West Midlands

This event will provide an excellent opportunity for your Year 9 pupils to gain an introduction to Chinese (Mandarin) or Japanese with a focus on the world of sport.  Pupils will learn about the Chinese or Japanese language, as well as learning specific spors vocabulary and phrases.  The day will also include a Japanese/Chinese martial arts demonstration and a quiz on the topic, medals will be awarded at the end of the day.

 Our Languages in HE Sixth Form Conference will take place at Aston University on Wednesday 28th March 2012.  This is a Routes into Languages West Midlands collaborative event involving a number of partner universities.

The Languages in HE Sixth Form Conference will enable your Year 12 students to discover more about the opportunities available for language study at university, helping them to make an informed decision about their future studies.

The varied conference programme will provide Year 12 students with an opportunity to hear about the different types of language study at university, as well as hearing from current undergraduate students about their experiences of language study and the year abroad.  In addition, students will participate in two sessions in their current language of study (French, Spanish or German) and a taster session in a new language, or in Translation studies.

This conference will start at 10.00am and end at 3.15pm on Wednesday 28th March 2012 and is free to attend.  Please note that places are limited so early booking is advisable as all places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  Please use the slip below to book places or contact Angela Morris at routes@aston.ac.uk or on 0121 204 3872. 

The 'Olympics and Marketing' event encourages the use of both marketing and language skills as students are asked to develop an information booklet for the London Olympics which utilises the target language.  The aim of the session is to give pupils the confidence to use language skills in a marketing/sport environment, which also relies on their imagination and design skills.

This Japanese Taster session will focus on cultural understanding, food and language (including origami and calligraphy).  Pupils will acquire basic language skills and an understanding of the key elements of Japanese culture.  This practical and engaging session will be motivating and fun for students.

The University of Birmingham is hosting an Italian Mafia Film and Theatre Day for students in Year 11 and above, who may be considering stuyding Italian at Ab Initio level at University. Students must already be studying another language at school. This varied programme will provide an excellent insight into studying Italian at University. Pupils will participate in workshops based on a recent Mafia film as well as participating in Theatre workshops and seeing a performance from the New Shoes Theatre Company. Please see attached programme for further information.

There are also a number of public events taking place on 27th, 28th and 29th February, all related to Italy and the Mafia.  Please see attached flier for further information.

The University of Birmingham is hosting a German Film Day for students currently studying German in Year 12 and Year 13. This event will provide students with an excellent opportunity to enhance their language and communication skills as well as understanding more about techniques used in films and the key themes potrayed in the films. Please see attached programme for further information. The event will focus on Das Leben der Anderen, the University of Birmingham would welcome your feedback on whether this particualr film is relevant to the curriculum, and if not, they would welcome your suggestions on alternative films that would be relevant. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact Dr Elystan Griffiths (E.Griffiths@bham.ac.uk) directly.

Aston University's School of Languages and Social Sciences is working with Routes into Languages West Midlands to offer a series of Cultural Days for Year 8 & Year 9 pupils.

This fun and inspiring Spanish Cultural Day is free of charge and will provide pupils with an opportunity to enhance their current language studies and improve their intercultural awareness.

Please note that places are limited and early booking is advisable.

For further information about these events please contact Jasmin Simms at j.simms1@aston.ac.uk

Aston University's School of Languages and Social Sciences is working with Routes into Languages West Midlands to offer a series of Cultural Days for Year 8 & Year 9 pupils.

This fun and inspiring French Cultural Day is free of charge and will provide pupils with an opportunity to enhance their current language studies and improve their intercultural awareness.

Please note that places are limited and early booking is advisable.

For further information about these events please contact Jasmin Simms at j.simms1@aston.ac.uk

The University of Warwick has a team of enthusiastic Chinese Postgraduate Student Volunteers who run Chinese Language and Culture events and will travel to local schools (preferably within a 30 minute taxi journey) to lead these sessions for your pupils.  The events involve two separate workshops,  the first on Language and Culture and the second on Language and Calligraphy (schools should provide calligraphy materials).  Fridays are generally the most suitable days for the event but Tuesday and Wednedsays are also possible.  If you would be interested in arranging a Chinese Language and Culture session in your school please contact rintol@warwick.ac.uk

The Year 9 Language Day at the University of Wolverhampton aims to raise aspirations and encourage pupils from the West Midlands to study languages.  The day will feature inspirational talks from local business executives and a marketing activity related directly to language learning and its relevance in business.  This is the third event of its kind and feedback from previous events has always been positive, with the day being well received and well attended.