Modern Foreign Languages
The MFL Department's goals are to give students the opportunity to:
- become confident speakers who can use the target MFL language spontaneously to converse inside and outside the classroom
- develop their ability to understand the spoken and written target language across a range of authentic materials (including literary texts), topics and registers
- develop their awareness about grammar and language patterns so they can speak, write and translater appropriately, creatively and with increasing accuracy.
- acquire transferable language learning and literacy skills
- widen their cultural knowledge of the world in which the language is spoken
- take up a language at KS4 and KS5
Languages taught are French and Spanish which are randomly allocated in Year 7. Spanish was introduced in Year 7 in September 2011 and is now available throughout KS3, KS4 and KS5.
In Year 9 the two top sets start their second language. Our first dual linguist cohort will have the opportunity of studying two languages at GCSE from September 2016.
Throughout KS3 and KS4, we use a variety of tasks to introduce and practise and memorise vocabulary and grammatical rules in as many ways as possible to ensure coverage of the programmes of study and a balance of the four skills - reading writing, listening and speaking. We make full use of online resources and interactive vocabulary learning websites.
Key stage 3: FRENCH TOPICS
Click here for the detailed 2014 National Curriculum KS3 programmes of study.
Year 7 - French
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Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use French in the following topics: |
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Autumn term 1 |
C’est parti (Let’s go) |
Greetings, the alphabet, numbers, saying the date and age, colours, simple classroom instructions and main classroom objects. |
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Autumn Term 2 |
En famille (Family) |
Talking about family members and pets, describing self and others. |
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Spring Term 1 |
Les loisirs (Free time) |
Talking about leisure activities including sports, games, musical instruments, going out, etc. |
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Spring Term 2 |
En ville (In town) |
Asking about places in town, directions, explaining where you are and where you are going, expressing more detailed opinions, ordering drinks and snacks. |
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Summer Term 1 |
Ma journée (My day) |
Talking about your daily routine including both at school and home, school timetables, opinions about school subjects, justifying your opinions. |
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Summer Term 2 |
On s’amuse (We’re having fun) |
Leisure activities, sports, games, musical instruments, discussing your leisure activities, what you like/dislike, what activities are available, talking about your holidays and a future holiday. |
Year 8 - French
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Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use French in the following topics: |
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Autumn term 1 |
Famille et domicile (Family and home life) |
Describing yourself and your family life including jobs people do, the area where you live and its location, describing the weather. |
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Autumn Term 2 |
Temps libre (Leisure time) |
Describing your leisure activities, sports, television, etc. Saying what you and your friends do at the weekend and what you did last weekend. |
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Spring Term 1 |
Les sorties (going out) |
Making and reacting to invitations, making excuses. Describing and giving opinions about clothes, fashion, and shopping using the present and past tenses. |
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Spring Term 2 |
Manger et boire (Eating and drinking) |
Giving opinions about foods, nions about foods and drinks and diet habits including eating out, using the present and past tenses. |
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Summer Term 1 |
Voyages et vacances (Holidays) |
Describing holiday destinations and activities and a past holiday. |
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Summer Term 2 |
Les copains (Friends) |
Talking about your friends in more detail and describing your plans for the forthcoming holidays and your dreams for the future. |
Year 9 - French
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Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary |
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Autumn term 1 |
Ça t’intéresse? (Does it interest you?) |
Talking about what you watch on TV, going to the cinema, different types of films, what you like reading and what you did last weekend. Understanding and using the past tense appropriately. Discussing French actors, TV programmes and films. |
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Autumn Term 2 |
L’avenir (the future) |
Discussing what you and your friends are going to do the next day and next week. Describing your future plans and understanding others discussing their future plans. Talking about career choices and why foreign languages are important in today’s world. |
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Spring Term 1 |
En bonne santé (In good health) |
Talking about illnesses, describing symptoms and what’s wrong. Discussing food, health and fitness and healthy and unhealthy lifestyles. |
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Spring Term 2 |
Les gens comme nous (People like us) |
The international world: Life in other countries and communities |
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Summer Term 1 |
On y va (Let’s go) |
The international world: Tourism at home and abroad. |
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Summer Term 2 |
Les droits des jeunes (Young people’s rights) |
Discussing school life in other countries, young people and work, money, tackling world events and issues (hunger, poverty, human rights activists) |
Key stage 3: SPANISH TOPICS
Year 7 - Spanish
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Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use Spanish in the following topics: |
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Autumn term 1 |
Hola (Hello) |
Greetings, the alphabet, numbers, saying the date and age, colours, simple classroom instructions and main classroom objects |
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Autumn Term 2 |
¿Qué estudias? (What do you study?) |
Talking about school subjects, teachers, snacks; expressing opinions. |
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Spring Term 1 |
¿Tienes Hermanos? (Do you have brothers and sisters?) |
Talking about self, family members and pets, describing appearance and character. |
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Spring Term 2 |
Vivimos en Europa (We live in Europe) |
Talking about where you live, describing your home and their own bedroom and discussing what you do at home. |
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Summer Term 1 |
Mi tiempo libre (My free time) |
Talking about what they do in your free time, telling the time, discussing what you are planning to do using the future tense. |
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Summer Term 2 |
¿Cómo es tu ciudad? (What’s your town like?) |
Describing your town/local area and what you can do there; making and responding to invitations; talking about the weather; learning to use present and future tenses together |
Year 8 - Spanish
|
Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use Spanish in the following topics: |
|
Autumn term 1 |
La gente (People) |
Expressing opinions about leisure activities. Describing friends and celebrities. Using comparisons. Describing your daily routine using reflexive verbs and sequencing words. Discussing people’s nationality. |
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Autumn Term 2 |
¿Adónde vas? (Where are you going?) |
Talking about places in town and what you usually do there. Talking about what what you are going to do in the near future. Making and reacting to invitations using excuses. Saying what you would like to do. |
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Spring Term 1 |
¿Adónde fuiste? (Where did you go?) |
Saying where you went on holiday and what it was like. Discussing your travel arrangements and what you did there. Expressing opinions about past events in more detail. |
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Spring Term 2 |
La comida (Food/Eating) |
Talking about mealtimes. Shopping for food, dealing with quantities and prices. Ordering food at a restaurant. Discussing a past meal and your likes and dislikes about food using the present, past and future tenses appropriately. |
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Summer Term 1 |
La ropa (Clothes) |
Talking about clothes and fashion, including what your school uniform looks like and what you could wear at a fancy ball. |
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Summer Term 2 |
Barcelona |
Discovering Barcelona. What there is to see and do, asking and giving directions, describing a possible holiday in Barcelona using the present, past and future tenses. |
Year 9 - Spanish
|
Term |
Unit of Work |
Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use Spanish in the following topics: |
|
Autumn term 1 |
Los medios de comunicación (the media) |
Talking about what you do with your computer. Discussing television programmes and cinema and learning to compare and justify your opinions. Talking about different types of music and going to a concert. |
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Autumn Term 2 |
El instituto (School) |
Talking about and describing your school life, subjects, extra-curricular activities and rules. Giving an account of a school day using the past tense. |
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Spring Term 1 |
La salud (Health) |
Talking about illnesses, describing symptoms, what’s wrong and suggesting remedies. Discussing health: healthy eating and living, unhealthy habits and making resolutions for a healthier lifestyle. |
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Spring Term 2 |
Ganarse la vida (Earning a living) |
Talking about earning and spending money, possible jobs and jobs you would like to do later in life as well as jobs you may have already done. Discussing the use of foreign languages at work, |
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Summer Term 1 |
Hispanoamérica (Hispanic America) |
Discovering Spanish-speaking countries and the daily life of their communities in more detail, for instance in Central and South America. Discussing environmental issues. |
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Summer Term 2 |
Mi casa es tu casa (My house is your house) |
Learning about the Basque region in Spain and the area around Bilbao. |
Key Stage Four
Click here for the Department of Education Modern languages GCSE subject content and assessment
objectives for teaching from September 2016
YEAR 10 – FROM SEPTEMBER 2016
Our current Year 10 MFL cohorts are entered for the WJEC Eduqas GCSE (9-1) examinations
Click here for the Educas GCSE (9-1) French specifications
Click here for the Educas GCSE (9-1) Spanish specifications:
All the four MFL GCSE (9-1) examinations take place at the end of Year 11 and must ALL be at the SAME tier of entry either Foundation or Higher:
- Speaking examination, 25% of the qualification - 60 marks
- Listening examination, 25% of the qualification - 45 marks
- Reading examination, 25% of the qualification - 60 marks
- Writing examination, 25% of the qualification - 60 marks
Year 10 - French Topics
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Term |
Unit(s) of Work |
Summary - By the end of this unit students will have developed their knowledge and understanding of the following topics: |
|
Autumn term 1 |
Introduction to the course Basic Vocabulary revision Grammatical skills
Exam skills |
Phonics, Numbers, Alphabet, Classroom language
Infinitive verbs, present and past tense, Modal and Reflective verbs, Negative phrases, how to express opinions Introduction to speaking and writing exam |
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Autumn term 2 |
IDENTITY AND CULTURE Youth Culture Grammatical skills Exam skills |
Self and Relationship Technology and Social Media
Adjectives and intensifiers, the near future tense, the future and conditional tenses Speaking exam practice |
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Spring term 1 |
LOCAL, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL AREAS OF INTERESTS Home and Locality
Grammatical skills
Exam skills |
Local Areas of Interest Transport Revision of Present, Imperfect, Perfect and Near future tenses Speaking and writing exam practice |
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Spring term 2
Summer term 1 |
CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT Current Study Grammar consolidation Exam skills
IDENTITY AND CULTURE Lifestyle
Grammar consolidation Exam skills
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School/College Life School /College Studies Speaking and Exam practice Reading and Listening Assessments
Health and Fitness Entertainment and Leisure
Speaking and Exam practice |
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Summer term 2 |
LOCAL, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL AREAS OF INTERESTS France and French-speaking countries Grammar consolidation Exam skills
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Local and Regional Features and Characteristics Holidays and Tourism
Speaking and Exam practice |
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Year 10 – Spanish Topics
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Term |
Unit(s) of Work |
Summary - By the end of this unit students will have developed their knowledge and understanding of the following topics: |
|
Autumn term 1 |
Introduction to the course Basic vocabulary revision Grammar revision
Exam skills |
Baseline Assessment
Phonics, Numbers, Alphabet, Classroom language Infinitive verbs, present conjugationadjective agreement, expressing opinions Spontaneous speaking and writing |
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Autumn term 2 |
LOCAL, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL AREAS OF INTERESTS Spain and Hispanic-speaking countries Grammar revision
Exam skills |
Relationships and choices: family, friends, marriage and partnerships, social and equality issues, future plans Holidays and Tourism
Revision of Present, Preterite, Imperfect and Conditional tenses Speaking and Writing Exam practice Reading and Listening Assessments |
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Spring term 1
Spring Term 2
Summer Term 1
Summer Term 2 |
CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT Current Study
Grammar revision
Exam skills
IDENTITY AND CULTURE
Youth Culture
Grammar Consolidation Exam skills
IDENTITY AND CULTURE Lifestyle Grammar Consolidation Exam skills
IDENTITY AND CULTURE Lifestyle Grammar Consolidation Exam skills
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School/College Life School/College studies Present and Imperfect Tenses, Comparatives and Superlatives, Negative Phrases Speaking and Writing Exam practice
Self and Relationship Technology and Social Media
Speaking and Writing Exam Prectice Reading and Listening Assessments
Entertainment and Leisure
Speaking and Writing Exam practice
Entertainment and Leisure
Reading and Listening Assessments |
Year 11 IN SEPTEMBER 2016
Our current Year 11 GCSE MFL cohort are entered for the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) linear GCSE examinations.
- The WJEC French GCSE specifications can be found at:
http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/16184.pdf
- The WJEC Spanish GCSE specifications can be found at http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/16188.pdf?language_id=1
The government’s GCSE subject content for MFL can be accessed here.
In addition to final examinations in listening and reading, each year, students are prepared for 4 controlled assessments (CAs), carried out under exam conditions, two in speaking and another two in writing.
The overall GCSE grade is made up as follows:
- Listening examination (Foundation or Higher paper) in May of Year 11 - 20%
- Reading examination (Foundation or Higher paper) in May of Year 11 - 20%
- Controlled Assessment Writing (two best overall tasks in Year 10 or Year 11) - 30%
- Controlled Assessment Speaking (two best overall tasks in Year 10 or 11) – 30%
Year 11 - French Topics
|
Term |
Unit(s) of Work |
Summary - By the end of this unit students will have developed their knowledge and understanding of the following topics: |
|
Autumn term 1 Autumn term 2 |
Education and the world of work |
School life and education, work experience, part-time jobs, future careers Preparing for a 2nd writing CA usually scheduled in January And if necessary, for a 3rd speaking CA usually held in February/March |
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Spring term 1 |
The environment |
Home town, local environment, pollution, recycling, local facilities, comparisons with other towns and regions, weather and seasons. Intensive listening and reading practice/vocab revision |
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Spring term 2 |
The life of young people today |
Social issues: homelessness, crime, drugs, healthy living, religion, politics, the media. Intensive listening and reading practice/ vocab revision |
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Summer term 1
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Revision and topic catch ups |
Intensive listening and reading practice/ vocab revision
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| YEAR 11 - SPANISH TOPICS | ||
| Term | Unit(s) of work |
Summary - By the end of this unit, students will have developed their knowledge and understanding of the following topics:
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Autumn term 1 Autumn term 2
Spring term 1
Spring term 2
Summer term 1 |
Holidays
Education and the world of work
The environment
The life of young people today
Revision and topic catch-ups |
Preparing for second writing and speaking CA examinations usually scheduled in November Preparing for second writing and speaking CA examinations usually scheduled in February/March
Home town, local environment, pollution, recycling, local facilities, comparisons with other townsand regions, weather and seasons.
Intensive listening and reading practice /vocab revision, CA catch-ups continued
Social issues: leisure, the use of technology, homeless ness, crime, drugs, healthy living, religion, politics, the media
Intensive listening and resding practice/vocab revision CA catch-ups continued as necessary
Intensive listening and reading practice/vocab revision |