During the first week of the holidays in May 2017 C21 had the opportunity to visit Madrid, Spain’s stunning capital city. This was the first visit abroad for XP, and had a focus on Spanish and the Arts.
Students had some reading around the artists Lichtenstein and Picasso in the weeks prior to departure, to set the scene for the groundbreaking art work they would see.
The visit was over four days, with four areas of focus. Day one and three focused on the Thyssen Museum and Reina Sofia Art Gallery containing world famous paintings, sculptures and art installations. Students were asked to sketch anything that struck them, but were particularly drawn to the work of Kandinsky in the first Museum. On the third day at the Reina Sofia, the main focus was the work of Picasso, in the run up to Guernica, and its aftermath.
During day two students completed a walking tour of Central Madrid, including the fabulous Palacio Real, one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole of Madrid, and the Plaza Mayor, one of the oldest squares in the city.
Also on the final day students visited the Bernabeu Stadium, home to La Liga champions Real Madrid. There were plenty of photo opportunities, not least the shower room of the football team!
Encompassing the entire visit was the urge to speak Spanish and become immersed in Spanish culture, which students gladly did, from small victories such as asking for dinner, to notices, wonders and questions about the Spanish way of life.
The final product was a journal, started in Madrid, with an Art section and a section about the Spanish language, which students continued to craft back at school to prepare for the Celebration of Learning.
All resources relating to this expedition can be found below:
C21 Madrid en Mayo Celebration of Learning
During the Celebration of Learning in June students described and explained their journals to parents. Parents were encouraged to buy their refreshments using the Spanish language, helped by posters and, of course, students.
Students then went on to simply analyse their favourite piece of Art, and talk about the Spanish that they used. This part of the Celebration was completely in Spanish, an opportunity to show off their refined accents.
Below are Azriel, Alex and Zara speaking on the evening and a collection of all the student speeches from the evening with their translation into English.
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