#macroblote

[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 con0017@macrob.vic.edu.au)

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]

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]

Hey FAM, I think I have an emotional breakdown whenever I think of doing Chinese. I can't help but cry and throw a fit every time I have to do something about it and it just makes me (and everyone else) so miserable and I'm unproductive for the next few days. Thing is, I'm already doing 3/4 this year. Do you guys have any tips on just forcing myself to see this fucking thing through and also for Chinese SL in general? Thank you guys 💕

Hi there,

I was in the literal same position as you last year- and honestly i still do regret doing Chinese because it took so much out of  me for little to no reward (in my opinion). The way I saw myself through it was to just memorise my GC and DS, actually seek help from my parents and do the best i could with the little time I had.

There isn’t much time left, so the best thing to do now is perhaps start doing the practice exams and if your teacher is pretty good you should consult them as well. THe worst thing you can do now is focus on how much you hate it or how much you regret doing it but rather just tackle it head in and get it over and done with (which is what i did). Just think about the happiness you’ll feel when this whole thing is over - and you’ll never have to experience it again! You might as well finish this up properly, besides you’ve only got 3 months to go. You want to finish the year knowing you’ve given it your best shot :)

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Love, FAM xx

[qwedfas]

some of my fav singers who sing in french are Stromae he has songs like papaoutai, alors on danse ,etc, with HEAPS of views like 430 million so good quality,M Pokora, and then there are some classics which are so beautiful from people like Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour I would strongly suggest u try this! If it doesnt work for u, at least u got to hear some great music. Maybe also try reading twitter posts from ppl like those singers Good luck!!!

Hey again!

Thank you once again for giving advice to others! Good luck with your studies too and good on you <3 

FAM Xx

[qwedfas]

How do I improve in Japanese, especially in listening? I feel like I'm drowning in the class... help?

Hey there!

When it comes to improving in a language, it really all comes to exposure and practice. This includes perhaps reviewing what you have learnt in the Japanese classes everyday (through re-reading your notes, doing questions in your textbook (since we rarely do them in class or really use them throughout the year, it doesn’t mean that it’s not a good resource to learn/revise from :) ), learning your tango through flashcards, writing sentences and practicing your grammar (and applying the new tango in there for extra practice too), and conversing in Japanese with your Japanese classmates. Like basically all languages, Japanese is a subject that would require heavy time commitment and discipline in reviewing, revising and practising, and with keeping up, try and have consistency through scheduling and having a timetable (creating productive habits is essential). With listening, there are many resources lying around the internet and also in the LRC, there should be a few books that containing listening comprehension practice DVDS with workbooks that I suggest checking out :) A few websites you can check out are:

https://www.erin.ne.jp/en/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjw04fkh9r_hnPpjOkO6q-Q

https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/learn/list/1.html

Talk Radios and Podcasts:

http://tunein.com/radio/Japanese-Talk-g349/

https://www.japanesepod101.com/

Also, we do have a facebook group for resources, help and such (https://www.facebook.com/groups/561511627382028/) and there is also JPN help during most lunchtimes if you ever do require any more assistance too! I really recommend going there for any help, whether it’d be little question or something very huge, or simply asking about certain experiences and such, we’ll be here for you guys! And we can directly provide you more specific resources or advice too. Don’t be afraid to come in anytime, and we’ll try our best to help you as much as we can :) Also, remember to always take care of yourself and always remember that we gotchu here too if you need anymore help (You can facebook message me-Joanne La or through email: la-0008@macrob.vic.edu.au if you ever want more advice, resources…etc) <3

Hope this helps!

FAM xxx

[qwedfas]

Hi! I love studying German and want to persue biomed. I play tennis, the piano, and want to start school debating. I'm a form captian and love leadership. Pls pls pls suggest a list of leadership and extracurricular opportunities at Macrob. Anything like a German exchange? Poetry/writing comp? Thanks FAM (:

Hi there!

From the sounds of it you’re already doing heaps! Remember that while it’s really good to get involved in a whole range of things you’ve got to put yourself first and make sure you’re not taking up too many commitments at once. Some extra stuff you might want to do though are things that don’t require a weekly commitment (such as meetings), such as signing up for volunteering events, performances during school themed weeks or music nights, and the new open mic program the debating captains are running. This way you’ll be able to do some really fun, yet one off stuff to stay involved.  The school also sometimes runs come careers stuff or advertises university open days, which depending on what year you’re in, you might like to go along to - as they might inform you about some opportunities to do things in regards to what you want to do later in life. Clubs are also a good and light hearted way to get involved with a whole range of different interesting things, and you can go to them whenever you’re free or feel like it.

In regards to the poetry/ writing competition stuff, the comps are often are advertised in the library or the english board (just outside the library). Also check out voiceworks if you want to get some writing experience - they are writing magazine for australian young people and accept submissions (there are copies in the library). If not you should be able to find some by asking your english teacher and by googling some

There is definately a German exchange and you should talk to your German teacher about it, I’m sure they’ll love to hear that you’re interested and can give you more specific information about it. Exchanges are definitely on of the best experiences you could have and we’d definitely recommend them!

Hopefully this helps!

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

guys any tips on learning french?? honestly idk does going on exchange help? thanks babes xoxo

Salut anon!

Exchanges can be good because you are surrounded by French 24/7 which forces you to learn very quickly. It depends on the student and an exchange is definitely not necessary to do well in French! - there is an answered question here with a little more information.

My foundation for studying French is a little like gardening, which makes it quite cute and easy to remember, which is nice when dealing with a completely new language. Really, practise is key but I like to follow a list of plant, water, fertilise, thrive!

Plant: First thing first is to make sure that the content goes into your brain!

Listen in class and pay attention to your teacher. Write down any new vocabulary, important notes or new grammar. Ask your teacher to clarify anything you don’t understand. You won’t understand the homework or be able to answer answer questions if you don’t have a solid foundation.

Water: Constant attention make sure that the information really stays in your brain - a few days without are ok, but leaving a language for weeks means that you’ll forget a lot of it.

Really try to learn vocabulary, grammar and content that you are covering in class- those worksheets may be boring but they are excellent. I cannot stress this enough. Even if you think you already know the concept, you still need to know how to use the word/expression in writing or speaking - that’s the most important part. Use the worksheets that your teacher gives you or ask for some and try to practise a little (like 10 mins) daily. Also, make sure that you complete and hand in work in order to get feedback!

Have a list of vocab or grammar that you want to learn each week. Learn them, and then come up with sentences for each word and grammar construction. Just like word lists from primary school if you did that. Then, give yourself a little test to check how you’re travelling.

Quizlet is excellent for vocab flashcards and I talked to myself in French - it was odd at first but very useful. Look beyond google translate - I suggest collins or wordref. 

If you have a writing assignment, an oral or a listening quiz coming up, familiarize yourself with the type of questions and content that will come up. Check over returned tests and note down what you got wrong with corrections.

Fertilise: Yes, studying the worksheet is really important, but if you want awesome linguistic abilities you need to add a little extra nourishment.

Try to listen and absorb as much of the language as possible! This depends a lot on your level. Movies and the French news (both easily found on SBS) are great for anyone, books in the library and podcasts (France Culture is the best thing ever, but very fast and more complex so I would recommend for VCE) are great tools to get yourself comfortable with the language.

There are also youtubers like Cyprien or Norman fait des videos if you want to hear more modern French. Or you could try reading newspapers like L’Obs or Le Monde - both are well written and their culture sections often talk about worldwide trends. When it comes to the pointy end you really want to feel comfortable with the language.

Thrive: Use French as much as possible, in a variety of forms. If you have spent time learning French, using it is a great feeling and even if it doesn’t go right to plan you will learn something new as well.

Enjoy the language, you will want to study if you enjoy it - find things about France/French that interest you and explore them.

One of my friends used to practice by writing fanfiction in French. This sounds like an excellent strategy to combine something she enjoys and learning.

If you feel up to it, write some quick notes for your other subjects in French. You’ll have to concentrate more on writing the notes so you’ll be more likely to remember them and you also really have to stretch your French knowledge. And knowing how to say the ‘the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell’ in French is a pretty groovy party trick! :)

Hope this helps!

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

You know how doing a language is compulsory in year 10? If we want to do the language outside of school, does it have to be at a VCE level? B/c i want to drop german next year and start chinese but does that count? ty xx

Hey there,

You can drop your school language in year ten even if you’re doing a language outside of school, even if that isn’t at a vce year level (meaning unit ½ or ¾). I did something similar where i dropped japanese and started a language outside of school at a year ten level (in year ten), and that worked :)

Hopefully this helps!

Love, FAM xx

[qwedfas]

Hey there FAM,Just wanted to know, (in case any of you did know) how should the structure of a French sentence generally go? I'm not really sure.... THANK YOU xx

Bonjour!

For simpler French sentences, it will go the same as an english sentence! it depends on the context but a sentence will have a subject, verb, object.

I walk to school. Je marche a l’ecole.

I play tennis. Je joue au tennis.

This is the last example. Ceci est le dernier exemple.

Then you have pronouns, for which the donkey triangle (so named because of ‘y, en’ at the end) is useful. Here it is below:

me, te, se, nous, vous, se.

Le, la, les

Lui, leur

Y

En

Basically, these short words represent nouns. For example, say it’s Paul’s birthday.

When you say ‘I give it to Paul’, you mean ‘I give the present to Paul’, and now ‘the present’ has been replaced by ‘it’.

When you say, ‘I give a present to him’, you mean ‘I give a present to Paul’. In this case, you replaced ‘Paul’ with ‘to him’.

When you replace these nouns with pronouns, it changes the order of the sentence.

You can’t just replace ‘le cadeau’ with ‘le’ and leave it in the same place; ‘Je donne le a Paul’ would be incorrect. So the pronoun goes before the verb.

I give it to Paul. Je le donne a Paul.

I give the present to him . Je lui donne le cadeau.

When you say ‘I give it to him.’, you now have two pronouns that go before the verb, ‘le’ and ‘lui’. So here’s where you use the donkey triangle. Since ‘le, la, les’ come before ‘lui, leur’ in the triangle, you put ‘le, la, les’ before ‘lui, leur’ in the sentence as well.

See down below.

I give it to him. Je le lui donne.

I give it to him there. Je le lui y donne.

Don’t give it to me! Ne me la donne pas!

I hope this clears some things up, the donkey triangle is quite a large topic that gets covered in Year 10 and Year 11, so hopefully you’re prepped for it :)

Don’t be afraid to ask for more help, any French teacher would be willing!

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

Hey guys, was wondering if anyone does vce tamil? (yr 9) how should I do foundation before vce and also could someone give tailor made tips on how to tackle SACs, and oral skills, essay writing skills plssss

Hey,

Sadly none of us have studied Tamil for VCE. Some good places to look for advice may be family, friends, friends of family, or online forums such as ATAR notes, or going into VSL centres! Hopefully you can find someone with some advice!

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]

Hi FAM, I was wondering what an easy 1/2 subject may be as I am doing external language and need 7 subjects in year 11, I want to use this subject as a block-filler. Thanks!

Hey,

FAM Member 1: I was in this situation last year and I think Studio Art and Computing are pretty good block fillers because I didn’t have to put much time into them out of class.

FAM Member 2: I highly recommend doing a VET subject! I did Allied Health which was held in Richmond on a Wednesday afternoon from 1:30-4:30 (I think they have changed when it is run though). Doing a VET means you get an extra 4 frees which is sooo helpful as I used this time to do more revision. The content you learn in Allied Health isn’t too hard to grasp and the teacher I had tried to make sure that we never had to do work outside of class so the workload won’t be too much more.

Hope this helps!

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

[qwedfas]

Hey fam, recently a girl asked about dropping the external lang. although she dropped it, but was she doing a lang in school. If she did drop it, can you actually just not do a lang? But only for workload reasons and other things.. Thanks xx

Hi!

This question is best directed towards your coordinators, since we don’t know much about whether or not you can drop a language (as language is generally compulsory until the end of year 10). You can contact them by going to see them in the middle school office in K1 or via email. Mr Beale, the Head of Middle School’s email is <bea@macrob.vic.edu.au>.

However, just as an aside, although an extra language subject may seem like a burden, learning a language for 1-2 years may help down the track, and your friend may find a strong love for it this year. But then again, it is your friend’s decision at the end of the day :)

Hope this helps!

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

hi fam! so I'm in year 10 and still deciding a lot but will macrob be super angry if I drop my external language (year 10 level) some time later in the year? due to a lot of complicated reasons about mental health and workload, not at all because I just chose an external language to get extra subjects.

Hello to you! 

There’s nothing wrong with dropping a subject, especially if you have a reason to do so, nor does the school think that studying an external language is for the purpose of having extra subjects. If the workload does get too much for you to handle at anytime of the year, Gillian is a great person to talk to. We’re sure she’d be more than happy to help you through the process. One of us had friends who have dropped external languages throughout year 10 and the school didn’t seem to have a problem with it :) Some dropped it as early as a few weeks in and others were further through the semester.

Your year level coordinators are also good people to talk to in regards to this, we hope this clears things up!

Love,

FAM xx