Year 7

Aims of Course
All students in Year 7 study French as a primary foreign language. In years 8 and 9 there will be an option for more able students to study a second foreign language.

We aim to provide all students with equal opportunity to develop the skills of using the target foreign language effectively for the purposes of practical communication. This means that students will develop the ability to communicate orally and in writing in the language and to understand the written and spoken word. Students are encouraged to notice and learn patterns in grammar.

Objectives

• to provide enjoyment and a positive learning experience.
• to offer insights into the culture where the foreign language is spoken.
• to encourage positive attitudes to Foreign Language Learning and to speakers of foreign languages and a sympathetic approach to other cultures and civilisations.
• to create an authentic learning environment and to encourage communication with foreign language speakers through visits and exchanges and through the work of the Foreign Language Assistants within the department.
• to promote learning of skills of more general application (eg. listening, skimming, scanning, analysis, memorising).
• to increase the self-confidence of learners of all abilities and bring a sense of achievement.
• to encourage the students to take pride in their work and raise their self-expectation
• to implement the National Curriculum

Teaching Practice
The students will be taught using a variety of activities, including choral repetition; pair work, such as role plays; group work, such as games and the conducting of surveys. Students will be encouraged to give their opinions and information about themselves and ask for similar opinions of others both in writing and in the spoken word. Language awareness will be developed through use of various ICT facilities in school.

Homework/Independent Study
Homework/Independent Study is set regularly in accordance with the school policy. It may include written or oral texts, taped work, learning vocabulary or revision of new grammar.

Assessment
There is a formal examination at the end of Terms 3 & 6 testing all four language skills which begins to prepare them for the pattern of exams at GCSE. A large emphasis will be placed on continuous (formative) assessment throughout each unit of work. Types of formative assessment will include:

• Students accurately assessing their own work
• Students accurately assessing each other’s work
• Target setting
• Working on projects
• Teaching each other new words and grammatical concepts

How Parents/Carers can help
Students will have extensive notes in their exercise books from which much of the homework/independent study is set. Students also have vocabulary lists. Parents/carers can help by testing vocabulary or asking their son/daughter to teach them what they are learning in class. Students would benefit from having access to a French-English bilingual dictionary at home but are actively discouraged from using internet translators.

Equipment Required
All students are issued with their own exercise book for note-taking during the course which should be brought to every lesson. In addition students need pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and coloured crayons. We would also like to encourage parents/carers to buy a dictionary such as the Collin's Pocket Dictionary which may be used in class and during homework/independent study exercises. Students can also us an online dictionary and resources (but not an online translator).

Contact: Subject Leader – Mrs V Morisot

Course Content
The course is based on communication in the foreign language; the students learn to perform adequately in the following language situations likely to be encountered. The text used is Expo 1 which covers the following topics:

1. Personal: giving details about oneself and asking about people.

2. Family & Friends – describing people in our family and our friends

3. House & Home: describing where you and others live and talking about your bedroom.

4. Town & Local Area: describing your town and the things you can do there

5. Daily routine: talking about school and what you do before and after school

6. Hobbies: talking about the activities you like and do not like doing including holiday plans

Year 8

Course Content
The students learn to perform adequately in the following language situations likely to be encountered on a short stay or exchange visit to a French speaking community, using a whole range of vocabulary covering:

1. Families & Jobs

2. Free-time

3. Going out

4. Food & Drink

5. Holiday activities

6. Friends & Future Plans

Each of the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing is developed.

Year 9

Course Content
The students learn to perform adequately in the following language situations likely to be encountered on a short stay or exchange visit to a French speaking community, using a whole range of vocabulary covering:

Set 1 Students start to work on topics, which will eventually lead to the GCSE examination in Year 11.

Students are involved in project work such as extended writing and speaking tasks, booklets, inventing games and doing surveys. The course is based on communication in foreign language situations they may encounter on a visit to a foreign country and revisits and extends topics covered in previous years including:

1. Past Holidays

2. Future Plans

3. Healthy Living

4. ‘Extr@’ – work based around MFL programme

5. GCSE Theme 1A (Self, family & friends) & 1B (Hobbies)

6. GCSE Theme 1C (Home & Local Environment)

Each of the 4 language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing is developed.

Sets 2 & 3 Students will work on topics which will lead them to accreditation in French at the end of Year 9.

The topics that will be covered are based on the topics studied at GCSE and are therefore a good foundation for those students wishing to continue with French in Year 10. Equally, they cover topics which have a practical element and focus on language which would be used in a variety of different situations abroad.

Term 1 :

Unit 1 – Self and family Unit 8 – Occupations

Term 2: Unit 3 – House & Home Unit 11 – Home Town

Term 3: Unit 10 – School Unit 5 – Finding the way

Term 4: Unit 4 – Ordering Food and Drink Unit 7 – Shopping for food

Term 5: Unit 9 – Shopping for clothes Unit 2 – Free time

Term 6: Unit 6 – The Weather