North West

Manchester Metropolitan has some very exciting CPD events coming up for teachers to support teaching poetry in the modern classroom! This will be a great opportunity for schools to gain ideas and resources in order to allow your pupils to celebrate poetry. Please see details below.

Poetry in the Classroom CPD Event

When: Thursday 9th May, 5.30pm-7.30pm

Where: Geoffrey Manton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University

This event is part of a year-long project, leading to the opening of the Manchester Poetry Library in Spring 2020. We are looking to celebrate the best of what is going on in Manchester schools and also to support schools, whatever the levels of confidence or engagement, in accessing support and information about projects and events. This is an opportunity for teachers and librarians to get some practical ideas and resources that will help celebrate poetry in your school. There will be information, an opportunity to sign up to showcase work already going on in your school, opportunities to request a poet visit and information about other events. We want to respond to your needs, so the programme of activity on the night will be shaped according to your responses when you register.

You can book for free here.

Partnership working and poetry showcase (featuring Imtiaz Dharker)

When: Thursday June 27th, 5pm-7.30pm

Where: Brooks Building, Manchester Metropolitan University

Teachers of all Key Stages, are invited to this networking event to find out how the city’s cultural organisations can support creative learning across all curriculum areas. A one-stop shop for anyone planning next year’s teaching and wanting to find out how to tie into established education programmes and projects.

Organisations including Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Theatres from across the city will showcase their education offers along with representatives from other poetry, arts and educational organisations who want to support your creative teaching.

Drop in, share a glass of something cold and find out what other teachers have been up to all year. Part of a year of talking about and writing poetry in the classroom, run by the Manchester Writing School, this event will also feature an exhibition and presentations that showcase successful poetry projects and best practice in local schools. You will leave with a bag-full of ideas, resources and opportunities to get involved over the coming academic year.

A great way to end the school year and set you up raring to go for the next. Don’t miss it.

You can book for free here.

For more information about either event or any further queries, you can email Kaye Tew at k.tew@mmu.ac.uk

The Spanish Section of the Department of Languages, Information and Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University is pleased to announce its annual Translation Competition for A-Level students. As a participant – past or present – in our events for schools (6th Form Days, Language Enrichment Events, etc), your school is offered the chance to take part.

The task is to produce an English version of a newly-published children’s short story. The competition aims to promote language-learning through story reading and to introduce students to the challenges of translating materials of this kind.

The short story to be translated - by Spanish children’s author Pedro Pablo Sacristán - has the catchy title of A gritos con los mosquitos and is attached at the end of these instructions.

Schools are asked to submit a maximum of 2 entries chosen internally from among their participating students and to send them to the following address: hlssschools@mmu.ac.uk

Please indicate clearly in the e-mail subject line that the contents are for the Spanish A-Level Translation Competition.

All Information can be found here:

https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/hlss/schools-liaison/spanish-a-level-translation-competition/

Deadline for Entries: 18 January 2019

Announcement of Winner: 15 February 2019

Entries will be judged by a panel from the Department of Languages, Information and Communications.

The winner will receive a trophy and a Music Gift Card to the value of £50. It is anticipated that the winning translation will appear, with any required modifications, on the website containing the original story: https://cuentosparadormir.com/infantiles/cuento/gritos-con-los-mosquitos

For further details and queries, please contact hlssschools@mmu.ac.uk

The French section of the Department of Languages, Information and Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University is pleased to announce its annual Translation Competition for A-Level students. 

The translation task is to produce an English version of part of a book titled Nico perdu à Londres by Hubert Ben Kemoun (Editions Nathan 2010).  Ben Kemoun is a childrens’ writer and playwright who is almost unknown in English speaking countries. 

The competition aims to promote language learning through French popular culture.  It will introduce A-Level students to the challenges of translating a range of grammatical structures, colloquial expressions and cultural references into authentic English.

Nico perdu à Londres is about a French schoolboy who gets lost on a trip to London.  It gives a light-hearted view of English life seen through French eyes.  The passage to be translated is centred around their trip to Buckingham Palace.

Schools are asked to submit 2 entries chosen internally from among their participating students and to send both entries to the following address: hlssschools@mmu.ac.uk

The text can be downloaded here:

https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/hlss/schools-liaison/french-competition/

Please indicate clearly in the e-mail subject that the contents are for the French A-Level Translation Competition.

Deadline for Entries: 21 January 2019

Entries will be judged by a panel chosen by the Department of Languages, Information and Communications

Announcement of Winner: 18 February 2019

The winner will receive a trophy and a music gift card to the value of £50. 

For further details and queries, please contact:  Matthew Screech:  m.screech@mmu.ac.uk

• When translating try and retain the tone of the original as much as possible.  Be creative in conveying the humorous ideas  and playful tone, as well as in conveying the cultural references.
• You can find out more about the author here https://www.babelio.com/auteur/Hubert-Ben-Kemoun/12163
   

Manchester Met's Sixth Form Languages Day which supported both pupils studying French and Spanish at A-Level, saw over 300 attendees yesterday. The event offered a wide range of sessions for both subjects allowing A-Level students to get expert knowledge from leading MMU staff ahead of their exams. With over 30 Sixth Forms/Colleges attending from various regions, the event was a massive success. Students filled up the Geoffrey Manton atrium during lunch and lecture theatres were at full capacity when the sessions were underway. The event was organised by Manchester Metropolitan University in conjuction with Routes into Languages North West. It is an annual event, however it is the first year that Spanish and French have both run their events on the same day allowing even more pupils to attend than before.

Describing the event, one teacher from Calderstones School said, "I think the students will have particularly benefited from the literature and film analysis sessions. They will have also greatly benefited from the use of TL [target language] in the sessions and they also got a great insight into what it will be like to study languages at degree level.

I love all the Routes into Languages events and think they are professionally run and organised."

Another teacher from King David Liverpool High School added, "Students particularly learnt a lot from the laiceté sessions. They were inspired by the sessions and came away considering French as a degree course.

It was a refreshingly good day for staff and students. Staff saw it as a CPD [continuing professional development] opportunity to see how others approached some of the A level topics. The set up was very welcoming and we enjoyed meeting your first year student and staff."