Last term, eleven students attended a sequence of sixth ‘languages detective’ sessions provided by Durham County and Durham University. The group were invited to a reception at Durham Town Hall followed by an afternoon at the University. On arrival at the Town Hall, students enjoyed an authentic Spanish meal of paella, patatas bravas and albondigas (meatballs), prepared by the chefs from The Tapas Factory.
Councillor, Watts Stelling, gave a speech congratulating the students for their curiosity and commitment to studying languages.
The group joined a student ambassador to the Student Union building and settled into the state-of-the-art lecture theatre. Mia, an undergraduate student, told students all about her journey from language novice in Year 7 to studying Spanish and Italian at Durham University.
Mia’s lecturer then took over and led a fascinating discussion on Hispanic identity within the English-speaking world, illustrated by clips from the Disney films ‘Coco’ and ‘Encanto’.
The final activity was a Cluedo style murder mystery but with a twist… all the clues were in different languages! Our group confidently worked out who had committed the murder by a process of elimination.
To top off the day, the Head of the Modern Languages and Culture (MLAC) department of the university, in full ceremonial robes, presented all the groups with their certificates of attendance. The students has a lot of fun and want the sessions to continue!