aloud in pairs or write in their Report from Central States Conference on the teaching of notebooks; foreign languages, http://www.csctfl.org/  during class the outline can be used for closure of a stage documents/2013Report/2013ReportWeb.pdf [Accessed or activity and transition to another stage or activity; 06/08/2014] 25

Language Immersion Awards The Ministry of Education Language Immersion Awards for teachers and students of languages within the New Zealand school curriculum. Applications are now open for 2015 programmes (Terms 2 or 3 of 2015), applications for this round of Awards close on 9 May 2015 and you can get a copy of the application pack through AFS Intercultural Programmes , contact Prue Elwood at prue.elwood@afs.org AFS Intercultural Programmes are contracted by the Ministry to manage all aspects of the programme so the recipients are able to immerse and benefit from an experience of significant professional development that will build quality language teaching to enhance language learning opportunities and provisions for students. The professional development begins prior to departure with goal setting processes and orientation, continues throughout the immersion itself and on return via the required reporting processes and follow up engagement.

Applications for Term 3 or 4 of 2015 close on 9 March 2016 Applications for Awards in 2016 close in July 2015

‘This is an opportunity to truly immerse in the target language and culture. It reminded me that the language is the tool to discovering the culture. It is most beneficial to update one’s language and cultural knowledge of the target country, and to look afresh for new ideas for integrating language and culture in the classroom.’

To get a real feel for what an Immersion Award can do for your teaching and for you personally, read the case studies of teachers and students who have been on a Language Immersion at http://www.afs.org.nz/educators/lia-case-studies/

Follow the experiences of current participants through professional blogs

JESS MOWATT mrsmowatinfrance.blogspot.co.nz/ It’s coming to the end of the school year. This is a photo with of my classes that finished last week.

DANIELLE PAYNE misspayneinfrance.blogspot.fr/

Culture, language and identity. These things are undeniably linked and put into perspective when you are living in a different country.