Year 4 Empathy Project

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Several members of our year 4 family have travelled the world with their own families as one of their parents were part of the forces.

My dad is a sergeant in the Royal Signals. He joined in 2006 and had served in lots of countries like Belize, Afghanistan, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Being in the army means I have lived in Germany and all over England; I have lived in six houses and been to three different schools which helped me make lots of amazing friends. My dad has to go away again to Saudi Arabia but I will try to ring him everyday as Jacob and I will miss him a lot. 

My dad is a medic in the army and has been for 23 years. He has been to several war torn countries such as Afghanistan. He was also been posted in Germany. It is very scary when he goes away as I don't know what will happen to him. Sometimes, he goes away and I do not know how long he will be away which can be difficult.   

My dad was in the Royal Air Force. As a child, I moved towns seven times and attended seven different schools. This often felt scary on the first day but I always quickly made new friends. In 1980, I moved abroad to Gutersloh in West Germany and I stayed there for three years. I still to this day have some pen friends from Haigh Primary School. In 1986, I moved to Darlington and happily settled here as my Dad retired from the Royal Air Force.

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We are all proud of where we are from and our heritage.

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Like some of the pupils at Reid Street, my childhood was different to many others because my dad was a member of the armed forces. He was in the Royal Artillery and I was born in what was then West Germany, in the British Army of the Rhine. We moved around the world when I was in primary school and I went to kindergarten in Germany and then to schools in Gibraltar, in the Outer Hebrides (a tiny little island like the one Katie Morag lives on) and in Glasgow. I was always sad to leave my friends but excited to arrive at a new school and make new ones. As an adult, I have revisited some of the places I used to live which has brought back many happy memories.&nbsp;

Travel is great because you get to see new places, meet new people and hear different languages.&#160;

As well as the other languages we are learning, we are also learning sign language.

We have learnt Makaton to communicate with others. Makaton uses speech with signs (gestures) and symbols (pictures) to help people communicate.&nbsp;We also use facial expression, eye contact and body language to give as much information as possible

You too can learn a new language - Makaton.

Makaton Topic - GREETINGS - Singing Hands

Year 4’s Tinku Dance.

As part of the North East Festival of languages Express yourself week, Year 4 learnt some Spanish within a Spanish speaking country. The workshop was led by a performer who was a native speaker. Yuvel Soria taught us a Bolivian Carnival Dance (in Spanish and English). This was the Tinku Dance. 

The Tinku, has been accepted as a cultural dance in the whole nation of Bolivia. Tinku music has a loud constant drum beat to give it a native warlike feel, while charangos, guitars, and zampoñas (panpipes) play melodies. The dancers perform with combat like movements, following the heavy beat of the drum.

We all had great time learning about other cultures and performing together.&nbsp;

The story behind this cultural dance is that long ago, the Spanish conquistadors made the indigenous people their slaves. Tinku dance costumes are colorful and decorative. Even though the people were slaves, they loved to dance, and would often fight, but never really hurting each other.

We are unique and diverse.

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