Modern Languages
Modern Languages – French, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian – offer the opportunity to increase one’s awareness of other cultures and to communicate in another language. In spite of greater industrial and technological globalisation, the ability to speak to other people in their own language remains a prized and necessary asset.
Events
Easter Holidays 2007
FRENCH TRIP - YEAR 10
Very early, on Sunday 25th April 2007, 30 sleepy but very determined Year 10 girls set off by coach for a homestay trip to Angers in the Loire valley. They were accompanied by three teachers (Ms Harskin, Dr Rushton and Miss Lane).There they stayed in French families for a week, went to a French school in the mornings and on outings in the afternoons. They visited two chateaux ( Angers and Brissac) and had the opportunity to see how people used to live underground in a troglodyte village, which remained in use right up until the 1930`s. One of their favourite activities was, of course, ”Le grand jeu du chocolat”, and Futuroscope was extremely popular too. The girls also performed a song and dance in front of the whole French school, which seriously impressed their teachers (and, hopefully, the French pupils). They got back to England on 31st April very tired but full of funny anecdotes about their stay.
RUSSIAN EXCHNAGE - 25th March to 5th April, 2007
8 Year 11 girls accompanied by Mrs S. Earley have returned from 12 days of sunshine in Moscow. Global warming had caused every last vestige of snow to disappear and promoted the early appearance of grass, leaf buds and even tulips. The girls were shown all the wonderful sights of the Kremlin, the golden domed cathedrals, the armoury which houses all the carriages, coronation robes, the gold and silver plate of the Tsars and of course the Faberge eggs as well as the Diamond Treasury where the thousands of diamonds, cut and uncut, the rubies, emeralds, sapphires and gold ingots were quite dazzling! Girls enjoyed a trip to the Gzhel china factory where they not only watched the production of the famous blue and white china but also took part in a 'Master Class' to produce a clay model of their choice. Competing with a class of Russian School Children Catherine Tyack secured the first prize and was awarded a certificate and a rather large pot to bring home. After a thorough tour of the largest cathedral in Russia, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, we were lucky enough to get tickets to a see a performance of 'Swan Lake' at the Kremlin Place Theatre which seats five thousand people. We all enjoyed a very interesting tour of the Space Mission Control Centre just outside Moscow and were privileged to be in the room when all the scientists were downloading all the information from the International Space Station which was passing over Russia at the time. As there was an imminent change of crew due for the Space Station, we were unable to visit the astronauts' training centre but instead we were taken from Mission Control to visit Sergeev Posad where the magnificent monastery and seat of the Russian Orthodox Church is housed. All the churches there were being prepared for Easter and looked wonderful. There were always great contrasts between all the excursions. We spent many hours 'experiencing' the Moscow metro with its marble clad walls, chandeliers and mosaic frescoes and even visited the metro museum accompanied by a guide who in her youth had worked in the factory building the metro carriages! At Kolomenskoe we saw the estate where Peter the Great was brought up and took part in a dramatic presentation of his life. Our final day was spent rehearsing and performing our concert for the Russians. Our talented singers, dancers and actors gave a tremendous show which this year was seen not only by the Russian School but also by their American Partner School from Tamarac in New York State. We enjoyed getting to know the American group and watch their concert too. It can be safely said that OHS girls have come home with unforgettable memories of both their Russian families and Russia.
ITALIAN EXCHANGE
11 girls studying Italian at OHS spent the first week of their Easter holidays in Italy for the second leg of The Italian Exchange.
The Italian school “Liceo Classico e Internazionale C Botta” and their students welcomed us in Ivrea and organised a rich programme of activities. We visited Milan, the exclusive seaside resort of Portofino, we reached 3462 metres on the slopes of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), visited the historic city of Ivrea and shopped in Turin and everywhere else. At school our girls participated in lessons and were offered a special lesson on a Canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Tears were shed in Ivrea at departure time, and many promises of meeting again soon were made.
Milano
3462
Mts. Monte Bianco
(il
Dente del Gigante)
Portofino
Spring Term 2007
LANGUAGE THEATRE COMPANY
Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play Romulus der Große (1950) shows the demise of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century - taking place during the day of the Ides of March, 476 A.D. Any Roman emperor, conscious of history, would take care on such auspicious days not to annoy his senate, but then the present emperor, Romulus, is not your ordinary emperor. Faced with the ever-growing menace of a Teutonic invasion (Germans, to you and me), does he set out to mobilise his armies to meet the enemy long before they reach the gates of Rome? No, he sits in his country estate, worrying about whether his chickens are laying eggs or not. Each chicken has been named after his predecessors, and most of them have proved to be useless as egg providers. Only the chicken, named after his adversary, Odoaker, seems to be on form, laying prodigious amounts of eggs each day.
His court, and his family become rapidly more and more frustrated with his bizarre behaviour, as they try to hang on to the remnants of their power, in the face of defeat after defeat, whilst Romulus seems oblivious to what his happening around him. But not everything is as it seems. In fact, the ruin of the Empire is happily expected by the last Roman Emperor. He despises his own culture for its violent past and can hardly wait to see the Germanic tribes march into the Roman capital. As his family and ministers flee he stays behind, refusing to allow his empire to be bought out by a Russian billionaire, because the end must be final, including his own death at the hands of the German chief.
Dürrenmatt has one more twist, though, to this tale, and the Germans turn out not be the barbaric trouser-wearing heathens Romulus had imagined them to be, but their leader is a sophisticated, caring person, who has seen through Romulus’ planning all along. Odoaker fears for his own future as this war has produced too many Teutonic heroes, like his nephew, Theoderic, who sees life in terms of glory, victories, and abstinence to gain a Germanic empire which will last for centuries (I wonder where this has been thought of in history!).
This year’s production involved the largest cast to date of these annual productions and also allowed Latin and Greek to be added to the numerous other languages used by the cast. The performance was memorable for its pace, humour and eclectic style of costumes and props, ranging from Roman busts to bicycles and chickens! A full house enjoyed the performance as much as the cast enjoyed acting out this excellent script.
FRENCH DAY - 29TH JANUARY 2007
For Years 7 – 9 the European Theatre Company gave a colourful performance of Les Trois Mousquetaires. This exciting, swashbuckling performance was enjoyed by Years 7 – 9, with plenty of audience participation.The kitchens also joined in with the flavour of the day, decking out the dining rooms in tricolores and serving French food for lunch, including snails and frogs’ legs, as appetisers! The French tutor group took assembly extolling the virtues of France.
Photos from this year’s production of les Trois Mousquetairese
OTHER THEATRE TRIPS
| The Languages Department enjoyed several theatre trips during the term, including special school productions for Year 10 in French and in Spanish, performed at Wychwood School, and the German and Drama departments joined forces to see two Brecht plays: Arturo Ui, (a parable about the rise of Hitler set in the Chicago fruit markets!), and an excellent, imaginative and funny production by the National Theatre of The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Warwick University. Such productions give all the students the opportunity to experience the wider cultural aspect of the language they are learning, and so are an important part of studying a language. |
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The Modern Languages Department
| Head of Department: Head of French: Head of German Head of Spanish: Head of Russian: Head of Italian: Head of Mandarin French & German: French & Classics: |
Ms Sabine Harskin |
Language assistants in French, Spanish, German and Russian.
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Language learning is all about understanding other cultures and the way of life in different countries. In a world which seems to become less tolerant each year, language learning allows pupils the opportunity to experience and to comprehend other people, their history, literature, music, gastronomy and customs.
French
Every pupil learns French in the first five years at Oxford High School and will take G.C.S.E. in Year 11. The aim of the course is to stimulate lasting pupil curiosity in the language, by giving them every opportunity to communicate in the language, and to develop their linguistic and grammatical knowledge. At the same time the course aims to develop cultural awareness in France and French-speaking countries, through reading, films, plays, trips, and French Days, and the French Club.
Pupils in Year 10 and Year 12 have the opportunity to spend a week in a French family in Angers, and attend French classes. Sixth Formers are expected to spend some time during the Sixth Form in France. (See Latest News for this year’s events)
The French Day was introduced four years ago to build awareness of wider aspects
of French life. The day includes a French play, either for the Seniors or Juniors, by a visiting
company, Assembly in French, a French lunch in the cantine, and other activities in classes.
| Four years ago saw the inaugural production by the Language Theatre Company, a group of Sixth Formers, who put on a bi-lingual production of En attendant Godot/ Waiting for Godot. This was followed by a multi-lingual version of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s comedy The Physicists, to celebrate the centenary year of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Last year’s play was Amadeus, by Peter Shaffer, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. In a lively production involving many Sixth Formers and a live quartet, the cast performed in several languages, conveying the genius of the composer, thwarted by the jealousy of the Viennese court and by Salieri, in particular. This year’s production was Romulus, an adaptation of a Dürrenmatt play about Rome’s last emperor. (See Latest News) |
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For the Juniors, and supported strongly by senior girls, there is the French Club, which meets once a week, to play French games and to develop French beyond the normal classroom atmosphere. There is one club for Year 7 and another for Year 8.
In the Sixth Form a large number of students continue with French, and here they have the opportunity to read more widely the literature and to watch and discuss films. The added resource of French satellite television allows them to have instant access to a wider culture, as does having a copy of Le Monde in the Library, as well as there being the very popular French tutor groups in Years 12 and 13.
German, Spanish and Russian
These three languages are option languages from Year 9. Pupils choosing them will have a basic grounding in the language for the first year, and those who continue will cover the necessary syllabus through to G.C.S.E. In Year 11 all pupils will have one extra conversation lesson a week with a native speaker to complement their oral work in class. Numbers in recent years for these languages have been very encouraging and most years see two sets for Spanish to G.C.S.E. and one set each for German and Russian.
Pupils studying German and Russian have the opportunity to go on an exchange to Munich and Moscow respectively, where they stay with their partner, attend school and go on local trips. Both of these exchanges are well supported and very popular. It is expected that there will be an exchange with a Spanish school in the near future.
As with French, there are German, Spanish and Russian days during the year to promote these subjects further. Pupils wanting to have some holiday Spanish are welcome to attend the weekly classes in the lunch break.
In the Sixth Form, the pupils are expected to study a wide range of topical themes as well as broaden their literary and cultural horizons. Again, the use of satellite television and regular subscription to magazines help to make the country and its life more immediate to the students.
Italian
| Italian is offered to students in the Sixth Form,
where they can study it to all levels over two years. This means that the courses are very intensive,
and the spoken aspect of the language emphasised from the first lesson. All girls will also
have extra conversation classes throughout the two years. Students will take G.C.S.E. at the end of Year 12 and AS and A2 at the end of Year 13. Trips to Rome and Sardinia have been arranged in the past, and last year has seen the inaugural exchange to Ivrea, in North Italy. An Italian club takes place on a regular basis to develop an awareness of Italian to junior pupils and Italian films are shown regularly in the film club. The Dorothy Rowe Trust Award has given a grant for an Italian student and one from OHS to have an exchange each year. This year we were very fortunate that two students from OHS received this award. |
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Manadarin
From September 2006 Mandarin has been introduced to ALL pupils in Year 7. This exciting development allows all pupils to explore this wonderful language and discover a new culture at the same time. China is set to become the world’s second superpower in the next decade, and OHS pupils have the opportunity to experience this world and its language. Maybe, we could be arranging the first exchange there in time for the Olympics!
Other languages
Other languages can be catered for as supply and demand dictate. In the last few years students have studied a variety of languages, ranging from Dutch and Polish to Hebrew and Persian. Conducting the orals is great fun!!
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