Languages Connect Day

On November 24th, the TYs took part in Language Day. The main focus of this event was to teach others about the different languages around the world and those that are present in the school community. There were several different experiences offered: from testing food from Italy to Flamenco dancing from Spain, there was a wide variety of new skills to be learnt. Throughout the day, each form class took turns in trying out the different events set up by our amazing TY Events Committee and school community.

Portuguese and capoeira

This workshop for many of us was the highlight of the day! Mestre Sansao was our mentor for the workshop. He started off with a quick introduction about himself and about capoeira. We weren’t chatting for long however and got straight into an energetic warm up. He taught us some dance moves along with a few kicks. We got into a circle, played some music and spoke some Portuguese phrases!

Japanese and origami

This event was kindly hosted by fellow TY student Alana O’Connor and her mom. We started off by learning some basic Japanese words and numbers followed by tasting some rice crackers and Japanese treats! Alana’s mom told us about her life in Japan compared to Ireland and we finished it off by making butterfly origami. Big thank you to Alana and Mrs O’Connor for this informative and fun workshop!

Polish

The polish workshop was an opportunity for us as students to learn about a new language we have never learnt before. We watched a video on the Polish language and got chances to try to speak some basic phrases ourselves. We learned some facts about Poland’s culture and even traditional clothing. We tested our knowledge at the end of the workshop and surprisingly picked up a lot of new language.

Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine was an interactive video about an Italian restaurant in Rathmines and we got a behind the scenes look on how they make their signature dish; gnocchi. We had opportunities during the video to talk about where we’d like to go in Italy and some other Italian dishes we have tried! Not only did we look at and talk about tasty Italian snacks and dishes, we got to taste some Italian sausage and cheeses too!

Arabic and belly dancing

The Arabic and belly dancing was another interactive video that encouraged us to follow along with it. The video went through some basic movements while also teaching some Arabic words for different body parts. The experience was really interesting because as well as learning the movements, the video also taught us about the history of belly dancing, the different types and styles of belly dancing and the clothes that would be worn. In the end, we were able to say some basic Arabic words and show off some simple dance movements that we learnt.

Spanish and Flamenco dancing

The Spanish and flamenco dancing was the last of the interactive videos that took place throughout the day. In this module, we were guided through some of the simple movements in flamenco dancing. Similarly to the arabic and belly dancing, the instructor taught us the Spanish words for different body parts. The students had a great time following along to the video while also laughing and having fun as a form class. 

Quiz

Finally there was the quiz which tested us on our knowledge of cultures around the world. The winner was awarded a whole tub of Celebrations! During the quiz, the supervising teacher handed out different treats such as jellies, highlighters, pamphlets in different languages, pens and many more goodies for the students to enjoy. The competition was actually taken very seriously by us but it was all in good fun. There was loads of joking and laughing amongst friends and everyone really enjoyed it.

Overall, the day was a massive success with the students really enjoying all the different and unique experiences. They also really enjoyed the learning aspect of the day as it allowed them to broaden their cultural horizons and learn about life all around the world. Many thanks to the TY event planning committee for helping to set up the day and getting the tester foods for everyone. It was definitely a day to remember.

Written by Alex Smyth and Lucy Rooney