Modern Languages at North Berwick High School

Great for revision at any level, but particularly at S-Grade where we’re still using the Metro books.

Have a look at Wildfrench

Ok, it looks a bit childish, and admittedly this site is primarily for German children…but if you fancy a break from the serious stuff while still improving your German, check out

Die Sendung mit der Maus

Language learning is largely about making the connection between words and phrases that you do know and those that you don’t know…and sensibly guessing the parts in the middle using whichever means are open to you. It’s also about independent thinking.

To help you with these skills, check out the logic games in the Just For Fun section of the blogroll.

We’re in the midst of Euro 2008…erroneously hosted in Austria and Switzerland when we know fine and well that Scotland and Ireland should have hosted it! However, the fact that our Germanic neighbours are this year’s hosts gives us a brilliant opportunity to explore the international language of sport - quite literally!

Check out the brilliant “I speak football” site. Grand stuff for if you’re on tour!

http://ispeakfootball.eu/

You’re probably starting Spanish for the first time, and this internet site will be really useful to give you extra practice, which you’ll need if you’re going for your first qualification in the language.

The site is part of the BBC languages series: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/. Check it out for useful tips, tricks, stories, etc. In particular, the video clips (like “Mi Vida Loca” http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/mividaloca/ - “My Crazy Life”) will be great for helping you develop your listening and (if you opt for subtitles) your reading skills.

Buen suerte!

New to German? Some of you will be, going into the new session.

Whether you’re studying the language for the first time, or whether you feel you’ve got a good grounding but just need more practice, have a look at study help on the Internet. One of the most accessible resources I’ve found is the BBC languages page for German: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/. It has videos (Deutsch Plus), grammar tips, games, useful phrases, tips, stories and more.

Don’t wait for us teachers to bring new resources like this to your attention - if you find some good ones of your own, share them round and I’ll post them on the blog.

Viel Spass!

Miss Ritchie

Salut et bienvenue to the new S4!

It’s the start of a new session and it’s time to max out your time this year. Scary as it might seem, everything you do this year will be designed to help you improve your French so that you can perform your absolute best in your final exams. So that you can do this with maximum effect, I’m adding this website to the blogroll http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/. The one we’ll use most in class is “Ma France” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/).

The BBC, amongst others, has a wealth of resources for language learning, including some good short video clips. We’ll be using these in class…and you can use them at home too.

Remember, often and little is the key to success in language learning.

Salut! Both year groups have some important exams coming up… For S3, these may give rise to some class changes as people slot into different places depending on their attitude, ability and effort. For S4, it’s the last “Real Life (TM)” practice before the finals, which will be creeping up soon after the Easter holidays.
Help is at hand!!
Scroll down to the “blogroll” and use everything you can find to give your revision the edge.

* BBC Bitesize has help for French, German and Spanish. Based on the Standard Grade system, it gives really good feedback and can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.

* MonJTQuotidien is a fabulous resource that allows you to develop your reading and listening skills at the same time as keeping you up to date with current affairs. Probably the best of the lot.

* Linguascope and Linguastars - old favourites. Language is topic-specific and the games are fun. And I know you all love the crab!

* Languagesonline - not as jazzy as linguascope, but top value for practising grammar and topic-specific language. Difficulty increases with these tasks and feedback is immediate. Excellent resource.

Bonne chance! Viel Gluck! Buen suerte!

Lots of people get stuck with certain letters when they try to say them in a foreign language. Here’s a guide to how to pronounce the alphabet in German.

German alphabet sounds