Story/Interview April 5, 2023
Culture, connection & currywurst: highlights from our German trip
As a fully online school with students across the globe, we understand the incredible value of in-person meet-ups for the young people in our school community. Last month, we were delighted to host a field trip for our Year 9-11 German students to the Goethe Institut in London, organised by our excellent Modern Foreign Languages department.
The aim of the trip was to:
- Immerse students into the German language and culture;
- Practise all four language skills;
- Provide an opportunity for students and teachers to connect in-person, and work together to apply their language learning in real life.
Here’s what they got up to on the day:
I particularly enjoyed the quiz we did in the morning - it was really fun and it made me feel more confident in my knowledge of German. It also encouraged me to work with someone I had never met before which was really nice. I also enjoyed the talk afterwards. It opened my eyes to all the opportunities there are surrounding languages and further inspired me to carry on my studies of them. Overall it was a great day and it was lovely to meet and talk to new people.
Year 11 Student
1. An Interactive Quiz at the Goethe Institut Library
First up at the Goethe Institut was an interactive library quiz. The students had to find information all around the library and got to interact with the highly popular library robot. The winning group was awarded German Gummibärchen (gummy bears) as prizes.
2. Meeting a Young Goethe Ambassador
Next, the team visited the Goethe Institut’s auditorium to meet Bethan, a Young Goethe Ambassador, who is currently studying German at university. She spoke to our students about career opportunities and asked some tricky quiz questions at the end of her presentation – with even more German-themed prizes to be won!
3. Sampling Germany’s National Dishes
At lunchtime Team Deutsch went to Stein’s Berlin restaurant next door to the Goethe Institut and had a traditional German lunch. They tried a range of national delicacies, including Schnitzel, Käsespätzle, Currywurst and Flammkuchen.
4. A Private Tour of the Natural History Museum
In the afternoon, they headed over to the Natural History Museum where Rose, a geologist who works there, took the group on a tour through the museum and behind the scenes. Students were fascinated to hear that the museum is home to 80 million objects! Rose showcased pieces of meteorites, fossilised dinosaur teeth and bones, and allowed our students and teachers to touch them. From there, they descended into the depths of the storage area and were able to peek into some of the museum’s archive cupboards.
5. “Tchüss!”
Beyond the learning benefits of the trip, students and teachers alike enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work together in-person. We look forward to sharing highlights from our next King’s InterHigh field trip – “tchüss” for now!
I think the best part of the morning for me was meeting everyone, as it presented an interactive opportunity to engage with others students outside of the classroom, and the quiz was another of my favourite things of the morning, as it allowed me to use my knowledge of German to expand upon my vocabulary skills. At lunch, I ate the Huehnerschintzel. I enjoyed the experience of the culinary range of foods at the Steins Berlin, from a different culture to my own. Overall, I felt incredibly inspired by the German Trip to study german at A-level, and I hope the German Trip will have been a chance to work towards that goal.
Year 11 Student
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