• Library 2021

Modern Foreign Languages

Curriculum Intent

As well as equipping students with a language toolkit of strategies for creating the language itself, we help students to learn French and Spanish within challenging and engaging contexts. We enhance the classroom learning with visits overseas or within the UK to help the students learn through experience and create their own context for language development. We deliver this at both Key Stages through the teaching of French and Spanish, two immensely important world languages, to allow our learners to succeed within the framework of their own personal strengths and interests. Within this, all students are encouraged to make progress in their own way, and we have a variety of assessment pathways that allow this, giving clear recognition to a candidate’s particular learning strengths, while at the same time highlighting areas for development and consolidation.

Currciulum Strands

Listening - Understand and respond to different types of spoken language

Speaking - Communicate and interact effectively in speech

Reading - Understand and respond to different types of written language

Writing - Communicate in writing.

Class activities and enrichment

We create a learning environment in the classroom that motivates and encourages students to communicate, as far as possible, in the target language, and incite them to take on challenges as well as risks with their learning. Languages teachers use games, kinaesthetic activities and speaking is encouraged to enthuse students and motivate them with Achievement points and rewards. Students are introduced to productive skills (Speaking and Writing) and receptive skills (Reading and Listening). Target language is used from the outset, learning classroom instructions and basic requests in either French or Spanish. Students are encouraged to become independent students, using online resources and dictionaries. Students are assessed through continual and formal assessment. We employ different teaching methods that actively engage our students in meaningful and experiential learning as well as trigger their curiosity. We endeavour to do this through careful questioning, peer-and-self-assessment and through interactive methods of teaching and learning. Real communication is the central thread to our lessons and the teaching of grammar is considered vital to develop genuine independence in the students’ ability to express themselves. It is also important that our students are given access to a wide range of resources, including the use of ICT with Educational applications and authentic materials. Enrichment activities are offered, whenever possible, including extra-curricular trips abroad and clubs. Overall, the MFL department hopes to develop their students’ all-around global awareness and education and competencies needed to enter the world of work after their full-time education.
 

Overview of KS3

Learning a Modern Foreign Language will help develop your communication skills and your understanding of the global community that we live in. It will also allow you to reflect on how your own language works and how they are often interlinked. We aim, therefore, to provide a well-balanced and structured curriculum delivered in fun, engaging and challenging lessons.
 

Overview of KS4

We aim to encourage students to develop their ability and ambition to communicate with native speakers in speech and writing. The study of French and Spanish should also broaden their horizons and encourage them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and develop new ways of seeing the world.

  • develop their ability to communicate confidently and coherently with native speakers in speech and writing, conveying what they want to say with increasing accuracy
  • express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently
  • listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed
  • deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a range of contexts
  • acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to authentic spoken and written material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, including literary texts
  • develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where French is spoken
  • make appropriate links to other areas of the curriculum to enable bilingual and deeper learning, where the language may become a medium for constructing and applying knowledge
  • develop language learning skills both for immediate use and prepare them for further language study in school, higher education or employment · develop language strategies, including repair strategies.