Languages

Those who know no foreign language know nothing of their mother tongue.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The MFL department believes that languages are part of the cultural richness of our society and the world in which we live and work. Learning languages contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship and personal fulfilment.

How to revise for MFL writing exams 

Head of Faculty

Katty Jacob | kjacob@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk 

Teachers

Bethan Williams (2nd in charge) | bwilliams@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Martha Collins | mcollins@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Lawrence Deacon | ldeacon@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Stella James | sjames@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk 

Olga Latorre | olatorre@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Claire Short | cshort@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Katherine Smith | ksmith@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk    

Eloisa Garcia | egarcia@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Isabelle Joseph | ijoseph@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Curriculum

KS3

In KS3 Languages, our Schemes of Learning and resources allow students to explore diverse topics.

Lessons are taught using a communicative approach, with a variety of interactive tools and activities. Students are encouraged to communicate through interactive lessons ensuring that we cover all four language learning skills (listening/ speaking/ reading/ writing). Students are encouraged to practise the language they are learning outside of the classroom and to use recommended websites to enhance their learning.

Through studying a Modern Foreign Language, students learn to appreciate different countries, cultures, communities and people. By making comparisons with others, they gain insight into their own culture and society. The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world.

All students at Acland Burghley learn Spanish or French in KS3, and are encouraged to continue studying a language to the end of KS4.

Keen linguists in Y9 have the chance to study a 2nd language (either French or Spanish) alongside the language currently being studied. This allows them to choose 2 modern languages for GCSE.

Learning languages gives students opportunities to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and to express themselves with increasing confidence, independence and creativity. They explore the similarities and differences between other languages and English and learn how language can be manipulated and applied in different ways. The development of communication skills, together with understanding of the structure of language, will lay the foundations for future study of other languages and support the development of literacy skills in a pupil’s own language.

All students at Acland Burghley learn Spanish or French in KS3, and are encouraged to continue studying a language to the end of KS4. In Y9 we discuss in lessons ‘What’s the point?’ in studying a language so that students understand the importance in their future studies and careers of having a Language GCSE.

Y7 French        

Autumn term:  

• What makes a good language learner?
• Eurovision song contest
• Classroom language
• Greetings, names and feelings
• Spelling and meaning of (new) words
• Numbers, age and dates, horoscopes
• Colours and agreement
• Classroom equipment

Spring term:

• Description of family members
• Do you have any brothers and sisters and your relationships with them
• Description of oneself as well as others: physical and personality
• Talk about your friends
• Description of pets
• Description of wild animals 

Summer term:

• A study of the map of France including
• Compass points and other geographical features
• Description of your local area
• Description of your house
• Description of your bedroom and its furniture

Y8 French        

Autumn term:

• Opinion about school subjects and teachers
• Time and timetable
• Morning and evening routine
• Reflexive verbs in the present

Spring term:

• Cultural awareness about French singers and French chansons
• Discuss musical instruments
• Talk about sports and games
• Talk about extreme sports
• Talk about winter and summer sports that you would like to do
• French sportsmen/women
• Talk about your leisure activities
• Learn about what different tenses express and how to use a verb table
• Talk about your future holiday activities

Summer term:

• A study of the map of France including
• Compass points and other geographical features
• Description of your local area
• Description of your house
• Description of your bedroom and its furniture

Y9 French        

Autumn term:

• Describe what you're wearing
• Express your opinion of outfits
• Describe outfits from the past and contrast with the present
• Describe what you're going to wear for a party
• Learn about higher numbers and the euro currency
• Shopping for clothes
• Shops and shopping
• Inviting people out and reacting

Spring term:

• Pathway launch – Languages at KS4
• Discuss what you watch and like watching on TV as well as others
• Discuss TV programs
• Inviting someone out to the cinema
• Inviting someone out to different events
• Description of my favourite film

Summer term:

• Learn about European countries and names of cities
• Talk about ideal destinations
• Talk about your holiday
• Talk about holiday preferences
• The perfect tense in French
• Describe a past holiday

Y7 Spanish      

Autumn term:  

• What makes a good language learner?
• Eurovision song contest
• Classroom language
• Greetings, names & feelings
• Spelling and meaning of (new) words
• Numbers, age and dates, horoscopes
• Colours and agreement
• Classroom equipment

Spring term:

• The Spanish speaking world (countries and languages spoken)
• Description of family members and their jobs
• Do you have any brothers and sisters and your relationships with them
• Description of oneself as well as others: physical and personality
• Description of pets
• Description of wild animals

Summer term:

• Talking about school subjects/ teachers and giving opinions
• Telling the time and describing a timetable in a Spanish school
• Mealtimes and what you eat and drink food and drink, different meals and times of meals
• Means of transport and preferences

Y8 Spanish      

Autumn term:

• Talk about sports and games
• Talk about extreme sports
• Talk about your leisure activities
• Discuss what you watch and like watching on TV as well as others
• Cultural awareness about Spanish singers
• Talk about your musical tastes
• New technology usage

Spring term:

• Household chores
• Talk about daily routine
• Making invitations and excuses

Summer term:

• Different types of housing
• Description of your local area

Y9 Spanish      

Autumn term:

• Discuss food and drink
• Healthy living
• Parts of the body, illnesses and remedies

Spring term:

• Pathway launch - Languages at KS4
• Holiday destinations
• Transport and comparing different forms of transport
• The weather
• Talk about holiday preferences

Summer term:

• Clothes description
• Opinions of different fashion and trends
• Comparing and shopping for clothes items, prices and size
• Types of shops and products
• Complaints and problems
• Online shopping: advantages and disadvantages

Overviews

• How to revise for the MFL writing
• Y7 French overview
• Y7 Spanish Autumn term
• Y8 French overviews
• Y8 Spanish Autumn term
• Y9 French overviews
• Y9 Spanish Autumn term

  

There is a competition to make the best traditional French log cake every Christmas!

  

KS4

We have a strong uptake in languages at KS4 and our results have been consistently good. A pleasing number of our students go on to study languages at A level and we work as part of the LaSWAP sixth form consortium to offer French and Spanish A level to our students.

We also encourage students who speak another language at home to take public examinations in their native language and have an excellent success rate across a wide range of languages including -Turkish, Bengali, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Arabic, Dutch, Russian and Farsi.

All the MFL teachers are enthusiastic about the languages they teach, and work hard to instil their students with this enthusiasm. Amongst the staff in the department we come from very different paths into teaching languages with a range of experiences that we draw from as a department and share with our students. There are native speakers and non-native teachers of French and Spanish and other languages spoken including German, Portuguese and Italian.

Y10 French and Spanish         

Autumn term: Theme 1- Identity and culture

• Unit 1: me, my family and friends: to finish by October half term
• Unit 2: Technology in everyday life (social media, mobile technology) – to finish by Christmas

Spring term:                

• Unit 3: free time activities (music, TV, cinema/food and eating out/ sport)
• Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest - Unit 5: home, town, neighbourhood and region

Summer term:

• Unit 7: Theme 2 - Global issues (environment, poverty and homelessness)
• Mock exam preparation

Y11 French and Spanish                     

Autumn term: Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

• Unit 6: Social issues (charity and voluntary work, healthy and unhealthy living)
• Unit 8: Travel & tourism (holidays, travel, regions of France)

Spring term: Theme 3: Current & future study & employment

• Unit 9: My studies
• Unit 10: Life at school and college
• Unit 11: Education post-16
• Unit 12: Jobs, career choices and ambitions

Summer term:

• Revision of the GCSE course content and exam preparation

 Exam dates 2019-20

Speaking exam (paper 2): Exam starting 27 April

Listening (paper 1) and reading (paper 3) exams:
Tuesday 12 May am (French)
Wednesday 20 May am (Spanish) 

Writing exam (paper 4)
Friday 15 May am (French)
Wednesday 3 June am (Spanish) 

 

 

 

 

Suggested reading

• Mary Glasgow magazines
• Kindle books in French/ Spanish
• The day in French/Spanish
• Collins Easy learning dictionary

 

 

Things to see and do

• Exhibitions related to French or Spanish speaking artists
• Films in French/ Spanish
• Listen to songs in French/ Spanish on YouTube and get the lyrics from google
• Try or buy typical French/ Spanish cuisines
• Spanish and French institutes in London (Cervantes institute and l’Institut français)
• Look out in the press for French/ Spanish festivals

Extra-curricular activities and clubs:

• KS3 homework club 
• KS3 Film club (once a term)
• Don Quixotte/ The 3 Musketeers Drama workshop for Y7 in January 2020
• GCSE intervention sessions with Foreign Language assistants and teachers
• KS4 trips to France/Spain
• A level intervention sessions with Foreign Language assistants and teachers

  

KS5