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Modern Foreign Languages
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart".
Nelson Mandela
“Wer fremde Sprache nichts kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen."
Goethe
"Avoir une autre langue c’est posséder une deuxième âme"
Charlemagne
"El ver mucho y el leer mucho avivan los ingenios de los hombres."
Cervantes
The MFL department is staffed entirely by subject specialists in each of French, German and Spanish. Staff’s subject knowledge is outstanding. Examination results are excellent and are ahead of national standards. This is due in part to the professionalism, experience and dedication of staff as academic teachers.
THE DEPARTMENT
All full-time staff teach in dedicated MFL rooms which are equipped with data projectors. Pupils enjoy regular access to ICT laboratories, laptops or their own devices.
Mission statement
We are passionate about the benefits of learning a language and believe that it is a skill for life. In addition, we know that having an insight into another culture is invaluable. We strive to promote communication and understanding in a way that all pupils may enjoy their learning and find it rewarding.
Key Stage 3
At the start of Year 7 pupils are allocated French, German or Spanish. Pupils gain a firm grounding in one of these languages, building on transferable language learning skills from primary school. In year 8 they may choose a second language from French, German or Spanish. At the end of year 8 pupils may opt for their first or second language or both languages for GCSE.
Curriculum Overview
Key Stage 3 Spanish |
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
7 Viva 1 |
Module 1 My life |
Module 2 My free time |
Module 3 My school
|
Module 3 My school |
Module 4 My family and friends |
Module 5 My town |
8 Viva 2 |
Module 1 Holidays |
Module 2 Everything about my life |
Module 3 Food |
Module 3 Party plans |
Module 4 Going out |
Module 5 Holiday destinations and activities |
Key Stage 3 German |
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
7 STIMMT 1 |
Unit 1 My world and me |
Unit 2 Family and pets |
Unit 3 Free time |
Unit 4 School |
Unit 5 Travel |
Unit 5 Travel |
8 STIMMT 2 |
Unit 1 Holidays |
Unit 2 Media
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Unit 3 Health
|
Unit 4 Class trips |
Unit 5 Going out
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Unit 5 Going out |
Key Stage 3 French |
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7 Dynamo1
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Module 1 Introduction My family and I |
Module 2 School |
Module 3 Leisure activities and sport |
Module 3 Leisure activities and sport Module 4 Family life |
Module 4 Family life |
Module 5 Town
|
8 Dynamo 2 |
Module 1 Talking about holidays |
Module 2 Festivals and celebrations |
Module 3 New technologies and leisure activities and celebrity culture |
Module 4 Towns and regions |
Module 4 Towns and regions
|
Revision Cultural project |
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
All students are required to take at least one language to GCSE level. We follow the AQA course and students have access to the online textbook as well as a vocabulary learning website. At the end of year 11 the boys take 4 exams: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and each exam counts 25% of the course. Our results continue to be outstanding year on year.
Curriculum Overview
SPANISH
LINK TO GCSE Topics |
THEME |
TOPIC 1 |
TOPIC 2 |
TOPIC 3 |
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Theme 1: People and lifestyle |
Identity and relationships with others |
Healthy Living and Lifestyle |
Education and Work |
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Theme 2: Popular Culture |
Free-time activities |
Customs, festivals and celebrations |
Celebrity Culture |
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Theme 3: Communication and the world around us |
Travel and Tourism (places of interest) |
Media and technology |
The environment and where people live |
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Year 9 Spanish Viva3 and GCSE AQA |
1 My life Viva 3, Module 1 (hobbies, opinions, movies) 3 tenses |
2 Work Viva 3, Module 2 (jobs, future plans, daily routine) Tener que, tenses, irregular verbs |
3 Lifestyle Viva 3, Module (food, healthy living, daily routine, ailments) Reflexive verbs, se debe, me duele |
GCSE Module 1 Units 1-3 (online activities, sports and dates) Regular and irregular verbs, tener que |
GCSE Module 1 /2 Units 4-5, 2.1 (last weekend, disasters, travels) Preterite tense irregular verbs |
GCSE Module 2 Units 2-4 (holidays and festivals) Superlatives, hay que, Imperfect tense |
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Year 10 Spanish GCSE AQA |
Module 3 (descriptions, relations, problems) possessives, present continuous, reflexives |
Module 4 (health, lifestyle, ailments) Hay que, imperfect tense, simple future, if clasues |
Module 5 (school, teachers, school trips) superlatives, conditional tense, adjectives and adverbs |
Module 6 (describing homes and towns, shopping) perfect tense, demonstratives, comparisons, irregular preterite verbs |
Exams |
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Year 11 Spanish GCSE AQA |
Module 7 (social and environmental issues) imperative, imperfect continuous, se debería |
Module 8 (future plans, work, languages, AI) para/sin+ infinitives, modal verbs, simple future |
MOCK EXAMS |
TOPIC REVISION Practising speaking and writing |
EXAM SKILLS Listening, reading and writing |
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FRENCH
LINK TO GCSE Topics |
THEME |
TOPIC 1 |
TOPIC 2 |
TOPIC 3 |
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Theme 1: People and lifestyle |
Identity and relationships with others |
Healthy Living and Lifestyle |
Education and Work |
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Theme 2: Popular Culture |
Free-time activities |
Customs, festivals and celebrations |
Celebrity Culture |
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Theme 3: Communication and the world around us |
Travel and Tourism (places of interest) |
Media and technology |
The environment and where people live |
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9 French AQA GCSE |
3.2 Media - online and TV/Film 2.1 Free- time activities Sport/music (module 1) Present- regular (U1, 3 Questions Present -irregular verbs and negatives (U2) Near future (U4) |
2.1 Free- time activities Sport/music/ festival /celebrations Perfect tense (U5 and 6 ) |
1.1 Identity and relationships U1-3 (module 2) Reflexive verbs emphatic pronouns possessive pronouns Adjectives |
2.3 Celebrity culture/r models U4 2.2 Customs/festivals U5 DOP, Present/ Perfect Tenses. adverbs |
1.2 Healthy living and lifestyle U1-3 (module 4) Partitive; modal verbs; Reflexive verbs in past; |
1.2 Healthy living and lifestyle U4-5 simple future U4 imperfect (recognise) (U5) Exams |
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10 French AQA GCSE |
3.1 School U1-3 (module 3) Opinions, Comparative adjectives; impersonal structure; present and perfect; superlative |
3.1 School U4-5 imperfect tense IOP Tenses Negatives |
3.1 Holidays ( module 5) (descriptions) U1-2 Conditional 2.2 Festivals in French speaking countries U3 relative pronouns |
3.1 Holidays U4 and 5 perfect tense modal verbs Range of tenses Si clauses ( present and future) |
3.3 My town (module 7) Description of town Y, depuis directions, prepositions U1-2,5 Exams |
3.3 My town (shop/ town) U3-4 Shopping for clothes Ideal house adjectives before and after Si clauses imperfect/cond |
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11 French AQA GCSE |
3.3 Environment U1-5 (module 6) environmental problems and solutions comparative, imperative, perfect/imperfect/en train de/venir de |
1.3 Jobs module 8 (Jobs/Future plans) U1-4 Apres avoir/ Mock Speaking |
MOCK EXAMS |
TOPIC REVISION Practising speaking and writing |
EXAM SKILLS Listening, reading and writing |
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GERMAN
LINK TO GCSE Topics |
THEME |
TOPIC 1 |
TOPIC 2 |
TOPIC 3 |
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Theme 1: People and lifestyle |
Identity and relationships with others |
Healthy Living and Lifestyle |
Education and Work |
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Theme 2: Popular Culture |
Free-time activities |
Customs, festivals and celebrations |
Celebrity Culture |
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Theme 3: Communication and the world around us |
Travel and Tourism (places of interest) |
Media and technology |
The environment and where people live |
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Year 9 German GCSE |
1.1 School Units 1-3 (Subjects/ Uniform/ rules) Opinions & modal verbs |
1.2 School Units 4-5 (events/ school life) 3 tenses |
2.1 Free time Units 1-3 (hobbies/ technology/ celebrities) word order & separable verbs |
2.2 Free time Units 4-5 (film/future plans) past & future tenses |
3.1 Relationships Units 1-3 (family/role models) relative pronouns, datives |
3.2 Relationships Units 4-5 (customs/ festivals) Exams |
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Year 10 German GCSE |
4.1 Healthy Living Units 1-3 (health/illness/ habits) um...zu & modal verbs |
4.2 Healthy Living Units 4-5 (wellbeing/ concerns) wenn & 3 tenses |
5.1 Local Area Units 1-3 (town/transport/ shops) Preposition & word order |
5.2 Local Area Units 4-5 (ideal town/house) Imperfect & conditional |
6.1 Holidays Units 1-2 (location/ accommodation) Exams |
6.2 Holidays Units 3-5 (Problems/ideal) Past and future |
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Year 11 German GCSE |
7. Our World Units 1-5 (social/global problems) Cases & modals |
1.3 Future Units 1-5 (Jobs/Future plans) Future & conditional (zu) |
MOCK EXAMS |
TOPIC REVISION |
EXAM SKILLS |
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Key Stage 5
For the Key Stage 5 A Levels we follow the AQA course in French, German and Spanish and students have access to an online textbook for the course. We teach in conjunction with WGGS. At the end of year 13 pupils take 3 A level exams. The course comprises 4 topics which are taught over the 2 years. In year 13 there is a study of a book and film. In addition, pupils choose an area of study that interests them, which they have to prepare for the oral exam. This enables them to develop research skills ready for university.
Curriculum Overview
Key Stage 5 Spanish |
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Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
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WGSB
12 AQA Kerboodle Year 1
WGSG |
Gastronomy and languages
Pan’s Laberinth |
Traditions and customs / cultural heritage
Family / marriage / divorce |
Art and architecture / musical heritage and diversity
The influence of the catholic church / Pan’s Laberinth |
The internet / Smart phones
Singers and musicians / tv and cinema celebrities |
Social networks / Como Agua Para Chocolate
Models / Women in the work place |
CAPC
Male chauvinism and feminism / Gay rights and transgender identity |
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WGSB (+ IRP)
13 AQA Kerboodle Year 2
WGSG (+ IRP) |
Political ideas and unemployment amongst young people
Dictatorship of Franco / The Spanish Monarchy |
Ideal society and immigration
Dictators in the Spanish world / Demonstrations and strikes |
Immigration and undocumented people
Unions / Social protests / Coexistence of different cultures
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Measures against racism / Legislation against racism
Education / Religion |
Revision + IRP |
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Key Stage 5 German |
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YEAR 12 WGBS AQA Kerboodle Y1 |
Family
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Technology
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Fashion and Music |
TV |
Film – Almanya |
Film – Almanya |
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YEAR 12 WGGS AQA Kerboodle Y1 |
Festivals and celebrations |
Traditions in Germany |
Art and Architecture |
Cultural life of Berlin |
Revision |
The EU |
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YEAR 13 WGBS AQA Kerboodle Y2 |
Immigration |
Integration |
Racism |
Revision |
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YEAR 13 WGGS AQA Kerboodle Y2 |
The EU |
Politics |
The reunification |
Revision |
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Key Stage 5 French |
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2 Kerboodle AQA Year 1 WBGS |
Family |
Technology
|
Volunteering
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Volunteering
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Immigration
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Immigration
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Kerboodle AQA Year 1 WGGS |
Cinema |
Music |
Heritage |
Heritage |
No et moi |
No et moi |
|
13 Kerboodle AQA Year 2 (+ IRP) WBGS |
Social marginalisation and exclusion
|
Au revoir les enfants
|
Au revoir les enfants
|
Criminality |
revision
|
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Kerboodle AQA Year 2 (+ IRP) WGGS |
No et moi |
Diversity |
Trade unions protesting and strikes |
Politics and the youth |
revision |
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Exams & Assessment
GCSE
Examination board: AQA
A Level
Examination board: AQA
ASSESSMENT IN MFL
Each half-term we do tracker tests in 2-3 skills ( Listening, Reading, Speaking or Writing). The boys are told in advance and information is put on the Google classroom.
Enrichment & Extra-curricular
Learning opportunities
We organise a range of competitions, clubs and trips.
KEY STAGE 3
French, German and Spanish club
French/ German/ Spanish club Visit to Care home to sing carols
MFL languages Week cultural projects and activities
Visiting theatre group in 3 languages
Spelling Bee (Y7)
Translation Bee (year 8, 9)
WBGS learning challenges
KEY STAGE 4
Spanish trip to Murcia (every 2 years)
French trip to Paris ( every 2 years)
German trip to Berlin (year 10)
KEY STAGE 5
Spanish Cultural evening
French Cultural Evening
German Cultural evening
Study conferences
Resources & Reading Lists
To encourage independent learning, we suggest a variety of useful links to the following websites:
www.pearsonactivelearn.com (boys will have their own login details)
www.linguascope.com (we have a school login)
Why Study Modern Foreign Languages?
Why study languages?
Listen to some of our past pupils and 6th Formers
FRENCH:
https://www.loom.com/share/709b430aed294a2d931e4d5b47ca38a0
https://www.loom.com/share/17033394c0204b1e89575de54f9f535e
GERMAN:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rCgCOeg5ZMMqgPNTPjfafnFgcyrNkP3z/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j85__-kfFPTt7axuWVLQ9MdsExECKAUA/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IxHTcccpqzsfLRFXYxzxLXv6VwZUrDoh/view?usp=sharing
SPANISH:
https://www.loom.com/share/e32ea4970f4a4d1c88cadcb79b429940