The Modern Foreign Languages Faculty
Teaching and Learning Director
Mr J. McStocker
MFL Faculty Intent
• To provide opportunities for all students to achieve their full potential and to promote and enable academic achievement
• To foster within students a love of foreign languages and culture and to equip them with essential skills such as communication skills, problem-solving, team work and resilience
Key Stage 3 Subject Intent
• Development of cultural awareness through use of different media
• Promotion of intercultural understanding
• Understanding of structure and grammatical principles
• Increase self-confidence, especially in speaking
• Development of resilience and Growth Mindsets
• Enjoyment of and success in language learning
• Appreciation of literature in foreign languages
• Provision of educational experiences in TL countries
• Free choice of 2 from 4 of the languages offered
Key Stage 4 Subject Intent
As per KS3, plus:
• Development of ability across all key skills in preparation for exams
• Development of spontaneity in speaking
• Opportunity to study 2 languages to GCSE
• Equip students with the necessary skills and content to undertake further language study.
Curriculum Overview
Years 7 & 8
During Key Stage 3 (years 7 & 8) students are able to select two languages to study. Language lessons are taught in mixed ability classes with homework set twice per week. Students are assessed in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing and on their knowledge and application of grammatical principles.
French, Spanish, German and Italian – Year 7
Year 7 choose 2 of the 4 languages on offer on entry. They study one of these languages for the first half of the year and then the other language for the remainder of the year.
| Basic Language Skills | Identity and Culture: Who am I? | Identity and Culture: Cultural Life | School |
|
Alphabet & phonetics. Greetings Classroom vocab Weather Numbers Days of week and months of year Dates / birthdays
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Personality Pets/family Colours Physical description The present tense of regular verbs Introduction to literary texts Sports/frequency Giving and justifying opinions |
Music and reading habits Festivals and celebrations Social media and technology Film and television
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School subjects and timetable School facilities School rules Daily routine |
Year 8 – French, German, Italian and Spanish
Year 8 students continue the study of their two languages from Year 7 on a carousel basis.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|
Holiday destinations Holiday activities Revision of present tense Food and drink Shopping for food and drink Numbers Quantities Describing a past holiday Preterite/perfect tense of verbs Describing accommodation Booking accommodation Local area Directions TL country – celebrations Literary extracts |
Students study their other language |
Jobs Places of work Personal qualities and interests Pocket money Advantages and disadvantages of different jobs Giving opinions and justifications Ambitions: future study and beyond Volunteering Using languages beyond the classroom Introduction to poetry: reading and responding and using language creatively. |
Students study their other language |
Year 9
All students in Year 9 study the language of their choice over five lessons per fortnight in mixed ability groups. Homework is set twice per week, one is a learning activity and one writing or speaking. Students are assessed in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing and on their knowledge and application of grammatical principles.
Students are assessed in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing and on their knowledge and application of grammatical principles.
Year 9
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
|
Topic area: Who am I? Family and friends: physical description and talking about personality Friendships and role models: personal qualities The present tense of verbs Free time: sport and other interests
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Topic area: Daily life Daily routine and using reflexive verbs Food and drink: giving opinions and justifications; mealtimes; food and drink in TL countries. Shopping for food and drink and clothes: role-play practice; asking questions. Social media and technology: uses and advantages and disadvantages.
.
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Topic area: Cultural life TV and films Film week Reading habits Music Describing festivals and traditions in TL-speaking countries Family celebrations
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Topic area: School Talking about school subjects Talking about school day and routine Discussing school timetable Describing school uniform Talking about advantages and disadvantages of school uniform Preterite/perfect tense of verbs Rules and pressures at school Comparing school in UK and TL countries |
Topic area: School Imperfect tense Describing primary school Comparing primary school to high school Literary text.
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Topic area: School Summer exams Events and successes at school The future tense of verbs Planning a school trip/exchange Literary texts: deconstructing a text; identifying key linguistic features; deducing and inferring meaning.
|
Years 10 & 11
All students in Years 10 & 11 continue to study the language of their choice in mixed ability groups. Homework is set twice per week, one is a learning activity and one writing or speaking.
Students are assessed in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing and on their knowledge and application of grammatical principles.
In Y11, provision is personalised and key topic areas are revisited to allow for consolidation and extension.
Year 10
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
|
Topic area: Holidays Destinations: Talking about location; cities and countries Holidays: talking about holiday preferences; opinions and justifications; expressing plans and intentions; asking questions Talking about a past holiday
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Topic area: Travel and tourist transactions Methods of transport: advantages and disadvantages; travel by train and bus Places in town Asking for directions /information Dealing with problems (e.g. lost items) Describing accommodation: types of accommodation; Booking a hotel room; hotel facilities; complaints Eating out in a restaurant Christmas in TL country |
Topic area: Town, region and country Describing local area: places in a town; what there is to see and do; positives and negatives Discussing the weather and plans Shopping: types of shops; buying clothes; complaints; shopping for food; using quantities Online shopping: advantages and disadvantages
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Topic area: Future aspirations, study and work Talking about how you earn money Jobs and professions: advantages and disadvantages; personal qualities and interests Applying for a job abroad
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Topic area: Ambitions Y10 exams The conditional tense of verbs Talking about plans, hopes and wishes: future plans for study, volunteering and work
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Topic area: Using languages beyond the classroom Using languages: discussing the importance of languages; famous TL speakers Studying languages abroad Working abroad Cultural project on TL-speaking areas: geographical location and features (natural attractions); weather; festivals; music; Sport; food and drink; daily life; things to see and do
|
Year 11
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
|
Topic area: International and Global Dimension Global issues and solutions The environment: environmental issues; solutions; protecting the environment Ethical shopping International events: arguments for and against Speaking preparation |
Topic area: Identity and culture Learning is personalised to allow students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in relation to this theme. Christmas and New Year traditions |
Topic area: Holidays and local area Learning is personalised to allow students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in relation to this theme.
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Topic area: School Learning is personalised to allow students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in relation to this theme.
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Topic area: Jobs and future aspirations Learning is personalised to allow students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in relation to this theme.
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