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.

Head of Faculty

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

Second in charge

Bethan Williams | bwilliams@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk

Teachers

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

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

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

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

Laura Miguel | lmiguel@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk  

Caroline Pellicci | cpellicci@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk 

Eleni Sanida | esanida@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk 

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

Emily Conley | econley@aclandburghley.camden.sch.uk 

French Medium Term Plans

• Y10 French Autumn MTP
• Y11 French Autumn MTP
• Y7 French Autumn MTP
• Y8 French Autumn MTP
• Y9 French Autumn MTP

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.

To enrich our curriculum offer, our Language assistants are running extra-curricular activities at lunchtime and after school.

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. 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, Polish 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 and Italian.

Y7 French        

Autumn term:  

• Greetings, names & feelings
• Classroom language
• The alphabet
• Numbers, age & dates, horoscopes, character adjectives
• Description of self
• Colours and agreement
• Classroom equipment
• Name and describe your favourite object

Spring term:

• Description of family members
• Talking about your siblings
• Description of oneself as well as others: physical and personality
• Talk about your friends and how long you’ve known them
• Description of pets
• Description of wild animals    

Summer term:

• Where you live, what languages you speak & your nationality
• Description of your local area
• Description of your house including types of house and floors
• Description of the rooms and their positions
• Talking about the furniture and where they are positioned

Y8 French        

Autumn term:

• Giving opinions of food and drink
• Eating and drinking habits
• Meals in France and French-speaking countries
• Discuss healthy and unhealthy eating
• Discuss what it is to be in shape or not
• French cuisine
• Understand recipes in French
• Talking about a past meal

Spring term:

• Talk about sports and games
• French sportsmen/women
• The Olympics and Paralympics
• Talk about extreme sports
• Talk about sports you do and play
• Discuss musical instruments
• Cultural awareness about French singers and French chansons
• Talk about your leisure activities
• Talk about your future holiday activities

Summer term:

• Give opinion about school subjects
• Use the 24-hour clock and the 12-hour clock
• Talk about your timetable
• Use simple reflexive verbs
• Describe your daily routine

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
• Shops and shopping
• Learn about higher numbers and the euro currency
• Shopping for clothes
• 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 and other events
• Describe a 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:  

• Greetings, names & feelings
• Classroom language
• The alphabet
• Numbers, age & dates, horoscopes, character adjectives
• 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
• Describing your school environment

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
• Meals in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries
• Understand recipes in Spanish
• 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 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 and Italian.

Y10 French and Spanish         

Autumn term: Theme 1- Identity and culture

• Unit 1: me, my family and friends 
• Unit 2: Technology in everyday life (social media, mobile technology)

Spring term: Theme 1: Identity & culture        

• Unit 3: free time activities (music, TV, cinema/food & eating out/ sport)
• Unit 4: Customs & festivals

Summer term: Theme 2: Local, national, international & global areas of interest

• Unit 5: home, town, neighbourhood & region
• Unit 6: Social issues healthy & unhealthy living
• Mock exam preparation

Y11 French and Spanish                   

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

• Unit 7: Global issues (environment, poverty & homelessness)
• Unit 6: Social issues (charity & voluntary work, healthy & 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 & college
• Unit 11: education post-16
• Unit 12: jobs, career choices & ambitions

Summer term: 

Revision of the GCSE course content and exam preparation

KS5

As part of the wider LaSWAP consortium, Acland Burghley offers the following A level

Please click through to the links to view more information on the LaSWAP website.

• Course 1: French A level http://laswap.camden.sch.uk/course/french-a-level-as-level/
• Course 2: Spanish A level http://laswap.camden.sch.uk/course/spanish-a-level-as-level/

 

Exam dates 2021-22

Exam dates 2021-22 have not yet been confirmed by the exam board

  

 

 

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 institute 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 (Every Monday and Tuesday 3.30-4pm for French/Spanish)
• KS3 French cultural activities (Every Monday 1.30-2.00)
• KS3 Spanish cultural activities (Once every half term for each year group)
• KS4 French/Spanish support (Every Tuesday 3.15-4.15)
• A level intervention sessions (French/Spanish) with Foreign Language assistants and teachers
• Y12 Language ambassador scheme
• There will be cinema trips and theatre companies coming to school

French KS3 Autumn term 1

Date	Topic		Room, time
20/09	Sport	Zinedine Zidane le tour de France	R2C Monday 1.30-2.00
27/09	Music	le rap français	R2C Monday 1.30-2.00
04/10	Cinema	Le cinéma français	R2C Monday 1.30-2.00
11/10	Geography	les pays francophones	R2C Monday 1.30-2.00
18/10	Food	la cuisine française	The Kitchen Monday 1.30-2.00

 

Y8 Spanish

Autumn 1 Monday 11 October

Mi tiempo libre

El día de la Hispanidad

R3B 3.25 – 4.15

 

Y9 Spanish

Autumn 1 Wednesday 20 October

La comida y la bebida

Spanish recipes: churros y chocolate

Kitchen 3.25 – 4.25