The Language Resource Centre at Newcastle University has a small team in place, which will be available from Mid-January for virtual school visits, synchronous and asynchronous to promote language learning, and inter-cultural activities in line with the Routes into Languages aims. Please contact Ashleigh via: routesne@newcastle.ac.uk
Participants visit Newcastle campus to produce MFL web material for use in the classroom back at school via the web portal. These are run parallel to a range of on-campus activities including language tasters and learner’s self-evaluation.
Participants visit Newcastle campus to produce MFL web material for use in the classroom back at school via the web portal. These are run parallel to a range of on-campus activities including language tasters and learner’s self-evaluation.
Participants visit Newcastle campus to produce MFL web material for use in the classroom back at school via the web portal. These are run parallel to a range of on-campus activities including language tasters and learner’s self-evaluation.
Organised through our Durham University strand, Routes NE Universities invite exam candidates to attend high quality revision sessions. Pupils will receive intensive instruction in their curriculum target language for core skills as well as new skills, such as interpreting in a language lab. Depending on the venue there may be taster sessions on offer. Please state your preference of taster when booking.
Organised through our Durham University strand, Routes NE Universities invite exam candidates to attend high quality revision sessions. Pupils will receive intensive instruction in their curriculum target language for core skills as well as new skills, such as interpreting in a language lab. Depending on the venue there may be taster sessions on offer. Please state your preference of taster when booking.
This event is organised jointly with the North East Excellence Hub for Young, Gifted, and Talented as part of the DEEP scheme.
Organised through our Durham University strand, Routes NE Universities invite exam candidates to attend high quality revision sessions . Pupils will receive intensive instruction in their curriculum target language for core skills as well as new skills, such as interpreting in a language lab. Depending on the venue there may be taster sessions on offer. Please state your preference of taster when booking.
This event is organised jointly with the regional Excellence Hub for Young, Gifted and Talented as part of the DEEP scheme.
The Festival celebrates the North East’s linguistic talents and intercultural dimensions. This free event has something for everyone from the Linguavision Song Contest in the morning to online modern language games, through to workshops aimed at teachers.
If you fancy a go at salsa dancing or African drumming, want to practice your Spanish for the holidays, or pick up some handy Greek vocabulary or Origami tricks, then come along to this FREE ENTRY festival.
Travel to this event by metro (Haymarket Station), train (15 minutes walk from Central Station), bus (Haymarket Terminal), or car (NCP available on Claremont Rd and around the City Centre).
This event is open to the public.
Pre-booking is now CLOSED for this event.
We value your interest and would welcome you to turn up on the day. However, we cannot guarantee that there will be places left in the sessions.
Come along to soak up the atmosphere!
The aptly named ‘Routes into the Future’ event at Newcastle University on Thursday 12th June brought together the full Routes into Languages North East consortium team, senior representatives of the partner universities, teachers, school pupils and the many and varied individuals across the region who have supported their work in recent years.
The consortium, whilst based at Newcastle University, also brings together Durham University, Northumbria University, the University of Sunderland and Teesside University. It forms part of the nationwide Routes into Languages initiative funded by HEFCE to tackle the current language-learning crisis in England and Wales. In all, nine regional consortia are currently working with young people to increase uptake of language study at GCSE level and beyond. Led by Dr Elizabeth Andersen, the North East consortium has established firm ties with key organisations regionally and nationally, including the British Council, Europe Direct and Théâtre Sans Frontières, as well as with local European consuls.
Following a stirring welcome from Newcastle University PVC Charles Harvey to the 100 guests in attendance, honoured speaker Baroness Joyce Quin - herself a former languages student of Newcastle University - shared her personal experiences of language learning and her hopes for the future of modern languages in the UK, drawing upon both her vast political experience and her strong ties to the region. Guests also heard from the inspirational team of Student Language Ambassadors at the very heart of the programme, who outlined the impressive scope of activity taking place throughout the region.
The work of the consortium stretches far and wide, from schools in Berwick upon Tweed through to Yarm. Regular activities include Roadshows, Masterclasses and Film Days, whilst exciting online resources for young language learners are also offered in the form of Linguacast and Universed. Regional contests such as the Foreign Language Spelling Bee are proving increasingly popular whilst pupils come together in their hundreds at the annual Beat the Rat Race and Festival of International Culture events. All activities are supported by a team of Student Language Ambassadors from across the partner universities who serve as genuine role models for pupils while themselves developing new skills to enhance their employability as graduates.
With over 300 schools and 35000 pupils involved in 700 events since 2007 and all of the activities above set to continue and develop even further over the coming years, the Routes into the Future event now paves the way for an ever growing emphasis on language learning for young people across the North East in a shining example of the collaborative power of the region’s universities.
For further details about the work of Routes into Languages North East or the Routes into the Future event, please contact Project Manager Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk.
A team of students from King Edward VI School in Morpeth will be swapping the northern climes of Northumberland for the dreaming spires of Oxford thanks to their success in the Oxford German Network German Olympiad 2014.
Winners of the Group Film category, the group of seven pupils were charged with creating a play or film about any aspect of German society, life, events or culture in 1914, in homage to the huge significance of the First World War still clear a whole century later.
Their creation – available on YouTube here – was highly evocative of the era, in the form of a silent film with silent film music depicting the invention of Ammonia by German scientist Fritz Haber and is simultaneously informative and entertaining!
The opportunity to combine languages, film and science in one project was a rewarding experience for the pupils, who clearly enjoyed taking part:
"I really enjoyed working on our Oxford German Olympiad entry! It was really fun to produce! I knew that with the talent of the KEVI Student Voice members put together - we could make a fantastic video. I was in charge of editing the video and I played Fritz Haber (of course)..! When I heard that we’d won our category - I was really pleased! A lot of effort from everyone involved had gone into the entry and it was very rewarding to hear of our success. Thanks to all who participated in the entry and I look forward to going to Oxford University for the prize-giving ceremony in June.”
Freddie Bowles
Our congratulations go to all the students involved: Freddie Bowles, Calvin Willis, Dominic James (Year 13), Angus Kirk (Year 12), Amy Scott (Year 10), Alistair McCubbin, Lewis James and Lydia Wendt (Year 9). Our congratulations and thanks also go to teacher Victoria Najafi, who was inspired to pursue the project after reading about the competition in the Routes into Languages North East monthly bulletin.
"I am absolutely delighted that we have won the 'group film' category in this year's Oxford German Olympiad. It is a fantastic example of a cross-curricular project, involving our student-led TV channel 'KEVI TV' and German. We had such a lot of fun filming and editing, and we are delighted that so many people have enjoyed watching it. We are greatly looking forward to the prize-giving at Oxford University on 18th June, which will be a first-time visit for staff and students."
Victoria Najafi
Student Voice, Leadership & Enrichment Co-ordinator/Teacher of French & German, The King Edward VI School Morpeth
Victoria will join the pupils in traveling to Oxford University on 18th June to receive their prize.
With Brazil gearing up ahead of the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a group of Year 9 boys from King Edward VI School in Morpeth are already basking in the light of their success.
Having entered the Arsenal Double Club World Cup Project – a partnership between Capital L (Routes into Languages London) and Arsenal Football Club – the group of five Year 9 boys were announced as one of the ten winning groups from over 80 schools nationwide, to the delight of teacher Miss Victoria Najafi. As Student Voice, Leadership & Enrichment Co-ordinator at the school and a teacher of French and German, this was a project of particular interest to her thanks to its cross-curricular focus.
Winning the competition was by no means an easy task, with the pupils completing six separate undertakings in Portuguese, a language of which they had no prior experience! One of the particular highlights of the competition was producing a video complete with Portuguese commentary re-enacting the Maradona 'Hand of God' match.
Needless to say, all of the boys are looking forward to attending a special World Cup Day at The Emirates Stadium in London on 10th June to receive their prize.
UPDATE: You can now read more about the national competition run by Renata Albuquerque and the team at Capital L (Routes into Languages London) here and learn more about the KEVI school pupils’ experience on the day here!
