The language program at Sydney Girls High School

At Sydney Girls High School, we have four languages: Chinese, French, Japanese and Latin. The prerequisite language study hours occur both in Years 7 and 8. In their first year, the girls study two languages, each for a period a week and in the following year they can continue these or there is the possibility of picking up a new language.

In the classroom, our philosophy is to submerge our students in the target culture by teaching the content as much as possible in the target language and giving our students as many authentic experiences as possible. These include eating traditional foods, brought in or made. Further, each year all French students enjoy a film from the French Film Festival and Japanese students visit the Tanken Centre. Girls are encouraged to go on exchange and up until 2020 we went on a school tour either to France, Japan or had a ‘Classics Tour’ where different European countries were visited.

As a rule, we focus on using a base text and a workbook but we supplement this with many different activities. Every year all language students take part in different competitions, International Examinations in Latin, Mythology and Classical Literacy, and for the modern languages, the National Chinese Eisteddfod, the Japan Essay Contest, and the Alliance Française School Competition. Japanese and French students in Years 9 and 11 and Year 9 Chinese students also sit ACER's Assessment of Languages Competence. Biannually we hold a Languages Festival where we celebrate the cultures of the languages we teach as well as those of the whole school community. ■

Find out more:

Explore ACER's Assessment of Languages Competence for yourself.