At Alice Smith, students develop their intercultural understanding as they learn to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others. In our MFL lessons, we ensure that students engage with diverse cultures, creating connections and cultivating mutual respect. We believe that understanding each other’s cultures is an essential part of living with others in the diverse world of the twenty-first century, and that it is our duty to guide our students to become responsible global citizens, equipped for living and working together in an interconnected world.
This was illustrated recently, when different year groups learnt about the Lunar New Year in their Mandarin classes.
Year 1 learnt about lion dances, Year 2 made tiger hand-puppets, and Year 3 practised the Chinese folk art of paper-cutting.
Year 5 students created their own Lunar New Year quizzes after researching some Lunar New Year facts, and Year 6 practised their calligraphy skills and painted a range of Lunar New Year greetings.
In their ‘Prosperous and Precious Pets’ MFL unit, Year 4 students learnt how to describe their pets in their Mandarin, French and Bahasa lessons. They also learnt how to name the Chinese Zodiac animals in their chosen MFL and they developed their Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills by learning how to describe different animals’ appearance and personality. At the end of the unit, the children were able to create their own sets of ‘Memory game’ cards, all themed around the Chinese Zodiac animals.
Students and teachers always thoroughly enjoy these intercultural aspects of their MFL lessons, and we are all already looking forward to our next celebration, as Hari Raya is just around the corner!
Another exciting event coming up for the MFL department and the Y3-6 MFL students is the FOBISIA Languages Championships organised by Education Perfect (March 8th-15h).
Good luck to everyone taking part from both campuses!
Joanna Asse Drouet
Head of MFL - Primary Campus
