Modern Foreign Languages
Welcome to the Modern Foreign Language Department
At Blackfen, learning a foreign language will offer our pupils the opportunity to communicate with their European neighbours and discover new cultures which for many remain a mystery despite our proximity to France and Spain.
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 good pronunciation and intonation by applying the phonics system to correct and predict the pronunciation of new words
- 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 translate 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
- learn to communicate for practical purposes at GCSE and A level, to learn new ways of thinking and read extracts of great literature in the original language.
Languages taught are French and Spanish which are randomly allocated in Year 7.
At Blackfen School during our KS3 lessons we have adopted and adapted the Gianfranco Conti method of the MARS EARS approach.
This process follows the sequence of teaching detailed below:
THE SEQUENCE (SUMMARISED)
1) Modelling and Sensitising – Phonology
2) Modelling / Sensitising – Working on meaning
3) Awareness Raising (And how it fits into Lexicogrammar…)
4) Receptive processing / Structured Production
5) Expansion/Autonomy
6) Routinisation  
7) Spontaneity
Through this approach we aim to inspire confident linguists who have excellent knowledge and the ability of long-term retention of the French or Spanish language.
Throughout KS3 and KS4, we use a variety of tasks to introduce, practise and memorise vocabulary, grammatical rules and verb conjugation endings, in as many ways as possible to ensure coverage of the programmes of study and a balance of the four skills - reading writing/translating, listening and speaking.
We make full use of online resources and interactive vocabulary learning websites such as Memrise and Duolingo.
Key Stage 3
Click here for the Department of Education programmes of study for Languages programmes at KS3 and KS4
Key stage 3 French topics:
Year 7 French
|
Term |
Unit of Work | Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use French in the following topics: |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term 1 | Introductions | Phonics & Pronunciation practice; Introduction to France and French speaking countries and culture; classroom talk, sentence building, basic connectives, using cognates to decode meaning, alphabet, greetings and introducing yourself, siblings, ages, nationalities. |
| Autumn Term 2 | Birthdays and other occasions | Numbers to 31, Months, Days, Dates, French special occasions, memorising vocabulary and independent learning, expressing likes and dislikes and basic opinions, describing self, family and others, describing a photo, celebrations. |
| Spring Term 1 | Family and home life | Saying where I live and where I am from, talking more about myself and about family members, counting to 100. |
| Spring Term 2 | Family and home life | Relationships with family members, describing characteristics and personality. |
| Summer Term 1 | Family and home life | Talking about pets, colours, asking key questions, work and jobs. |
| Summer Term 2 | La Fête de la Bastille | Having breakfast; Bastille day celebrations; Links to media (Les Misérables), role plays and creative activities. French Breakfast. |
Year 8 French
| Term | Unit of Work | Summary: by the end of this unit students will be able to understand and use French in the following topics: |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term 1 | Famille et domicile (Family and home life) | Describing yourself and your family (physical and character description) including pets. Describing where you live, your house/home. |
| Autumn Term 2 | Ma région | Describing your local area, describing your town and what you can do there, your region and tourist attractions and your country. Also shopping in town and at the French café. |
| Spring Term 1 | On va à Paris | Using the near future tense to plan a trip and to say what you are going to do in Paris, Looking at the famous monuments and landmarks in Paris. Using the past tense (passé compose to talk about what you did on holiday. Describing a disastrous holiday as well as an extraordinary trip. |
| Spring Term 2 | Les fêtes et les festivals | Talking and researching different holidays, celebrations and festivals in France and across the French-Speaking world. Learning about food and specialities. |
| Summer Term 1 | Mes passe-temps | Talking about hobbies and pastimes, the digital world and the cinema. |
| Summer Term 2 | Cultural studies including films | Project-based work using media and film and Paris. |
Year 9 French
| Term | Unit of Work | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term 1 | Les loisirs et le cinéma | Talking about what you watch on TV, going to the cinema, different types of films, describing your favourite film and your favourite actors. Talking about film Festivals. using the present and near future tenses. |
| Autumn Term 2 | Les loisirs et le shopping | Talking about music, Francophone musicians and songs. Building listening and speaking skills through song. Understanding and using the past tense appropriately. Talking about what you did last weekend in town. Preparing for a special occasion with your shopping. |
| Spring Term 1 | Le sport en direct et être en bonne santé | Learning about sports and sports events. Talking about illnesses, describing symptoms and what’s wrong. Discussing food, health and fitness and healthy and unhealthy lifestyles. Talking about how to improve your health Talking about ailments and injuries. Visits to the doctors and role plays. |
| Spring Term 2 | A quoi sert la technologie? | The role of technology and social media today. Advantages and disadvantages of technology. Looking at bloggers and vloggers. Deciding if young people could live without their mobile phones and the impact of cyber bullying. |
| Summer Term 1 | L’argent du poche | Young people and work (part-time) earning money. Future plans and what they are going to do after school. Talking about your ideal job. (near future tense and conditional tense). |
| Summer Term 2 | La mode | Learning about clothes, clothes shopping, problems concerning the fashion industry and health. Designing clothes and researching French fashion designers. |
Key stage 3 Spanish topics:
Year 7 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 | Introductions | Phonics & Pronunciation practice; Introduction to Spain and Spanish-speaking countries and culture; classroom talk, sentence building, basic connectives, using cognates to decode meaning, alphabet, greetings and introducing yourself, siblings, ages, nationalities. |
| Autumn Term 2 | Birthdays and other occasions | Numbers to 31, Months, Days, Dates, Spanish special occasions, El Día de los Muertos, memorising vocabulary and independent learning, expressing likes and dislikes and basic opinions, describing self, family and others, describing a photo, celebrations. |
| Spring Term 1 | Family and home life | Saying where I live and where I am from, talking more about myself and about family members, counting to 100. |
| Spring Term 2 | Family and home life | Relationships with family members, describing characteristics and personality. |
| Summer Term 1 | Family and home life | Talking about pets, colours, asking key questions, work and jobs. |
| Summer Term 2 | Los festivales | Festivals and celebrations; Links to media (Encanto), role plays and creative activities. Spanish lunch. |
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 | Donde Vivo yo | Describing the area where you live, your house, rooms in the house, your dream house (using the conditional tense) Explaining what you do to help out at home/household chores. |
| Autumn Term 2 | ¿Adónde vas? | Talking about places in town and what you usually do there. Talking about what you are going to do in the near future. Making and reacting to invitations using excuses. Giving directions. |
| Spring Term 1 | El fin de semana | Discussing what you are going to do at the weekend using the near future tense. Discussing rural and urban environments and discussing how things may have changed in the towns (using the imperfect tense). |
| Spring Term 2 | Al colegio | Talking about school, school subjects, detailed opinions about subjects, telling the time and describing the school routine and timetable. Describing the school environment. Talking about extra-curricular activities. |
| Summer Term 1 | Dieta y salud | Giving opinions on food and drink, ordering food in a restaurant. Special occasions and festival foods. Discussing what makes a healthy diet and looking at health problems and solutions. |
| Summer Term 2 | Cultural studies including films | Project-based work using media and film and looking at Hispanic countries. |
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 | Las vacaciones (1) | Talking about transport and holiday travel, activities that you do on holiday, cultural information on Peru and Puerto Rico. Describing holidays and opinions describing a past holiday using the preterit tense. Studying the Amazon. |
| Autumn Term 2 | Las vacaciones (2) | Talking about future holidays, learning about Guatemala. |
| Spring Term 1 | Generación digital | Learning about the internet and social media. Looking at television in the Hispanic world. Studying films at the cinema and at home. |
| Spring Term 2 | Adictos a la moda | Describing what you wear and looking at fashion in greater detail. talking about shopping on the high street and in a shopping centre. |
|
Summer Term 1 |
Yo y mi mundo | Discussing morning routines using reflexive verbs. talking about friendships and family. Talking about global issues and solutions. |
| Summer Term 2 | De paseo por el mundo hispano | Cultural activities looking at Hispanic countries. project-based work. |
Key stage four
Our current Year 10 and Year 11 MFL cohorts are entered:
- For the WJEC Eduqas GCSE (91) examination in French or Spanish, Click here for the Eduqas GCSE (91) French specifications and here for the Eduqas 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
| 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 |
Identity and Culture Youth Culture Grammatical skills Exam skills |
Self and Relationship Adjectives and intensifiers, the near future tense, the future and conditional tenses Speaking and writing exam practice |
| Autumn Term 2 |
Identity and culture Youth Culture Grammatical skills Exam skills |
Technology and Social Media Listening and reading practice |
| Spring Term 1 |
Local, National, International and Global areas of interest 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 |
| Spring Term 2 |
Current and future study and employment Current Study Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
School/College Life School/College Studies Speaking and Exam practice Reading and Listening Assessments |
| Summer Term 1 |
Identity and culture Lifestyle Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
Health and Fitness Entertainment and Leisure Speaking and Exam practice |
| Summer Term 2 |
Identity and culture Entertainment and Leisure Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
Cinema, music, reading, television and going out Writing and speaking practice. |
Year 10 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: |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term 1 |
Identity and Culture Youth Culture Grammatical skills Exam skills |
Self and Relationship Adjectives and intensifiers, the near future tense, the future and conditional tenses
Speaking and writing exam practice |
||
| Autumn Term 2 |
Identity and Culture Youth Culture Grammatical skills Exam skills |
Technology and Social Media Listening and reading practice |
||
| Spring Term 1 |
Local, National, International and Global areas of interest 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 |
||
|
Spring Term 2 |
Current and future study and employment Current Study Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
School/College Life School/College Studies
Speaking and Exam practice Reading and Listening Assessments |
||
| Summer Term 1 |
Identity and culture Lifestyle Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
Health and Fitness Entertainment and Leisure
Speaking and Exam practice |
||
| Summer Term 2 |
Identity and culture Entertainment and Leisure Grammar consolidation Exam skills |
Cinema, music, reading, television and going out Writing and speaking practice |
||
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 | Holidays and Tourism |
Booking rooms in a hotel/accommodation Problems at a hotel/resort using imperfect Ideal holiday using conditional Francophone countries and tourism Speaking and writing exam practice |
| Autumn Term 2 |
Food and Drink Festival and Celebrations |
Regional food Restaurants and menus Expressions of quantities Music/Food/cultural celebrations Comparatives and superlatives Preparation for PPE exams |
| Spring Term 1 |
Work experience and part time jobs
Career plans, skills and personal qualities |
Advantages and disadvantages Past tenses revision Opinions/Adjectives
Post-16 study, CVs, projects, studying abroad
Career plans /advantages/disadvantages Demonstrative pronouns – matching employers to employees/recruiting Exam practice |
| Spring Term 2 |
The environment Social Issues |
Problems and Solutions Recycling Nuclear energy, renewable energies
World problems The homeless Immigration Refugees Speaking and writing practice |
| Summer Term 1 |
Revision and exam practice |
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: |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term 1 | Holidays and Tourism |
Booking rooms in a hotel/accommodation Problems at a hotel/resort using imperfect Ideal holiday using conditional Hispanic countries and tourism Speaking and writing exam practice |
| Autumn Term 2 |
Food and Drink Festival and Celebrations |
Regional food Restaurants and menus Expressions of quantities Music/Food/cultural celebrations Comparatives and superlatives Preparation for PPE exams |
| Spring Term 1 |
Work experience and part-time jobs
Career plans, skills and personal qualities |
Advantages and disadvantages Past tenses revision Opinions/Adjectives
Post-16 study, CVs, projects, studying abroad
Career plans /advantages/disadvantages Demonstrative pronouns – matching employers to employees/recruiting Exam practice |
| Spring Term 2 |
The environment Social Issues |
Problems and Solutions Recycling Nuclear energy, renewable energies
World problems The homeless Immigration Refugees Speaking and writing practice |
| Summer Term 1 | Revision |