Students learn about German Christmas traditions

In the last week before the Christmas break, every Y9 German class learnt about how Christmas is celebrated in Germany and the differences between English and German cultures.

One of the main highlights was sampling German Christmas food, which included Spekulatius (spiced German biscuits), Lebkuchen Herzchen (gingerbread hearts covered in chocolate and filled with apricot jam) and Stollen (traditional German Christmas cake made with spices and dried fruit and filled with marzipan). Many students came back for seconds (and thirds!) and everyone attempted a quiz to test their knowledge of German Christmas traditions.

Students also enjoyed singing the well-known song O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) and the carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night) in German, giving them an excellent opportunity to practice and improve their German pronunciation.

In Y9 German last half-term, we have been describing ourselves, others and saying how we get on with others and why, and this half-term we will be learning vocabulary to talk about food and drink and giving opinions. Students will also have the opportunity to create and perform a dialogue – essential skills that will be useful in exams and future trips to Germany or German speaking countries.