Modern Foreign Languages
“A different language is a different vision of life”
(Federico
Fellini)
Aims of the department
The languages we teach are French and German. Our philosophy is to help
students develop their use of these languages for practical purposes and
to help them develop a love of French and German language and civilisation
and of language learning in general. We believe in an oral approach, supported
by careful study and practice of grammar and vocabulary. We aim to develop
the skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing through a wide range
of activities including: class oral work, pair work, group work, acting
out dialogues, vocabulary learning, oral and written grammar drills, listening
to and watching recorded material, songs, playing language games, dictation,
using interactive computer resources, memorising talks and writing compositions.
KS3
French is learned by all students. There are four lessons a week of 40
minutes in Y7, five in Y8 and 4 in Y9. Students have two pieces of homework
a week in Y7 and Y8, with three a week in Y9.
The course followed from Y7 to Y9 is Encore Tricolore(Nouvelle
Edition). We also use a wide range of other resources including
interactive websites, in-house worksheets, flashcards, the interactive
board (e.g. Boardworks) and overhead transparencies. Students
are invited to subscribe to a French magazine and we often exchange penfriend
letters with our partner school in France.
Assessment takes the form of regular end of unit tests in listening,
reading and writing, along with end of year examinations which also include
an assessment of oral proficiency. Every pupil is given a teacher-assessed
level at the end of Y9. About 30% of any year group reach level 7.
Classes work in their form group until the end of Y8 when they are put
into sets, one top (alpha), one middle (beta) and two lower (gamma).
KS4
French is continued by all students to GCSE. German is introduced as
an option with 4 periods per week. Encore Tricolore(Nouvelle
Edition) is the course used for French. The course used in German
is Lernpunkt Deutsch. Assessment continues to be by end of unit
test, regular vocabulary testing, along with two examinations in Y10 and
a mock examination in Y11.
AQA is the examination group used. The large majority of students enter
at Higher Tier in all the language skills (listening, reading, speaking
and writing). There is no coursework.
Sixth Form
French and German are offered at AS and A2 level. Students have two teachers
for French, one for German, plus one period with the foreign language assistant.
Students enter for module exams in June of the Lower Sixth year and June
of the Upper Sixth year. Students may retake AS modules in January or June
of the Upper Sixth year. OCR is the examination board used for French,
AQA for German. For one A2 unit students do coursework which involves the
study of one or more pieces of modern literature and/or film. Our French
course book at present is Objectif Bac (Collins).
Career opportunities
The outlook is very positive indeed for students
who learn modern foreign languages. Employment rates after languages degrees
are amongst the very highest. Employers particularly welcome graduates
with good communication skills and who can offer one or more foreign languages.
Languages
graduates may get involved in education or translating/interpreting,
but it is much more likely that they would work in commerce or industry
using languages as an extra skill.
Additional information
We offer a visit to Normandy every year for pupils in holiday time at
the end of Y8 and we have a long-running exchange scheme, begun in 1988,
for Y10 and A-level students with the Institution Saint Louis in
Pont l’Abbé d’Arnoult in France. A-level German students
take part in a work experience programme or exchange.
The department is housed in its own area and is equipped with two interactive
whiteboards along with more traditional resources. Pupils make regular
use of the school ICT rooms in MFL lessons. The school library is well-stocked
with books, dictionaries and DVDs, whilst satellite television is also
available to students.
Links
For a comprehensive set of links for French see www.frenchteacher.net/links.htm.
For
both French and German we strongly recommend www.languagesonline.org.uk.
For
examination specifications see www.aqa.org.uk and www.ocr.org.uk.
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