Modern Foreign Languages

Curriculum Intent

At Sunbury Manor our vision for all learners of MFL is that they gain a greater understanding of the world including tolerance, curiosity and celebration of other cultures, not just those from the target language countries. This links with the wider school ethos of nurturing well rounded individuals.

We aim to equip our students with confidence and desire to explore the target language and to be able to communicate with millions of people globally. Speaking another language other than one’s own is useful, both for leisure and business reasons, whilst also enhancing and building on many skills that are transferable across other school subjects. In particular, it is well known that learning a second language not only supports English development but also improves listening and presentation skills, among others. In addition, students who succeed in MFL are more employable and have better chances of gaining entry to university.

Students at Sunbury Manor study French (recently re-introduced in Yr7) and Spanish.  At KS3, French and Spanish are rotated and taught, three times a week, in Yr7. Currently, Yrs 8 and 9 study Spanish only, and this is taught twice a week in both years. Similarly, Spanish is the only language currently being taught at KS4; five times per fortnight in Yr10 and three times a week in Yr11. In lessons we use a variety of games, IT resources and interactive projects, authentic material from the target language countries and cultural experiences. These bring our lessons to life and make the learning of the four key skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) fun, engaging and accessible. Learning a foreign language requires a combination of phonics, vocabulary and grammar.  We introduce and progressively build on these throughout the students’ learning journey and through relevant topic areas such as identity, leisure, food, fashion, the environment, school, holidays and future careers. At key stage 4 we develop this further and examine themes in more depth, delving deeper into topical issues such as our planet, social problems and issues that affect young people.

When students discover that they can communicate in another language outside the classroom, they go from strength to strength and are motivated to learn more.  This is why we strive to provide as many real life and enrichment opportunities as possible to put what they have learnt into practice. This includes experiences such as vlogging style tasks, food tasting and university days among others. When we are able to we bring the target language to the students and in this guise have hosted Spanish students for 3 weeks in the autumn term, giving the Sunbury Manor community the chance to not only practise their language but to forge long-lasting international friendships. The highlight of the year is our residential trip to Spain, most recently to a water sports activity centre, where the students are fully immersed in a completely Spanish environment.

In the department we are fortunate to have four large, modern classrooms all equipped with the latest smart screen technology and well-qualified, enthusiastic and dedicated MFL specialists who go the extra mile for the students, every day.

Curriculum Overview

 

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

 

Y7 French

 

Intro to the Francophone world

Greetings, phonics and general introduction + personal details

Classroom lang + Routines

*Phonics- French sounds introduced and reinforced throughout teaching from hereon.

Likes and Dislikes

Physical description (height/ size)

Personality traits

 

 

Family,

Pets

Colour + other adjectives

Free time activities

Expressing opinions and giving reasons

House and home

My bedroom

Summary of learning for the academic year (Retrieval practice)

End of year assessments

Yr7 Spanish

Intro to the Hispanic world

Greetings, phonics and general introduction + personal details

Classroom lang + Routines

*Phonics- Spanish sounds

Family

Pets

Colour

Countries + Nationalities

House and home

 

My bedroom

Summary of learning for the academic year (Retrieval practice)

End of year assessments

 Y8 French/ Spanish

 

Review of learning from Yr7

My town – what there is/ isn’t

What one can(not) do

Problems in a town

Solutions

Food

Main meals

Courses

Time (rvw)

Future tense

Festivals- Day of the Dead

Food shopping

Future tense

Clothes and fashion

Summary of learning for the academic year with a focus on Grammar (verbs + adjectival agreements + tenses)

Present and near-future tenses

End of year assessments

 

Y9 Spanish

 

School + part-time jobs

Future - Jobs and aspirations

(leading up to Yr9 options)

Sports and pastimes

TV and film preferences

Holidays

Diet/ Keeping fit

 

End-of-year assessments

 

Y10 Spanish

 

Identity and culture

Imperfect tense

 

Free time preferences 

Conditional tense

Future tense (one-word - version)

Holidays (preferences/ past/ future)

Holiday transactions

Home and local area

Problems in a town

School and future studies

Exam skills (techniques+ strategies)

and Oral preparation

end-of-year assessments

 

Y11 Spanish

 

Environment

Global issues

Subjunctive 

Jobs

Work experience

Perfect Revision

Holidays

Pluperfect

Travel and tourism

Future intentions

Revision

 

 

 

Key Stage 4 Specification

Subject Leader:

Mrs M Lorde

Contact:

mlorde@sunburymanor.surrey.sch.uk

Exam Specification:

Edexcel GCSE Spanish 1SP0

QN Code:

601/8710/4

Summary of course content

You will cover a variety of topic areas including your life, home and local environment, school life and the world of work, youth culture, free time and holidays. You will also be given the opportunity to improve your written and spoken communication skills as well as deepening your understanding of the Spanish culture and language. Lessons will include the opportunity to listen to contemporary Spanish language, music, undergo web research and use ICT to create multimedia presentations.

Assessment

There are four exams taken at the end of the course – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing - for which students can be entered at either Higher or Foundation level depending on the results of their practice assessments prior to the summer exams. The length of the exams (at Higher level) are:-

  • Listening – 45 minutes
  • Reading – 1 hour
  • Speaking – 10-12 mins
  • Writing – 1 hour 20 minutes

What type of activities take place in lessons?

Lessons will involve activities designed to allow students to practice all four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, whether working as a class, by themselves or in groups. Use will also be made of the interactive whiteboard, videos, various computer programmes and internet in order to introduce and consolidate vocabulary and grammar points. Additionally, the students will have allocated time to work with the Spanish assistant (where available) to improve speaking skills, as well as taking part in oral presentations and role plays, in class. Time will also be devoted to exam paper practice in order to hone students’ exam technique and assess whether students are still on track to make expected progress. In addition, there will be time given to learn and practice the new technique of translation and there will be an emphasis on spontaneous speech (rather than scripted) in all speaking tasks. Students will require use of a dictionary for reading and listening exercises at home and a computer, where possible, to access other digital resources. Textbooks will be provided.

What type of homework tasks will be set?

Students will be expected to complete both ‘learning’ and ‘producing’ type of home work.  Often, they will be expected to learn words and consolidate their work from class. On other occasions they will be asked to put together the ideas, phrases and grammar from recent lesson in an extended text. 

How will it help me in the future?

Learning a foreign language is becoming an increasingly sought- after skill. You do not need to be fluent in a language in order for it to help you in your career, so even if you do not continue after GCSE, you will be recognised (and paid!) accordingly. Learning a foreign language encompasses a whole range of skills which are essential for your future. Linguists learn how to communicate effectively both in their writing and speaking. You also train to listen for key details and to read using different techniques such as skim reading, reading for detail and reading for inference. All of these skills make you more employable and show a potential employer you have broad horizons.

In the shorter term, languages are seen as a strong academic subject to study and are well thought of by colleges and universities. Showing that you have studied languages can give a wider choice of courses that are open to you.

How will this course build on what I have studied in Year 9?

You will come across some familiar topic areas but the depth in which you cover them and the way in which you are taught will be very different. There will be an emphasis on using authentic materials such as TV programmes, songs and films to help you understand that learning Spanish is not just about learning a language but also about exploring a culture.