Goldilocks show is German lesson
GERMAN speakers at King’s Girls’ Division staged Goldlöckchen, a German version of the medieval Goldilocks and the Three Bears parable, but with a singular difference – there were four bears.
The vital addition meant all those girls wanting to participate had a challenging role to test their German speaking skills with the play also including references to the ‘Wolperdinger’ a mythical monster in German folklore.
The girls had been preparing their play since September but as King’s head of German, Jessica Houghton, said: “The maxim of ‘having fun while learning’ is paramount.
“Our pupils really enjoy the opportunities available to them in the German department, such as the Märchentheater Club, as this allows them a meaningful context to use their language skills, while having a hoot.”
Mrs Houghton added: German ‘es ist lustig’, or to translate “it is fun.” It combines well with all subjects at GCSE and A-level.
“At university level there are a vast array of degree courses combining German with other disciplines, such as science and medicine, engineering, law, business, history and, of course, other languages.
“German is highly regarded by universities; it is a facilitating subject and having German skills makes you a very employable graduate, particularly in areas such as scientific research, electronics, aerospace, computing, law, export/ import and tourism.
She added: “German is not a minority subject at King’s, even if since the Government announced its decision to stop the compulsory learning of languages in state schools, many German departments nationwide have closed.
“This means in ten years’ time, young people with qualifications in German will have become very rare indeed. The British Council noted in their ‘Languages for the Future’ report that 45 per cent of UK businesses rate German as the most sought-after language in employees, yet only six per cent of the UK adult population possesses a working level of the language.
“This will surely give our pupils with German a distinct advantage in the future.”
King’s Girls’ Division German student Helen Nixon, 16, from Tytherington said: “It’s been an exciting process and has taught so much about communicating the language and not just reciting it.”