French
| Staff Members |
Mrs Miller, Mrs S Prince and Mrs Sibley |
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MFL Head of Faculty: Claire K |
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| Prior Learning |
At KS1 and 2 the aim was for students to:
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| Key Stage 3 |
Our key stage 3 curriculum is focused on developing the breadth and depth of students’ competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on a sound foundation of core grammar, structures and vocabulary. We cover a range of topics that enable students to understand and communicate personal and factual information that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests. Students are taught to develop and justify points of view in speech and writing, with increased spontaneity, independence and accuracy. Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. Therefore our curriculum offers opportunities to explore the target language culture in lessons and through trips. We aim to foster students’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. Our explicit teaching of grammar and memorisation techniques should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping students to study and work in other countries.
Lessons are carefully planned for progression in order to advance grammatical understanding and allow students to develop their confidence in their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. There is an emphasis on phonics to improve pronunciation skills and spelling. Students are required to read and show comprehension of a range of original and adapted materials from different sources as well as provide short translations from the target language to English and vice versa. Students are regularly given the opportunity to produce short pieces of writing where they are able to use the language more creatively and with independence. We are fortunate to have a Foreign Language Assistant in French and German where pupils benefit from small group work with a focus on speaking and cultural awareness.
In French the main contexts studied are: Year 7 –Family and Descriptions, House and Home, Sports and Free-time Year 8 – Countries and Weather, Clothes and Shopping and Food Year 9 – TV and Cinema, Future Plans and Healthy Living
Each scheme of work is reviewed frequently and lessons are planned to include a wide variety of activities incorporating the four skill areas. We also encourage the apps quizlet and duolingo to be used for home learning.
Assessment at Key Stage Three Vocabulary learning is an essential part of language acquisition and students have regular learning checks to address misconceptions early on. The checks are based on class learning and all vocabulary and structures tested are on the knowledge organiser and provided on quizlet. Students are formally assessed twice a year in their knowledge weeks. The results for all of these are recorded as a percentage on go4schools.
French Long Term Plans - Year 7 |
| Key Stage 4 |
Each student will study the AQA GCSE course in French or German. Both languages have a Foundation tier (grades 1-5) and a Higher Tier (grades 4-9). There are four components to the exam (listening, speaking, reading and writing) which are each worth 25% of the final grade. Students must take all four question papers at the same tier. There is no longer any coursework and all skills are assessed in terminal examinations.
We use the coursebooks Studio for French
GCSE Specification AQA Themes: These themes apply to all four question papers and build upon the learning of Key Stage 3. Students are expected to understand and provide information and opinions about these themes relating to their own experiences and those of other people, including people in countries/communities where French is spoken.
Theme 1: Identity and culture Topic 1: Me, my family and friends Relationships with family and friends Marriage/partnership Topic 2: Technology in everyday life Social media Mobile technology Topic 3: Free-time activities Music Cinema and TV Food and eating out Sport Topic 4: Customs and festivals in French speaking countries.
Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest Topic 1: Home, town, neighbourhood and region Topic 2: Social issues Charity/voluntary work Healthy/unhealthy living Topic 3: Global issues The environment Poverty/homelessness Topic 4: Travel and tourism
Theme 3: Current and future study and employment Topic 1: My studies Topic 2: Life at school/college Topic 3: Education post-16 Topic 4: Jobs, career choices and ambitions
Assessment and Intervention at Key Stage 4 In Year 10, students will have regular formative assessments during their knowledge weeks allowing teachers to track progress and identify gaps in skills or knowledge. In addition, regular vocabulary testing is an integral part of language learning and students are given a pass mark to achieve which is linked to their target grade. For those students with the most significant progress gaps, further support is available to enable them to improve their learning.
In Year 11, students will sit additional mock exams enabling us to gain accurate data on student progress. These will take place in November and in February/March allowing students to have additional practice of the requirements of the GCSE exam in formal conditions.
Students with progress gaps will be offered additional support.
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Useful websites and resources |
Year 10 French: https://padlet.com/tsibley1/b7gxqfbdfr9uod89 Year 11 French: https://padlet.com/kmiller55/qrfff06pwwhyt2go
AQA French https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/french/specifications/AQA-8658-SP-2016.PDF
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/ www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/french https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658/assessment-resources
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Possible areas of future Studies |
Tourism, business, banking, teaching, hotel management and catering, foreign civil service, languages. |
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Possible future careers |
Interpreter, foreign civil servant, sommelier, import and export, chef, airline services, editing and publishing, teacher, translator, journalist, engineering, transport and logistics, public relations, technical sales, international business, international banking, insurance |