German week (17th to 21st March) is a week-long campaign to celebrate German in the UK. This is a fantastic initiative by the German Embassy in London together with the Goethe-Institut UK and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and part of the German Ambassador’s initiative “Making the case for German”.
For the over 400 learners of German at Europa (both in Primary and Secondary), German is an aspect of their daily lives which they embrace with great enthusiasm. As part of the celebrations, year 2 German has taken up a brilliant new resource for primary school children by the Goethe-Institut, Wuschel auf der Erde, illustrated by Alex Scheffler, the illustrator so well known and loved for his illustrations of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom. Scheffler himself spoke about the importance of learning languages at the launch of Wuschel (as quoted in The Guardian): ‘All the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t moved to another country and learned another language.’ The little film clips below are a clear testimony to the success of Wuschel, illustrating many of the activities in this new resource, and Europa School UK pupils’ love of German.
Year 3 celebrated German Week with an exciting range of activities! Here is a little snippet from Helga Merritt-Tassy, who so kindly,
organised these activities: ‘We invited children to explore what we do in German Club through KinderUni, giving them a fun and interactive experience of German language and culture. Our year 3 Spanish and French classes got a taste of Germany, learning basic greetings and numbers in German. It was a fantastic opportunity to share the language and traditions with everyone.
The Secondary Section of Europa School had the privilege to borrow the Goethe Institut’s exhibition ‘Berlin – Hauptstadt der Wissenschaftlerinnen’ (Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists). This showcases women who against all odds became pioneers in the sciences and paved the way for many succeeding generations, with Berlin now being the capital for women scientists. The beautiful posters sparked off much debate among pupils here at school, particularly since they were accompanied by 22 stunning and detailed worksheets.
Many thanks go to the Goethe-Institut for these wonderful materials, and the German Embassy for this brilliant initiative!