Modern Foreign Languages

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The study of MFL is an exciting and stimulating undertake at any age but particularly for the young. It is also an activity shared by all people irrespective of linguistic background, for there is no such thing as a national inability to learn languages. Countless inhabitants of the British Isles have learnt many world languages for the practical purpose of communicating with others. Indeed, many communities in England and Wales make regular use of a language other than English. Similarly, the achievements of young people of all abilities in schools up and down the country, show that they can profitably learn a foreign language and go on to use it on a visit abroad and later in adult life.

Staffing

Head of Department: Miss R Velasco-Tapia

2nd in department: Miss S Henry

Teachers of MFL: Mrs S Razik (Titan Subject Lead for MFL), Teacher of MFL: Mrs F Sayed-Ackbar, Teacher of MFL: Mrs S Benani, Teacher of MFL: Mr J Welter (Teaching & Learning Co-ordinator), Teacher of MFL: Mrs R Chiha

Below is an outline of the topics studied throughout Key Stage 3. French classes use the textbook Dynamo (Year 7-8) and Pearsons French (Year 9) and Spanish classes use the textbook Viva (Year 7-8) and Pearsons Spanish (Year 9).

Term	Y7	Y8	Y9
Language	French	French	French
Autumn 1	Module 1 – La rentrée	Module 1 – Vive les vacances!	Module 1 – Tu as du temps à perdre?
Autumn 2	Module 2 – En classe	Module 2 – J’adore les fêtes!	Module 1 (continued) – Tu as du temps à perdre?
Spring 1	Module 3 – Mon temps libre	Module 3 – À loisir	Module 2 – Mon clan, ma tribu
Spring 2	Module 4 – Ma vie de famille	Module 4 – Le monde est petit	Module 2 (continued) – Mon clan, ma tribu
Summer 1	Module 5 – En ville	Module 5 – Le sport en direct	Module 3 – Ma vie scolaire
Summer 2	Module 6 – Révisions et culture	Module 6 – Révisions et culture	Module 3 (continued) – Ma vie scolaire

Term	Y7	Y8	Y9
Language	Spanish	Spanish	Spanish
Autumn 1	Modulo 1 – Introducciones	Modulo 1 – Mis vacaciones	Modulo 1 – ¡Diviértete!
Autumn 2	Modulo 2 – Mi vida	Modulo 2 – Todo sobre mi vida	Modulo 1 (continued) – ¡Diviértete!
Spring 1	Modulo 3 – Mi tiempo libre	Modulo 3 – ¡A comer!	Modulo 2 – Viajes
Spring 2	Modulo 4 – Mi insti	Modulo 4 – ¿Qué hacemos?	Modulo 2 (continued) – Viajes
Summer 1	Modulo 5 – Mi familia y mis amigos	Modulo 5 – Operación verano	Modulo 3 – Mi gente, mi mundo
Summer 2	Modulo 6 – Mi ciudad	Modulo 6 – Extensión	Modulo 3 (continued) – Mi gente

Key Stage 3

Year 7

Pupils have the opportunity to participate in a taster session of both French and Spanish during the Year 6 induction day, giving pupils an experience of both languages. At the beginning of the Autumn term, pupils complete a languages baseline test, this enables us to place them in the correct teaching group for their ability.

Most pupils will continue to study either French or Spanish as a compulsory subject throughout Key Stages 3 and 4.

Pupils are assessed in the key skill areas every half term. Pupils should be able to speak, write and understand simple sentences using connectives in the target language and have a good grasp of basic vocabulary which will require practice at home. The topics covered in Year 7 are: myself, family and friends, my school, free time activities and where I live. There is a strong focus on Numeracy, Literacy, Phonics and Dictation in the target language, which also supports pupils’ skills in English.

Year 8

Groups continue with the language that they studied in Year 7 and this will form a compulsory subject of the curriculum. Pupils are set according to ability. As in Year 7, they are regularly assessed in all four skills of language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Dependent on the outcome of these assessments, pupils may move up or down a set. Pupils are expected to speak, write, understand and translate slightly longer texts using a wider range of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

The topics covered in Year 8 French are: holidays, celebrations, leisure, the world, and sports.

The topics covered in Year 8 Spanish are: past holidays, all about me, hobbies and free time, food and arranging to go out.

Year 9

Pupils continue to study either French or Spanish. They receive four hours of language lessons per fortnight until the Summer term, when hours will increase to 5 per fortnight. Pupils will continue to be assessed in the four skill areas.

French classes study the topics of myself and family relationships, media and technology, free time, active lifestyles and school and focus on dealing with practical situations e.g. buying tickets at the cinema or being in the train station, in further detail.

Spanish classes study the topics of holidays in the past tense, media and technology, free time activities and friends/family as well as also focusing on practical situations e.g. making travel plans and buying tickets at the cinema.

Through studying these topics, we ensure that there is comprehensive coverage of all five strands of the framework:

Words: teaching pupils to practise the meaning, spelling and sound of French/Spanish words together.
Sentences: teaching pupils how to write grammatically correct sentences and practice translation skills into the respective language.
Texts: reading and writing – teaching pupils how to understand and write more complex texts using connectives, pronouns and a variety of tenses. Additionally, pupils develop skills in inferring the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary using the context of the text.
Listening and speaking: linking listening and speaking to help pupils speak more accurately and authentically.
Cultural knowledge: widening pupils’ knowledge of France/Spain and other French/Spanish-speaking countries.

Key Stage 4

Examination classes: GCSE

Year 10 and 11 pupils will continue to study the language that they have previously been studying following the new (9-1) GCSE specification. Studying a language to Key Stage 4 is strongly recommended, especially as Modern Foreign Languages form part of the EBacc qualification and having a language on your CV can widen employment opportunities in today’s competitive market.

Our Key Stage 4 MFL Curriculum encompasses 6 main themes, which are further broken down into 8 Modules of learning. The themes are as follows:

My personal world
Lifestyle & Wellbeing
My neighbourhood
Media & Technology
Studying & My future
Travel & Tourism

Year 10

Pupils receive five hours of language lessons per fortnight and are assessed through 4 skills. They will be assessed by a final internal examination in the following skills:

Paper 1: Listening 25%
Paper 2: Reading 25%
Paper 3: Translation 25%
Paper 4: Writing 25%

The Listening examination will last between 35 and 45 minutes and will be based on a range of topics in the GCSE specification that have been covered in the Year 10 curriculum.

The Reading examination will last between 35 and 45 minutes and will include passages to translate into English.

The Translation examination will last between 20-30 minutes and will consist of a mixture of short sentences and longer passages to translate into the target language (either French or Spanish).

The Writing examination will last 70 minutes and will consist of the pupil writing two passages on a familiar topic set by the exam board and a translation from English into the target language of either French or Spanish. Thus, there will be a strong emphasis on the need for pupils to revise grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure regularly at home.

Year 11

Pupils receive five hours of language lessons per fortnight and are assessed through 4 skills. They will be assessed by a final external examination in the following skills:

Paper 1: Listening 25%
Paper 2: Speaking 25%
Paper 3: Reading 25%
Paper 4: Writing 25%

The Listening examination will last between 35- 45 minutes depending on the entry tier (foundation or higher) and will be based on a range of topics in the GCSE specification.

The Speaking examination will be recorded by the teacher and will last between 7- 12 minutes depending on the entry tier. It will be made up of 3 components: a brief role- play, a discussion based on a photograph and a presentation/longer conversation. The recording will then be sent to the exam board for external assessment.

The Reading examination will last between 45- 60 minutes depending on the entry tier and will include passages to translate into English.

The Writing examination will last between 70- 90 minutes (tier dependent) and will consist of the pupil writing two passages on a familiar topic set by the exam board and a translation from English into the target language of either French or Spanish. Thus, there will be a strong emphasis on the need for pupils to revise grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure regularly at home.

Any students considered capable of doing well at GCSE Spanish or French and at the exam in their mother tongue are encouraged to study one or more languages.

GCSE French Specification: Click here

GCSE Spanish Specification: Click here

Community Languages (GCSE)

Holte school is aware of the significance of community languages and seeks to encourage pupils to pursue these languages to a high level of competency. We aim to identify pupils with community language skills as early as possible, to enable us to support these pupils to achieve their full potential.

We are able to offer Urdu, Bengali, Italian, German, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Portuguese and Arabic for pupils who are able to speak, read, understand and write these languages formally.

Key Stage 5

The examination board used for A Level Modern Foreign Languages is AQA. The MFL department is proud to offer both French

and Spanish at A Level.

A-Level MFL provides an opportunity to enhance student’s linguistic skills and promote and develop their capacity for critical

thinking on the basis of their knowledge and understanding of the language, culture and society of the country or countries

where the language is spoken. Students will develop their ability to interact effectively with users of the language in speech

and in writing, including through online media. Students will explore a range of topics, including: Social and Political Issues/Trends

and Artistic culture.

A-Level MFL is designed to encourage students to develop an interest in, and enthusiasm for, language learning and to develop

understanding of the language in a variety of contexts and genres. Pupils will have the opportunity to communicate confidently,

clearly and effectively in the foreign language for a range of purposes. They will develop an awareness and understanding of

contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of countries or communities where the language is spoken. This

specification is designed to equip students with transferable skills such as autonomy, resourcefulness, creativity, critical thinking

and linguistic, cultural and cognitive flexibility that will enable them to proceed to further study and/or employment.

A-Level students will be assessed as follows:

Paper 1- Listening, Reading and Translation from the Target language to English (2 hours, 40% of qualification).Paper 2- Written response to works and Translation from English to the Target language (2 hours 40 minutes, 30% of qualification).Paper 3- Speaking, Discussion of a theme from the specification and an independent research presentation followed by further discussion in the Target language (25 minutes, 30% of qualification).

Homework

Key Stage 3

Homework is set according to pupils’ ability and is an extension or reinforcement of the learning that takes place in lessons. The nature of the homework will depend on the skills that the class teacher is targeting. As a result, KS3 pupils might be asked to memorise specific vocabulary words or to write a paragraph with the help of their vocabulary sheet at home. Pupils can also access the websites www.senecalearning.com and www.linguascope.com/ to supplement their learning and sometimes teachers will assign the pupils tasks to complete. Homework is set once a week (as a minimum); pupils are expected to revise vocabulary from their vocabulary sheets that they are given for each topic and also go through their lesson notes on a weekly basis.

Key Stage 4

Homework at KS4 is set according to pupils’ ability and helps the pupils prepare for their GCSE examination. Depending on the skills targeted by their class teacher, the pupils might be asked to memorise oral work they have prepared or to produce a piece of writing with a specific topical or grammatical focus. Equally, they may be required to learn set vocabulary or phrases or perform a research task. Pupils are given access to the websites www.senecalearning.com, www.language-gym.com/and www.gcsepod.com/ which are useful tools to revise with and they will also have access to ActiveLearn www.activeteachonline.com, an online resource which follows the respective GCSE textbook (French: Studio, Spanish: Viva). Here they will be able to access a digital form of the textbook and online activities in the style of GCSE examination questions. Pupils are given vocabulary sheets for each topic and are expected to revise key vocabulary in preparation for the subsequent lesson.

Key Stage 5

Homework is set according to pupils’ ability. Most of the time pupils will be asked to write essays linked to the topic that is being studied in the lesson. In doing so, pupils have the opportunity to work independently and build their essay writing skills. They may also be required to complete grammatical exercises, apply translation skills, learn vocabulary or perform research tasks.

Enrichment activities and extra-curricular activities in Modern Foreign Languages

The Department is proud of its long tradition of providing excellent foreign language experiences and presently offers:

Trips abroad (Europe)
Language clubs (including Arabic Language and Culture club)
Cultural experience activities (French café, Tapas revolution, French/Spanish cinema screenings)
Participation in the Routes Into Languages Spelling Bee for Year 7
Contacts with University of Birmingham
KS4 enrichment days (PiXL-GCSE examination skills) and informative career/employment specific activities
Study support and revision clubs

In addition to that, throughout the academic year, revision classes are scheduled for all examination year groups.