People often say that travel broadens the mind. Travel can also help students to see the real-world applications of things they learn in school, especially culture and cuisine. Students in grades 5e and 4e (the equivalent of U.S. 7th and 8th grades) participating in a Culture and Communication program in France spend time learning all about English culture, like English Gastronomy, the world of Harry Potter, architecture, literature and history. Perhaps the most exciting part of the program is a three-day and two-night trip to London, where students can explore the architecture, history, and food that they worked so hard to study.
There is, of course, a catch. Anyone who has looked into travel knows that even relatively short trips can quickly become expensive. Since traveling is such a special opportunity, and since this would be many students’ first time traveling abroad, Random Acts Regional Representative Alie Miguel reached out to see how Random Acts could help make the trip more affordable for the young students. Random Acts provided some funding towards each student’s travel costs, so that no hard-working students would miss out on this learning experience.
Students and teachers who went on the London trip had a blast! This was every student’s first time visiting London. They dove right in to the culture by staying with host families during their trip. This gave students a realistic cultural experience and plenty of practice speaking English. During their stay, students took a guided tour of the London streets they had studied, visited the Harry Potter studios and the British museum, learned how to prepare British afternoon tea, went shopping in Leicester Square, and spent time at Covent Garden.
Alie reports that the trip went very smoothly, with all of the students and teachers having a great experience. Students enjoyed exploring all of the ideas that they had learned about in class. The visit to Harry Potter studios was an especially big hit with the students; many were overwhelmed with emotion and even brought to tears during the magical tour.
We are so proud of the Culture and Communication 5e and 4e students! Well done, and congratulations on the hard-earned trip.