Modern Foreign Languages
BackSpanish and Italian
From Autumn 2024, Learners in Year 7 will all take Spanish in mixed-ability tutor groups. In Year 8 and Year 9, learners are put into sets according to how they have progressed in the previous year and the top 2 sets will take 2 lessons of Italian plus 3 of Spanish over each 2-week period.
From Autumn 2024, Year 10 are preparing for the new GCSE Spanish examination and Year 11 are in the final year of the outgoing GCSE Spanish examination. The course at KS3 is in the process of being reworked to tailor more towards preparation for this new GCSE. Currently, Year 7 are following the reworked Curriculum and Year 8 and 9 will be updated in the years to come.
Languages are an option for GCSE and we follow the AQA Specification. Both Spanish and Italian are offered to students who have been studying those languages in Year 9. Both Languages are also on offer for A Level.
We do not currently offer French in our curriculum but hope to include it when capacity allows.
Home Language GCSEs are possible, please contact us for more information.
We encourage all learners to make the most of multimedia learning options at home, through programmes, music and online using sites such as Quizlet, Duolingo or Blooket. All learners have a login for Kerboodle (www.kerboodle.com) and can access the online textbook and interactive activities to further their understanding. We also have a school subscription to Linguascope (www.linguascope.com) and login details can be obtained from any of the MFL team.
Learning Journey
Spanish
Italian
Year 7 Spanish
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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Year 7 Students have 5 lessons of Spanish over a 2-week period. They will explore 5 modules during the Year, following the Claro 1 (2nd edition) textbook which they will also access online.
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Assessment Points Each assessment contains some elements of previously learnt topics and will be composed of a variety of at least 2 modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) October – Baseline assessment on initial learning (greetings, numbers) January – Module 1 and 2 (Describing yourself, family and friends) March – Module 3 (Hobbies) May – Module 4 (School) |
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Key Vocabulary: Students will receive a booklet with key vocabulary for each module. In addition, they will learn high frequency words and phrases including: Numbers (1-100) Adverbs of frequency (siempre, a veces, nunca, a menudo, todos los días) Connectives (porque, pero, y) Question words (¿Por qué? ¿Cómo? ¿Dónde? Key verbs – Ser / estar (to be) Tener (to have) / Ir (to go) Hay – There is / there are Opinions verbs – Me gusta, Me encanta, Odio, No Me gusta Tenses – Regular present tense (-ar verbs plus jugar/hacer) Near Future tense (Voy a hacer) Conditional tense phrase: Me gustaría |
Enrichment: Building Cultural Capital about Hispanic Countries: Día de la Hispanidad Día de los Muertos (Latin America) Christmas in Spain, Easter in Spain Preparing a Weather forecast in Spanish Film Module (Summer Term) – Encanto and Colombia |
Year 8 Spanish
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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In Year 8 students have 3 lessons of Spanish over a 2-week period Students will explore 3 modules during the year, following Claro 2 textbook which they can access online. 1. Healthy living – food, healthy living, parts of the body 2. Travel & tourism – countries, modes of transport, holiday activities 3. Technology – TV, Film, what you do online |
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Assessment Points Each assessment contains some elements of previously learnt topics and will be composed of a variety of at least 2 modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) October – Baseline assessment on initial learning Module 1 plus retrieval from Year 7 January – Module 1 (Healthy Living) April – Module 2 (Holidays) June – Module 3 (Technology) |
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Key Vocabulary: Students will receive a booklet with key vocabulary for each module. In addition, they will revisit high frequency words and phrases from Year 7 and in addition learn: Tenses – Regular Present tense (-er / -ir verbs) Past Tense (Preterite) Imperative (telling people what to do) Verbs – using Me duele to describe what is hurting Soler (to usually do something) Acabar de (to have just done something) Extending opinions using common slang phrases eg ¡Es la pera! |
Enrichment: Building Cultural Capital about Hispanic Countries: Hispanic music and dance Spanish speaking celebrities online Christmas in Hispanic countries Easter in Hispanic countries Film Module (Summer Term) – Ferdinand and Bullfighting San Fermín and Pamplona Bull running La Tomatina festival |
Year 8 Italian
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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In Year 8 students have 2 lessons of Italian over a 2-week period Students will explore 4 modules during the year, largely following the EPI method and making use of the materials from The Language Gym, which students have access to online. 1. Mi presento (talking about yourself, age, birthdays, physical description) 2. La mia città (saying where you live, key cities and regions of Italy, Weather) 3. La mia famiglia (talking about family and pets) 4. Il mio cibo preferito (food and drink preferences) |
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Assessment Points Each assessment contains some elements of previously learnt topics and will be composed of a variety of at least 2 modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) October – Baseline assessment on initial learning Module 1 January – Module 1 and 2 (Mi presento/La mia città) April – Module 3 (La mia famiglia) June – Module 4 (il mio cibo preferito) |
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Key Vocabulary: Key Vocabulary Students will receive a booklet with key vocabulary for each module. In addition, they will revisit high frequency words and phrases such as: Question words Numbers 1-100 Key verbs – Essere (to be) / Avere (to have) Present tense verbs with -are Opinions and justifications Connectives ( perché, e, ma, o) Intensifiers (molto, un po’, troppo) |
Enrichment: Cultural capital lessons: Christmas in Italy Easter in Italy St Francis of Assisi The Cinque Terre region
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Year 9 Spanish
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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In Year 9 students have 3 lessons of Spanish over a 2-week period Students will explore 5 modules during the year, following Claro 2 textbook which they can access online. 1. Work and plans for the future 2. Clothes 3. Daily Routine and getting along with family 4. Environment 5. Hispanic Places of Interest |
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Assessment Points Each assessment contains some elements of previously learnt topics and will be composed of a variety of at least 2 modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) November – Module 1 (Work and plans for the future) January – Module 2 (Clothes) April – Module 3 and 4 (Daily routine, family relationships and environment) |
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Key Vocabulary: Students will receive a booklet with key vocabulary for each module. In addition, they will revisit high frequency words and phrases from Year 7 and 8 and in addition learn: Verb tenses – The future tense (regular verbs) The present continuous tense The conditional tense Reflexive verbs in the present tense The Past tense (perfect tense and imperfect) Verbs with prepositions (e.g. comenzar a) Demonstrative adjectives (este/esta) Indefinite adjectives(mucho, poco, vario) Direct object pronouns |
Enrichment: Fashion show Routes into Language Warwick University GCHQ Language Competition KS3 Trip to Italy/Spain Planning a trip to Mexico Planning a backpacking trip in South America Learning about many different Spanish-speaking cultures and countries
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Year 9 Italian
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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In Year 9 students have 2 lessons of Italian over a 2-week period Students will explore 5 modules during the year, largely following the EPI method and making use of the materials from The Language Gym, which students have access to online. 1. Il mio benessere (healthy living and free time activities) 2. Da grande faró… (jobs and future plans) 3. La moda italiana (clothes and Italian style) 4. Andró in vacanza (holiday plans, Italian places of interest) 5. Italiani al cinema (Film module) . |
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Assessment Points Each assessment contains some elements of previously learnt topics and will be composed of a variety of at least 2 modalities (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) November – Module 1 (il mio benessere) plus retrieval from year 8 learning January – Module 1 (Il mio benessere – daily routine) May – Module 2-3 (Da grande faró and La moda italiana) |
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Key Vocabulary: Students will receive a booklet with key vocabulary for each module. In addition, they will revisit high frequency words and phrases such as: Question words Key verbs – Essere (to be) / Avere (to have) Fare (to do) / andare (to go) Present tense verbs with -are Imperative tense for giving advice Reflexive verbs for daily routine Perfect tense with avere and essere Future and Conditional tenses Imperfect tense Opinions and justifications Connectives ( perché, e, ma, o)Intensifiers (molto, un po’, troppo) |
Enrichment: Routes into Language Warwick University GCHQ Language Competition KS3 Trip to Italy/Spain
Cultural capital lessons Christmas in Italy Easter in Italy Italian places of interest Italian Style and fashion houses
Italian film La vita è bella – the Holocaust in Italy La gabbianella e il gatto (diversity and tolerance) si accettano miracoli
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Year 10 GCSE Spanish
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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Students study 3 Themes over the 2 years for GCSE Spanish. Each theme is divided up into 3 units. In Year 10 students study the first 6 of these units. There are 6 lessons over 2- week period and one of these is in the computer room where online practice of the grammar and vocabulary is tracked. Students learn content for both Foundation and Higher tier together in Year 10. Theme 1: People and Lifestyle Unit 1 – Identity and relationships with others Unit 2 – Healthy Living and Lifestyle Unit 3 – Education and work Theme 2: Popular Culture Unit 4 – Free time activities Unit 5 – Customs, festivals and celebrations Unit 6 - Celebrity culture |
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Assessment Points Students will sit end of unit tests for Unit 1 and Unit 2 They will take an assessment for all of Theme 1 at the end of Unit 3. June – End of Year Assessment – Foundation Tier Past paper including some speaking assessment. Listening 35 mins, Reading 45 mins, Writing 1 hour 10 minutes. |
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Key Vocabulary: Students receive a vocabulary book with all the vocab for each of the topics including high frequency words and phrases. |
Enrichment: Anthea Bell Translation Competition KS4 Trip to Spain |
Year 11 GCSE Spanish
The aim of the Modern Languages Faculty is first and foremost to make language learning a positive and rewarding experience, relevant to the needs of our students. We aim to support our students in gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of different cultures and customs of other countries and communities as well as to equip them with the language skills to enable them to communicate effectively either for work or leisure.
Students in MFL will become curious about languages and different countries and have a desire to travel to experience what they have learnt first-hand. They will be interested in, respectful and tolerant of the differences in cultures and traditions around the world as they become independent, resilient, self-motivated learners who read or listen to music for pleasure in different languages whilst developing confidence, communication, presentation and teamwork skills.
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Students study 3 Themes over the 2 years for GCSE Spanish. Each theme is divided up into 3 units. In Year 11 students study the final 3 these units. There are 6 lessons over 2- week period and one of these is in the computer room where online practice of the grammar and vocabulary is tracked. For 2 of the 6 lessons the classes are streamed into Higher Tier (to cover the extra content) and Foundation Tier (to embed existing grammatical concepts and vocabulary) Theme 3: Communication and the world around us Unit 7 – Travel and tourism, including places of interest Unit 8 – Media and Technology Unit 9 – The environment and where people live |
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Assessment Points September – Checkpoint assessment to confirm Tierings. Hereafter students will sit either Higher Tier or Foundation Tier November – Mocks 1 Full Speaking Mock, Listening, Reading, Writing February – Mocks 2 Listening, Reading, Writing (Speaking for those who request further practice) May/June – GCSE Exams – Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing
Foundation Tier students: Speaking : 7-9 Minutes plus 15 minutes prep time Listening: 35 minutes Reading: 45 minutes Writing: 1 hour 10 minutes
Higher Tier students: Speaking: 10-12 minutes plus 15 minutes prep time Listening: 45 minutes Reading: 1 hour Writing: 1 hour 15 minutes |
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Key Vocabulary: Students receive a vocabulary book with all the vocab for each of the topics including high frequency words and phrases
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Enrichment: University of Warwick Language Taster Day |