Subject Overview
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Ludwig Wittgenstein.
At St. Francis’ we are passionate about the benefits that learning a language can bring. We strongly believe in languages as a skill for life and something that students should enjoy and find immensely rewarding. Linguistic competence in a second language is a skill actively sought by many employers. Speaking another language really makes you stand out from the crowd and offers you more options for the future. As well as allowing you to communicate with others, studying a language gives you an appreciation of other cultures and increases your intellectual understanding of the workings of language itself.
We aim to develop enthusiastic and confident language learners whose skills are based on strong grammatical foundations, enabling competent manipulation of the language. We exploit a range of textual and digital teaching resources, as well exposing students to the cultural context of language through film, music and current affairs.
All students start French in Year 7 and then select either German or Spanish in Year 8. At GCSE almost all students take one or more of these languages.
Programme of Study
French
Key Stage 3:
French Year 7
- La Rentrée (talking about me, my family, my classroom, using key regular verbs and ER verbs)
- En Classe (talking about my school, using adjectives)
- Mon Temps Libre (talking about sports and activities, using Faire)
- Ma Vie de Famille (talking about where I live, describing people)
- En Ville (talking about places in a town, using Aller)
French Year 8
- Vive les Vacances! (talking about holidays and using the past tense)
- J’adore les Fêtes (talking about festivals and trips using the future tense)
- A Loisir (talking about TV, cinema and digital technologies using three tenses)
- Le Monde est Petit (describing where you live and your daily routine using modal verbs and reflexive verbs)
French Year 9
We formally begin the IGCSE course
- Qui Suis-je? (talking about friends, family relationships, revision of core tenses, learning the imperfect tense)
- Le Temps des Loisirs (sport, life online, books, reading, TV, film, using pronouns and comparative adjectives)
- Jours Ordinaires, Jours de Fête (daily life, jobs at home, special occasions, using modals, more pronouns, combining tenses)
German
Key Stage 3:
German Year 8
- Meine Welt und ich (talking about myself, using key present tense verbs)
- Familie und Tiere (talking about pets, family members, age, using the present tense, using adjectives)
- Freizeit – juhu! (talking about sports and leisure activities, opinions, word order, talking about the future)
- Schule ist klasse! (talking about school and school subjects, giving opinions and reasons)
- Gute Reise! (talking about your town, using key verbs, forming the future tense)
German Year 9
- Ich Liebe Ferien (talking about what you did on holiday, forming the past tense)
- Bist du ein Medienfan? (discussing screentime, understanding opinions and media reviews, asking and answering questions, using the past and present tenses)
- Bleib gesund! (talking about staying healthy, using modal verbs, using essen, nehmen and the imperative)
- Klassenreisne machen Spaβ! (rules, routines and festivals)
- Wir gehen aus (talking about going out)
Spanish
Key Stage 3:
Spanish Year 8
- Mia Vida (talking about my personality, family and pets, using key verbs)
- Mi Tiempo Libre (opinions, free time activities, using the present tense)
- Mi Insti (talking about school subjects)
- Mi familia y mis amigos (describing people and my home)
- Mi Cuidad (describing my town, using key irregulars and using the future tense)
Spanish Year 9
- Mis Vacacione (talking about past holidays)
- Todo sobre mi vida (talking about technology, music, tv, giving opinions)
- A comer! (talking about food, using the near future)
Qué hacemos? (talking about going out, using reflexives)
- Operación Verano (describing a holiday home, using different time frames)
Extra Curricular:
We place a great deal of importance on offering our students the opportunity to travel and recent trips have included:
Year 7 and 8 Trip to France
Day Trip to Paris
German Market Trip
The Anthea Bell Prize For Young Translators
Oxford University Flash Fiction Competition
Key Stage 4:
IGCSE MFL
Examination Board: Edexcel Pearson International GCSE – French (4FR1), German (4GN1), Spanish (4SP1)
The aims of this qualification are to enable students to develop:
- Their understanding and use of written and spoken forms of the target language, in a range of familiar and practical contexts, and for a variety of purposes
- the ability to communicate effectively in the target language when speaking and through the written word, using a range of vocabulary and structures
- a knowledge and understanding of countries and communities where the target language is spoken
Course Content:
Topics
The topics covered are engaging, based on contexts that students are likely to encounter and are diverse in their content.
A. Home and abroad
B. Education and employment
C. Personal Life and Relationships
D. The world around us
E. Social activities, fitness and health
Skills Assessed
Listening (25%)
- Students will answer seven questions which are a combination of multiple-choice, multiple-matching, note-taking and gap-fill questions.
- All five topic areas are assessed.
Reading (25%)
- Students will answer five questions, which are a combination of multiple-choice, note-taking, gap-fill and short-answer questions.
- All five topic areas are assessed.
Writing (25%)
- Short writing task – 60-75 words
- Long writing task – 130-150 words
- Grammar based task
Speaking (25%)
- A picture-based discussion based on a picture selected by the student
- General Conversation covering two topics
Extra-curricular:
The Anthea Bell Prize For Young Translators
The GCHQ National Language Competition
Oxford University Flash Fiction Competition
Year 11 Trip to Normandy
KS4 German Trip
KS4 Spanish Trip
A Level French, German, Spanish
Examination Board: AQA
The A-level specification builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills gained at GCSE. It constitutes an integrated study with a focus on language, culture and society. It fosters a range of transferable skills including communication, critical thinking, research skills and creativity, which are valuable to the individual and society. The A level focuses on how French/ Spanish/ German speaking society has been shaped, socially and culturally, and how they continue to change. Students will develop their language skills through using authentic spoken and written sources.
The aims of this qualification are to enable students to develop:
- Excellent linguistic skills: you will be able to communicate accurately and coherently and will use the language spontaneously to initiate communication; ask and answer questions; express thoughts and feelings; present viewpoints; develop arguments; persuade; analyse and evaluate in speech and writing.
- Verbal, written and presentation skills: You will read and listen to complex stimulus material taken from a variety of authentic resources. You will learn to analyse material effectively, targeting main points, gist, and detail and develop the ability to infer meaning and to summarise effectively.
- Critical thinking skills: you will study the language in its cultural, literary and social context and develop and will develop the ability to write critically and analytically about a film and a literary text.
- Independent research skills: you will learn to select relevant information, analyse and summarise research findings, elaborating on key points of interest, as appropriate, through oral presentation and discussion. You will give presentations and take part in debates.
Course Content:
Core content:
- Social issues and trends
- Political and artistic culture
- Grammar
- Literary texts and film
Assessment:
1. Paper 1: Listening, reading and writing (50%)
- Listening and responding to passages from a range of contexts and sources. Questions will target main point, gist and detail.
- Reading and responding to a variety of texts. Questions will target main point, gist and detail.
- Translation into French
- Translation into English
2. Paper 2 Writing (20%)
- One question in French on a set text
- One question in French on a set film
All questions will require a critical appreciation of the concepts and issues covered in the work and a critical and analytical response to features such as the form and the technique of presentation, as appropriate to the work studied.
3. Paper 3: Speaking (30%)
- Discussion of a sub-theme base on a stimulus card
- Presentation and discussion of the student’s individual research project.
Extra-curricular:
Over the past few years extra-curricular opportunities have included:
BFI A level Film study Days
Study Days at the Institut Français
Study Days at the Goethe Institute
Cambridge University Translation Study Days
The Anthea Bell Prize For Young Translators
Oxford University Flash Fiction Competition
All MFL A level students are strongly encouraged to spend time in the country of the language they are studying.
