French
KS3
FRENCH |
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Overview of course |
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We aim to work on four main skills in the Target Language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. We do this through a variety of interactive activities, pair and group work, and using a range of familiar contexts. We also look at appreciation of cultural differences between us and other countries. Students joining the school in Year 7 will be offered French or Spanish. They will learn this language through Years 7, 8 and 9, and continuation to GCSE is expected for most students. The topics studied build towards the GCSE course themes and provide foundation knowledge of grammatical structures and some of the key exam skills. |
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Programme of study |
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Skills / Knowledge / understanding |
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Listening – short passages to understand key information and some details Speaking – spoken communication giving short pieces of information Reading – short to medium-length texts to get key information and some details. Also translating from French into English. Writing – producing short paragraphs covering 4 bullet points to communication key information and further details. Also translation from English into French. Activities in lessons often cover several skills at once. We use a range of games and confidence-building tasks to help students get used to communicating in the language in all four skills. We also cover key aspects of grammar and sentence structure. Topics usually focus on key cultural aspects of France and French-speaking countries. |
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Methods of assessments / accreditation structure |
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How Parents and Carers can help |
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KS4
FRENCH |
Exam Board: AQA |
Overview of course |
Students undertake a three-year course in the language studied in Year 7, 8 and 9. They cover the following three themes: 1. Identity and Culture 2. Local, national, international and global areas of interest 3. Current and future study and employment Themes cover a range of topics studied in Years 7, 8 and 9, developing them and building on vocabulary and grammar learned at Key Stage 3. |
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Year 10 Programme of study |
Term 1: Module 1 – “Qui suis-je?” Describing myself, family & friends, marriage and partnerships, arranging to go out, role models Term 2: Module 2 – “Le temps de loisirs” Free time, technology, TV, films, reading, music, sports and leisure Term 3: Module 3 – “Jours ordinaires, jours de fête” Celebrations, festivals and traditions, food and mealtimes, clothing, daily routine Term 4: Module 4 – “De la ville à la campagne” Town, house and home, weather, describing your region, tourist information Term 5: Module 5 – “Le grand large” Holiday preferences, plans, accommodation, restaurants, describing a past holiday, dream holidays Term 6: Module 6 – “Au collège” School subjects and opinions, facilities, successes, visits, healthy living |
Year 11 Programme of study |
Term 1: Module 7 – “Au travail!” Jobs, earning money, future plans, work experience, speaking languages, making job applications Term 2: Module 8 – “Un œil sur le monde” Global issues, charity and voluntary work, pressures and problems, lifestyle choices Terms 3, 4 and 5: Revision of all topics and key exam skills. This will involve a range of past paper materials, revision and skills booklets. |
FRENCH |
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Exam Board: AQA |
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Skills / Knowledge / Understanding |
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Students are assessed continuously across the four key skills: Listening: 25% of the total GCSE. Students will be assessed on a variety of different spoken passages. Most questions require a short written or non-verbal response. Section B involves questions and answers in French. Exam time: 40 minutes (foundation tier), 50 minutes (higher tier), both including 5 minutes’ reading time. Speaking: 25% of the total GCSE. The speaking exam comprises 3 tasks: the first is a role-play based on a scenario provided in the preparation time, followed by a picture-based discussion of 5 questions. The third section is a conversation covering 2 of the themes, one of which is picked in advance by the candidate. Exam time: 7-9 minutes (foundation tier), 9-12 minutes (higher tier). Reading: 25% of the total GCSE. Students will be assessed on their ability to understand a range of written texts, some based on authentic materials. Most questions are multiple choice, open response, some target language questions in Section B and a short translation. Exam time: 50 minutes (foundation tier), 1 hour (higher tier). Writing: 25% of the total GCSE. Students will be assessed on their written response to a variety of prompts. Testing is through a variety of tasks. At foundation tier students write four sentences in French to describe a photo, then a 40-word response to 4 short bullet points, a short translation of 5 sentences into French and then a 90-word response to 4 longer bullet points. At higher tier students write a 90-word response, a longer paragraph to translate into French, and an extended 150-word response to two bullet points. Exam time: 1 hour (foundation tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (higher tier). |
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Methods of assessment / accreditation structure |
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The skills are assessed in final examinations at the end of Year 11. The listening, reading and writing are formal exams marked by AQA. The speaking exam takes place between April and May and is conducted in school and marked by AQA. In Year 10, regular Cumulative Knowledge Tests take pace three times a year (terms 2, 4 and 6) to cover listening, reading and writing, and are marked internally. More informal speaking assessments take place in class throughout the course. In Year 11, full mock exams in all skills take place throughout the year. Papers are tiered – foundation tier (grades 1 to 5) and higher tier (grades 4 to 9). Students must complete all 4 skills in the same tier. |
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In School Contacts |
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Mr A Fishman – afishman@saa.woodard.co.uk Lead Teacher of MFL |
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How Parents and Carers can help |
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Software and Websites used |
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www.pearsonactivelearn.com – online homework platform including vocabulary, listening and grammar tasks. www.wordreference.com – online dictionary – a more reliable alternative to online translators. Other online vocabulary sites and apps are available e.g. Memrise.com, Duolingo, Seneca Learning. |