summer school 2014

          Summer School 2014 was a great success with practically all of the new children in attendance! On the morning of Day 1 they all got to know each other, and enjoyed discovering all about their new class, and also some essential classroom vocabulary. Their first visit to the cantine was rewarded by a lovely meal of chicken curry with Eton Mess ( a typical summer dessert made famous by the prestigious Eton College in England).

          After lunch the children were introduced to the theme of the song for the Summer School this year - the centenary of World War 1. They did an activity looking at and interpreting some wartime propaganda posters, discussing how it was for the soldiers, and then sang a medley of songs that were sung by soldiers in the trenches to boost morale and promote unity and strength amongst the allies. They also reflected on why it is important to remember those who lost their lives in the war.

          Finally some silliness to end the day - a fashion show by the great Grand Air top models of 2014, whilst learning essential vocabulary for clothes and adjectives.

          Day 2 began in earnest with a class discussion on typical British / American food - and getting rid of some old clichés! No, we do NOT eat roast beef every day, yes Marmite is a strange thing to put on toast, and yes, we do drink lots and lots of tea! The children tasted some British delicacies (which had mixed reactions!), then they did an energetic activity creating their own restaurant role plays with many funny outcomes...

          At the real lunchtime they enjoyed Cottage Pie then Apple Crumble (yum yum), where they discovered that French and English meals can actually be quite similar!

           Then they spent the afternoon rehearsing the song, with live guitar playing and also preparing their own English sketches, which provided them the opportunity to really be creative and let their imaginations run free... and they managed to do this in English, in just a few hours and they were fantastic!

             We were allowed to use the amphitheatre for the presentation (thank you Mme Verdon), which made the final performance come alive; it was enjoyed by all the parents who also had a chance to join in with the song a second time - a brilliant ending to 2 days of intensive fun, acknowledging an important historical period, (and just a little bit of hard work. )

                                                                    Well done to them!

             Special thanks to everyone who gave their time, ideas and energy and helped make Summer School 2014 a great success and memorable experience for the new 6eme!