Our annual Curioso Week aims to enable pupils to develop curiosity of learning through exploring the application of subjects to real-life scenarios, and thereby extend their subject knowledge beyond the classroom. It also supports the development of employability skills and encourages pupils to think about potential careers. As a result, Years 7-9 were off-timetable and taking part in a bespoke and enjoyable three days of trips, workshops, activities and lectures from guest speakers spanning across Languages, Humanities, Science and more.
Year 7 enjoyed a screening of “ Les Choristes” in its native French. Telling the story of Clement Matthieu – a musician turned teacher – who joins a school for troubled boys and gives them hope when he suddenly realises they can sing and forms a choir. The pupils really enjoyed it, demonstrating their feelings for the characters ; surprise, anger, disappointment or even joy at the end of the film. Following the screening was some booklet work to better understand the film and revise a few French words before some improvisation and review writing.
Year 8 took part in a taster Model United Nations day, facilitated by our current Model UN Ambassadors. By role-playing meetings like the Security Council and General Assembly, Model UN participants get a unique insight into how the United Nations works. They research, debate and try to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems just like the real thing. Monday’s groups debated: shifting away from fossil fuels, censorship in social media, universal healthcare and reducing meat consumption, with all the resolutions being passed apart from one. Click here to hear Megan talk about what she’s learnt from taking part in the programme.
Science educator, Dr. Kathryn Harkup, explained to Year 9, the science behind poisoning in the novels of Agatha Christie before pupils worked in groups to solve the mystery of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’. In so doing, they learned how to structure a mystery plot and create their own ‘Whodunnit’ stories for their classmates to solve. The results were as entertaining as they were perplexing, with murders taking place everywhere from the Sri Lankan jungle in the 1920s to the school toilets. Pupils commented on the enjoyable and fun nature of the day with ‘playing detectives’ a particular highlight. It was, one student noted, ‘a great way to work as a team’.
There were trips galore this week too. Year 8 took a trip to Thorpe Park to understand more about algorithms and design, Year 7 visited the British Museum to see the “Luxury and Power in Persia and Greece” exhibition, and our geographers took a trip around Sydenham to find out how sustainable our neighbourhood is. As if that wasn’t enough, we had actual moon rock samples in school taken from the Apollo missions, as well as a talk from Geologist, Eleanor Jennings, from Birkbeck University, who was then interviewed by two of our pupils.
Have a look at the action in the gallery below.
