German in the UK

Aside from contact with native speakers, a great way for children to learn a language is for young, enthusiastic linguists to share some of their knowledge with them. This is what happened at the Olga Primary School in East London, where eight students of German from Queen Mary College took on the role of teachers to give pupils their first insight into the German Language.

In February 2010, before the students began teaching at the school, the Year 3 and Year 5 pupils did not know a single word of German. By the end of March, however, the children had learned how to introduce themselves in German, count up to 100, tell the time, name different animals, and sing a song.

With the help of creative activities combining songs, rhythms and games, the students generated a lot of enthusiasm for the language. The children were very keen to continue learning German!