Key Stage 3 (Year 7 - 9) Curriculum
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Myths about Languages:
- everyone speaks English: the British do not need to learn other languages! 60% of British trade is with non-English speaking countries. British businesses has the poorest language skills in Europe. British businesses lose billions of pounds every year because they cannot speak their customers' languages.
- it is more difficult for linguists to get a job. Unemployement amongst language graduates is amongst the lowest of any subject.
- the only jobs for linguists are teaching and translating. Languages graduates find jobs in business, banking, retail, administration..
Why do linguists do so well?
- employers want broad abilities, more than subject knowledge.
- employers demand oral and written communication skills.
- employers want people who are confident and independent in the wider world.
- in interviews, linguists are more mature and skilled in oral presentation skills.
So learn a language.
The MFL Department has its own classrooms equipped with TV, DVD and interactive boards. All the rooms have access to the Internet.
KS3
At Key Stage 3 all students study two languages, the first foreign language being French and then Spanish. In French we use the following textbooks Encore Tricolore 1, 2 and 3 for Year 7, 8 and 9. In Spanish we use the following textbooks Listos 1 and 2 for Year 7, 8 and 9.
KS4
At Key Stage 4, students can opt for a foreign language, French and /or Spanish The objectives are to attain set standards in the four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Textbooks used in French, Encore Tricolore 4 and Listos 3 in Spanish.
Students take an exam in three skills (Listening, Speaking and Reading). Writing is assessed by coursework and students need to produce a minimum of three pieces of writing in the language, one of which is produced under controlled conditions. Each skill can be taken at Foundation or Higher Level. The Examination Board is OCR.
GCSE
| Listening | 25% |
| Reading | 25% |
| Speaking | 25% |
| Writing | 25% |
KS5
The A Level is divided in two years AS and A2. For AS the students take three examinations and for A2 they take two examinations plus they write two pieces of coursework. The following textbooks are used in French, Elan 1 and Elan 2. In Spanish they are Sigue and Al Tanto. The Examination Board is Edexcel.
AS | A2 |
Unit 1:Listening and Writing | Unit 4: Oral Discussion of Issues |
Unit 2: Reading and Writing | Unit 5 : Coursework |
Unit 3: Prepared Oral Topic | Unit 6: Listening, Reading and Writing |
In KS4 and KS5 students will have to sign a form to say that all work is their own for the written coursework. They may have no outside help at all and will need to note titles of any books or websites they have used in and out of school.
Foreign Language Assistants
In KS4 and KS5 students have conversation in the target language with a native speaker in order to prepare them for their speaking exams.
SPANISH
In the Junior School, Spanish is taught as an extra-curricular short course once a week after school.
Spanish is taught in year 7 for two lessons a week. Pupils continue with Spanish to the end of Year 9. At Key Stage 4, pupils are encouraged to continue with at least one language chosen from the two on offer and so may continue with Spanish to GCSE and on to A Level.
Cultural trips are organised to Spain and have included visits to Barcelona, Seville and Cordoba in recent years. Pupils have the opportunity to practise their Spanish whilst ordering food in local traditional café’s and shopping for souvenirs. They are also given activities to encourage their use of language skills such as interviewing local people about their jobs. In Barcelona pupils visited the Picasso Museum; Gaudi’s Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera, the Aquarium, went on a boat trip and danced the traditional dance, the Sardana outside the Cathedral.
In Seville they took a ride in a horse drawn carriage to enjoy the local sights, went to a Flamenco dance show, visited the Alcazar Palace with its beautiful Moorish architecture, the Torro de Oro, the art museum and went on a boat trip along the river.
In Cordoba they visited the Mezuita, ate Tapas in a local traditional restaurant and shopped for souvenirs having travelled there on the AVE which is the Spanish fast train.
Spanish is taught in a dedicated classroom equipped with and electronic whiteboard, OHP, television and video. Classes are taken to the computer suite on a regular basis where they have the opportunity to use Fun with Texts and numerous other activities on the Web both on sites that are subscribed to and those available to all. Pupils are encouraged to word process their work to prepare them for GCSE course work. They complete a project in Year 9.
Year 9 Trip to The National Gallery Velazquez Exhibition 2007
A cultural trip to learn about Art in Spain which involved looking at artists from different eras with the help of a National Gallery expert, followed by a visit to the Velazquez exhibition.
What the students said..................
On Friday the 3rd of November the year 9 Spanish group went to the National Gallery to see some Spanish art work by Velázquez.
We got to look at some very interesting pieces of work, and found out a lot about how he painted. Although at times the National Gallery was very busy, it didn’t stop us from enjoying all his pieces of work.
After Lunch a tour guide took us to look at three paintings by Spanish artists from different centuries in the Main Gallery. Then she took us to the entrance of the Velázquez Exhibition and left us to look around. We had a really good trip and we would like to thank Mrs Cliff and Mrs Matthews for a lovely day out and Mrs Cliff for organising it.
We had a great time and think that it is well worth going to see the exhibition.
By Anushka Vinales and Priyanka Patel and Kim Jones 9S
Y10 Spanish Conference 2007
Y10 attended a Spanish Conference in London attended by nearly 1000 pupils from different schools which gave them an insight into the culture of Madrid and a chance to revise their grammar and listen for gist and for a few to practice orally.
Useful websites:
www.earlystart.co.uk
www.sgci.mec.es/uk
www.elmundo.es
www.languagesonline
www.ihmadrid.com
www.trentu.ca/spanish
www.linguascope.com
www.languagezone.org
www.resourcesrmfl.com
wwwlespanol.yahoo.com
www.auladiez.com
www.studyspanish.com
www.espanol-extra.co.uk
French
In Year 8 students have the opportunities to go to Lille and Bruges for the Christmas market where they can practise their French and discover how Christmas is celebrated on the continent. The students in Year 9 and Year 10 have the ability to apply their knowledge when they go on History trips in Ypres.
French Syllabus
Year 7
• Meeting and greeting people; numbers 0 to 31; the date, age and birthdays; classroom instructions; the alphabet.
• Where you live, rooms.
• Family, pets, colours.
• Traditional events; clothes; weather, present tense.
• Hobbies and interests.
• Places in town, directions.
• School, daily routine.
• Food; time.
Year 8
• Shops, food, quality, prices.
• Countries in Europe, means of transport, use of future, activities.
• School, subjects, daily routine, opinions, activities after school.
• Family, receiving a pen friend, past tense.
• Food and drinks, ordering a meal.
• Talking about travel.
• Clothes, parts of the body, illness.
• Meeting and arranging to go out.
Year 9
• Exchanging personal information and about families and pets; describing friends and other people, daily routine.
• Paris, past tense, weather, how to travel by metro, describing a recent visit, giving opinions.
• Leisure activities, comparing present and past, comparatives, T.V, cinema, use of imperfect.
• School life in France, career plans, jobs, use of future.
• Talk about Futuroscope theme park hotel facilities, booking, reporting problems, weather, referring to the future, the present and the past.
• Health, body parts, giving details of an accident.
• Holidays plans, regions in France, booking in a campsite, writing a letter of complaint.
• Talking about French speaking regions, countries, discussing environmental problems.
Useful links:
www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/
Students work
