Each year, the Modern Languages department at Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow celebrates European Day of Languages. The aim of this year’s celebrations was to promote the importance of language learning; and the linguistic and cultural diversity of our school community.
Classrooms and corridors were decorated with flags from across the world as we discovered from a survey that we have over 22 languages spoken by pupils and staff in the school community.
Throughout the week, there was a wide variety of activities organised for pupils across all year groups.
S1 pupils had the opportunity to take part in a quiz about the various languages and cultures in Europe. They also got involved in the poster competition answering the question: “Why learn languages?” The quality of work from pupils was phenomenal which made the judging process rather difficult.
S2 pupils had the chance to take part in French and Spanish challenges about the European Union and also listened to some international music! They also wrote acrostic poems about Europe and languages as part of National Poetry Day.
S3 pupils found out about famous people who speak different languages and discussed the importance of language learning.
S4-S6 pupils took part in a QR code treasure hunt which involved finding out about how foreign languages are vital in many careers.
A number of pupils got involved in the EDL ‘world record’ attempt by creating a short video clip based on the theme of “I love [a language] because…”. They also had the opportunity to get their picture taken at the European photo booth!
Staff and pupils also took part in the request from @Glasgowlangs to share how to say "hello" in a language they knew or had learned at school or university. Videos of these can be found on Twitter @Hyndland_ML. They also took part in a general knowledge quiz about Europe with the successful winner ending the week with a lovely vino tinto!
The launch of the Russian language club also took place during European week. Almost 30 pupils signed up to attend! Language learning is very much alive here at Hyndland Secondary.
Staff from across departments had the opportunity to use their language skills by greeting pupils as well as engaging with lesson starter activities that linked their subject to foreign languages.
The canteen staff also got in on the act by organising a European themed menu and decorating the Fuel Zone.
Huge thanks to everyone who took part in the event or helped out in anyway. Lots of photos and videos of the week can be found on the twitter account @Hyndland_ML.
