9th Grade: Back from the language trip to Vila-real, highly motivated

The second exchange program to Spain for the Steinmühlen 9th-grade class took a group to the city of Vila-real, made possible by ERASMUS funding. “This support enhances the quality and organization,” reports María Ramos, offering insight into the preparation and planning of these projects, which she applies for together with her colleague Laura Cubillas. The exchanges pursue goals in the area of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

“For the students, these trips always mean new experiences,” said María Ramos. “A different climate, a different environment, an even more mindful approach to water, and different flora and fauna. We were delighted to have found a partner school in Vila-real that also operates sustainably. This school works on practically the same projects as the Steinmühle.”

Activates dormant vocabulary

The trip to Vila-real was very rewarding for the students on several levels. Many activities were woven into the program, including tours of caves and rock formations, a boat trip, and a visit to the city of Valencia. The group of 9th graders from Steinmühle benefited linguistically through the active use of Spanish, English, and, of course, German, and more than a few of them realized during conversations just how extensive their foreign-language vocabulary actually is.

María Ramos: “It was a wonderful language trip, and the students came back highly motivated. What’s more, they even made friends.”

 

The following photos give a glimpse of the trip—not only of the English classes, classroom discussions, and various field trips, but also of the visit to City Hall and the soccer stadium of the quite popular soccer club Villareal CF. There, students from Steinmühle clearly had a lot of fun simulating a press conference.