#macroblote

[qwedfas]

Heyy to the person who’s proud of canto, don’t drop Chinese!! I was in the same position as you, born in GZ too and most mando kids and chink teachers won’t understand ur struggle, but don’t give up just because u have to work harder, the sense of accomplishment once u finish vce Chinese would feel amazing! Plus, you’d be fluent in both canto n mando whereas they’ll just know mando so go for it!

Hi there,

Thanks for your encouragement.

Love,

FAM <3

[qwedfas]

Hi, I’m starting at MacRob next year and I have a few questions. How much is the minimum length your skirt/dress can be above the knee (approx in centimetres) and what kinds of things do you do in yr 9 german? (If you remember). Thank you!! Xxxx

Hey there,

Please check out our Year 9 FAQ (http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/yr9), and the (http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/tagged/macrobyearnine) tag for all things year 9. 

For information about LOTE and German specifically see the LOTE tag (http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/tagged/macroblote), and this page (http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/search/german)

Hope this helps!

FAM <3

[qwedfas]

Hey FAM! I'm super proud of my Cantonese identity/fluency (I'm from GZ) but I've struggled with it because Mando kids have it easier. I'm really struggling in external Chinese and I plan on taking 12 SL in 2019. I've struggled with Chinese teachers telling me Canto is a useless language and I'm crap at Mandarin bc I can't let go of it, but I can't bring myself to give up on my culture & language. I really struggle with no one understanding that Canto is entirely separate from Mando. I feel lost.

Hey there,

First off, choosing to stand with your culture and language as opposed to doing what everyone tells you to takes amazing courage and resilience. It’s hard to go against the norm but it may be even more difficult to give up a part of your identity which is completely understandable.

Unfortunately, Cantonese is one of the languages some people are averse to and is in particular harder to learn because of the lesser amount of resources available to students since it’s one of the less popular languages. If you need help regarding learning the language, approach one of the senior school teachers to see if they may be able to direct you to where you may receive assistance. Perhaps talk with your parents about how you’re learning Cantonese and maybe you’ll be able to find better learning environments for yourself.

Even so, what those Chinese teachers say do not change who you are or what an amazing language Cantonese is. You are strong enough to stand above their negative opinions. A good thing about this school is the large number of Cantonese speaking students. If you have any Cantonese-speaking friends (I know a surprising amount of people who do speak), you could practise speaking or get them to test you on various things.

While I’m not at all fluent (or even versed in the basics), I love being able to speak with and understand my friends. Not only that, but also - I love Cantonese. To me it sounds like comfort and my grandparents, and hearing it really puts me at ease. I don’t have any plans to learn the written language but I’d love to be able to speak fluently one day - hopefully with people like you!

So keep on following this important part of your life because no one can decide for you who you are. I hope you’ll establish a place for yourself as a Cantonese speaker soon. Never stop expressing yourself!

Here is the experience of someone outside of FAM:

Hey there,

I personally did Chinese SLA in 2017 and I grew up speaking Canto as well. I just want to reassure you that no matter what your chinese teacher says being able to speak Cantonese and embracing that side of your culture does not hinder your ability to speak Mandarin.

Also it takes a lot of courage and strength to stick with your own cultural identity so you’ve been doing a great job, never let go of that and be proud of who you are because that is what makes you truly you.

If you are particularly worried about speaking Mando for your SL exam, I really just suggest practicing speaking and really just listening to people speak Mando. (I watched some chinese dramas both period and contemporary so I could also enrich my chinese vocab and maybe this will help you too).

In any case, hold on to your identity and be proud of it. There are many ways to improve your Mandarin, and I can assure you giving up on Cantonese is not one of those. (If you want to know more about doing Chinese SL with a Canto background, feel free to email me at [email protected])

And I know it is frustrating when people can’t tell the difference between Canto and Mando but don’t get frustrated, just explain to them what the differences are and how it’s a dialect with the same written language. Remember, the more people you talk to it about, the more people know the difference.

Love,FAM xx

[qwedfas]

Hey Fam! I'm having a Chinese oral exam soon, like rllllllly soon and I'm starting to rlly freak out do u have any tips for on the day?! And also what should we wear to the exam?

Hey there,

First of all, good luck!!!! You’ll probably hear this a billion times, but get some good sleep the night before and eat breakfast! Don’t want your stomach to be rumbling in your oral! Take some deep breaths, try to have a clear mind and listen carefully to what the examiners ask, take a second or two before you answer to collect your thoughts. Wear something neat and casual, don’t wear school uniform or anything else that might identify where you come from!!!

Also remember to bring in the slip that you would’ve received from Ms Liu a while ago

Here are some links which go over experiences and advice for oral exams:

-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/123851365502/tips-for-lote-orals

-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/129777422342/current-year-11-chinese-oral-is-next-month-and-i-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/161535406202/ughhhh-my-german-is-sooo-bad-we-have-lots-of-oral

-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/179133870192/im-getting-scared-and-nervous-for-the-upcoming

-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/175977002572/fam-please-give-me-some-advice-on-how-to-overcome

-http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/161462420707/i-practised-so-much-for-the-japanese-oral-and

Hope this helps!

Love,

FAM <3

[qwedfas]

how do you guys revise for tests? cue cards?

Hey there,

It usually depends on what the subject is as there are obviously many studying techniques that are more effective for some subjects and not so much others.

For maths:

COMPLETE CHAPTER REVIEW - sometimes it’s impractical to do ALL questions but it’s definitely good practice and even doing every second one is better than none at all

Practice tests! - usually you’ll be given a practice test before a test and this will often be the topic test for the previous year. Definitely don’t disregard it because it is quite useful and it’s testing the skills you should be able to apply in your upcoming test

For content heavy subjects:

MAKE SURE YOU ASK QUESTIONS – when learning the actual content, asking questions is one of the best ways to ensure you understand what you’re learning and hence you’ll be more likely to remember

Cue cards – this doesn’t work for everyone but it’s a nice way to be productive during times where studying is hard (i.e. on public transport)

Practice questions – writing and structuring answers is a skill and to ensure you obtain all the possible marks, knowing what key-words to use and how to structure your answer is only possible through practice!

For languages:

Get into a study group and test each other

Go over what you’ve learnt straight after class

ASK YOUR TEACHER if you have questions

Flashcards for vocab!

These are quite general tips and of course everyone has a different sort of learning style that suits them best. Some people are visual learners and can remember and learn best from drawing diagrams, while some people like to write down the content multiple times to remember it. Hopefully some of the suggestions listed here will help you out and if you need more advice remember you can always send in another question and we also have a tag relating to study tips so be sure to check that out too!

All the best,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

has anyone tried korean second language and how did you find it? Thanks!

Hello,

No, none of us have taken/ are undertaking Korean Second Language so we can’t give any insight. Perhaps ask on the VCE Discussion Space on Facebook or look it up in the ATARNOTES forums? From what I’ve heard, Korean Second Language is almost as hard as first language since it’s only recently been developed (and we all know how hard VCE first languages are…).

I didn’t do Korean SL but I did do Chinese SL so I’ll just talk about doing a language for VCE 3/4 and hopefully this can give you a bit of an insight. Doing a language is definitely hard (especially if you don’t speak it at home which was the position I was in) but very worth it in the end. As it was one of my 3/4s I put in a lot of effort to improve my Chinese which I have found is so beneficial beyond VCE. Speaking was my weak point, so I made sure to try and speak to my parents in Mandarin as much as possible. Also for detailed study and general conversation, definitely having that prepared before going into 3/4 was so helpful as all I had to do was memorise my content whereas some other students in my class were still deciding on a topic/ writing theirs. I highly recommend writing your own and not buying someone else’s as it will help you memorise it but of course just have your teacher/tutor go over it.

Having a look at previous exams/ exam reports can also give you a better idea of what to expect and whether Korean SL is for you.

Hope this helps,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

How do you study for a language? How to you improve?

Hi there,

FAM member 1: Learning language for me is similar to learning music, when there are no shortcuts and you just keep practising until it becomes natural to you. A good way to practise is reading, even if you are only reading picture story books, reading will expand your vocabulary and solidify sentence structures and expressions as you come across them. Another thing is listening to audiobooks/podcasts/news if you are up to it. When you’re always listening to the language whether actively or passively, you’ll be able to pick up on things like mannerisms and pronunciation!

If it’s regarding vocab, just writing the word numerous times and saying it out loud is a good way to practise. Everyone has a unique sort of learning style that suits them. Some people love flash cards, some learn better by ear, some by writing, some by watching and some by reading. The best way to do well in a language is to identify which learning style suits you, and then doing heaps of practise: writing many essays, listening and speaking it when you can, and constantly revising vocabulary.

If there’s a particular part you find hard, eg. grammar, go over your notes again, and if it doesn’t help, ask your teacher or peers.

The process of learning a language isn’t easy to define since it all the small things that contribute to your learning. If you’re always doing something related to your language, that’ll help you improve, whether listening to music, reading vocab, making sentences in your head.

FAM member 2: I find that actually speaking with someone who is fluent in the language is so beneficial because you can work on your accent and well as getting speaking practise who can correct you straightaway. This is also helpful because I think being able to speak the language is so important because this is what will help you get jobs or just help if you decide to travel to the country. When I was studying for Chinese, I just made a conscious effort to try and speak as much Mandarin with my parents as possible and that helped me a lot. Since I wasn’t really interested in Chinese shows, I would actually go on Netflix under the subtitles/audio and search for English shows that offered Chinese audio to improve my listening skills. Netflix is good because they will always offer English subtitles as well. Netflix shows with a wide range of languages so give that a try if you want listening practise. In terms of studying I really liked to use Memrise or Duolingo to consolidate my learning

Love,

FAM xx.

[qwedfas]

Hi Fam, for those doing French or just any language in general, what sort of vocab should I learn. I know there's no set vocab list and the teachers give you some anyways but I just wanted some suggestions to learn in my own time. Like animals or body parts or the beach for example. One more thing, are any of you guys using other vocab books other than like the vocab builder? Thanks x

Hey there!

FAM Member 1:

I don’t do any French, but looking through ATARNOTES (best site for general advice) French Forum, I think would be best to ask a French student for what vocab you should learn since I would’ve given you a different answer. Here’s a response from someone who got 40 in French: “I think it would be useful to learn some specific vocab - not just for listening, but also writing and reading. To make sure that the vocabulary you are learning is relevant and may be more useful, I think there is a section in the study design which tells you what topics the exam may refer to, so I think you should check that out. Also, if you want to improve listening, I think it is important to revise basic vocabulary such as colours, animals, clothes etc. These are vocabulary that are very likely to appear, and you don’t want to be wasting time trying to find it in the dictionary. That said, if you know what topic your listening SAC may be on, I think it would be advantageous if you did revise some specific vocab.”

Here’s a link to resources: https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=136390.0 and apparently this is for readers around a lower level: http://www.momes.net/contes/boucledor/index.html#suite1 – Focused for younger readers

There’s another response from the forum:

:Like the others said, exposure to french will help your vocab.

I’d suggest reading as well as news/radio, to hit on all the learning types.

The City Library in Flinders lane in the city has loads of magazines and graded readers in french (beginner, intermediate, advanced). You can borrow some that reflect your interests, or with the readers, ones with the text types you may have to do during the year, eg. dialogue, letters etc. They’re usually pocket sized so you can carry them around and read. It helps your vocab a lot because you’re seeing words in context.  Make a note of common phrases in a notebook, and practice using them in sentences.”

However, if none of this is relevant to you currently, then it would be best to study generally used vocab like family/ school/ transport/ eating.

FAM Member 2:

Personally, it’s helpful to use news sites like francetv.info or newsinslowfrench.com to help you with your French if you use the websites on a daily basis. It helps to develop your vocabulary and also your knowledge of French news, which is incredibly useful if you intend to do French for VCE in Year 12. FluentU is also a website I use quite a lot, however, you have to pay $10 a month to get the full FluentU experience.

Hope it helps!

Love,

FAMxx