Italian Pastry Chef, Pier Barel Visits Our Italian Students

Here is a student reflection written by Bridget N and Amelia P about Italian incursion:

"On Monday, 14 November, Year 7 and 8 Italian students received a visit from Italian pastry chef, Pier Barel. During the incursion, we learned about Pier Barel's upbringing and the origins of Italian Christmas sweets. We were able to further our learning of the Italian language as Signor Pier spoke mostly in Italian. At the end of his presentation, we had the opportunity to sample four baked treats: Panettone (Milano), Pandoro (Verona), Gubana (Fruili Venezia Guilia) and Strufoli (Naples, Southern Italy)."

Students also reflected on both the language experience and the cultural knowledge they have gained, below are some comments:

• I thought it was great to hear the back story of Italian Christmas sweets
• I enjoyed eating the foods because I got to experience and taste traditional Italian desserts
• The part I enjoyed the most was translating what Signor Pier was saying. I felt a sense of satisfaction when I understood his presentation
• I learned that yeast is a living microorganism
  
• I learned it takes three days to make Panettone
• I was able to understand most of what Signor Pier was saying and what helped me to understand was the Italian writing on the presentation slides
• I enjoyed tasting the cakes because they were delicious and I have never tried most of them
• I enjoyed the videos showcasing the ingredients and the process to make the sweets. I enjoyed eating the food as it inspired me to make some at home
• I loved learning about my heritage
• I learnt that some ingredients were very expensive and only nobles could afford them in the olden days

Here is a video of appreciation from Bridget N and Elena P.

Parliamo di Salute

Year 8 Italian students were studying the topic on 'Parliamo di Salute' (Let’s talk about health). Students learned about different body parts, as well as how to describe symptoms, illnesses and how to give appropriate advice for the various ailments in Italian.

Below are some videos of students presenting patient descriptions, illness symptoms and appropriate medical advice:

• Elena P
• Leila M
• Ellie P
• Alessiah M