Modern Languages
Why choose a modern language?
German (Trips)
Christmas Markets Trip
This popular trip organised by the German Department takes place every two years. Now a well established trip on the Solihull School calendar, we visit the winter wonderland that is the Christmas markets of Aachen, Köln and Koblenz, often with somewhat more than a flurry of snow to accompany us. Visits included in the trip are to these three towns, taking in not only the markets but also city tours, visits to Marksburg Castle, Köln Cathedral, the Olympics Museum and the Chocolate Museum.
The German Exchange
The German exchange is a highly successful and established programme offered to pupils studying German in Year 10. We combine with St. Martin’s School to exchange with the highly regarded Elisabethenschule in Hofheim am Taunus, not far from Frankfurt. The town is picturesque and it offers a safe environment for our pupils. Participants come back from Germany with much more confidence in speaking German and they also learn to appreciate a different culture. Through the exchange, links have been made with German families which often last long after the pupils have left school. Work experience for our 6th Form students of German has also been undertaken via our partner school. A further development has been that of a teacher exchange and in addition we welcomed our first 6th form pupil from the Elisabethenschule into the 6th form in September 2008. Such international cooperation provides an excellent learning experience.
A study trip to Berlin, one of the most vibrant, eclectic and historically significant cities in Europe, is organised for Sixth Form pupils of German. This is an established and successful four day trip run by the German department, taking place on a biennial basis, and is organised with a linguistic and cultural bias to enhance knowledge and understanding. The trip is tailored specifically to address the requirements of the cultural topic studied at ‘A’ level. During the busy weekend, pupils gain an appreciation of what life was like in the former East Germany through visits to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the GDR museum. We also visit the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building with the famous dome designed by Sir Norman Foster and also the architecturally challenging Jewish Museum. In addition, an evening is spent at the theatre and the traditional Christmas markets are also open at the time of the trip.