French is the modern foreign language you will study in Years 7 and 8 and you will have 3 lessons per week.  You will learn how to give information about yourself and your family, what you like to do in your free-time, talk about your school and learn what life is like at school in France, find your way about town and much more besides.   By Year 9 you will be describing your future plans, holidays you have been on and dream about going on and talking about how you use technology as well as learning how to cope in various interactive situations in francophone countries eg. train stations, eating out, buying clothes. All of this is excellent ground work for GCSE. In addition to 2 lessons of French, in Year 9 students have one lesson of Spanish. This gives students the fantastic opportunity of becoming dual linguists and supports them in making an informed decision of which language or languages they wish to continue with at KS4.

All the language-learning techniques you develop at Woodbrook Vale School will help you to learn many other languages in the future.

We concentrate on the skill areas - Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Translating - using a range of activities to help you learn and achieve.  You might get the opportunity to perform role-plays, play games, work in ICT, record conversations, produce a weather report or even to take part in a fashion show or a soap opera (and watch the video afterwards)! 

You will be offered the opportunity to learn Chinese (Mandarin) with a native speaker after school as well as learning the languages offered on timetable.

We want you to have plenty of chances to practise your new language skills and find out about other cultures too.  Possible opportunities include: -

• Talking with native MFL speakers in school
• Writing letters to a pen-pal in another country
• Celebrating Francophone traditions

GCSE French

During Key Stage 4 students will be able to take GCSE French, which builds on the skills and understanding developed in Years 7 - 9. 

The topics covered during the 2 year course will include:

• Local area, holidays and travels.
• Identity and Culture - daily and cultural life.
• School, future aspirations, study and work with an emphasis of language used in the workplace.
• International and global issues.

The new GCSE course requires that all topics are studied in the context of the home nation and Francophone countries.

Students who take this course should ideally have attained a high level 5 in their French studies.  You must be prepared to work independently and learn vocabulary regularly.  There will be resources in place to support you.

Teaching Strategies

Students will have access to on-line resources and extension tasks, and the latest audio-visual materials will be used in lessons.  A great emphasis will be put on conversation.  Students will have opportunities to speak to native speakers. Authentic reading and listening resources will be used to improve your comprehension and you will tackle many different writing tasks from writing e-mails to magazine articles.

assessment

GCSE langauges are assessed in the four skill areas of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, each accounting for 25% of the final marks.  Speaking assessments are conducted by your class teacher.  The Listening, Reading, and Writing examinations are sat in the summer term of year 11.

Beyond GCSE 

A GCSE in a modern foreign language enables you to take an A-level in that language and is highly valued by employers as well as further and Higher Education providers. With it you will have a competitive edge in the job market, giving yourself increased opportunities to travel and work abroad.

Your MFL teacher will be happy to talk to you about the course and answer any questions you have.

GCSE Spanish

You can opt to begin a GCSE Spanish course in Key Stage 4. The transferable language-learning skills you have been developing in Key Stage 3 will stand you in good stead but students choosing this option will ideally be sound linguists or have a genuine interest and commitment to studying hard, as you will be starting this course from scratch.

Topics covered during the 2-year course will include:

• Local area, holidays and travels.
• Identity and Culture.
• School, future aspirations, study and work.
• International and global issues.

The new GCSE requires that all topics are studied in the context of the home nation and Hispanic countries.

As the GCSE Spanish course is intensive, you need to have achieved a high level in French (5A or higher) and be prepared to work independently and learn vocabulary regularly. There will be resources in place to support you.

Should I take Spanish at GCSE?
Yes, if you…

• want to learn about the world we live in and understand different cultures
• would like to improve your communication and problem-solving skills
• enjoy learning and speaking languages! 

Teaching strategies

Students will have access to on-line resources and extension tasks, and the latest audio-visual materials will be used in lessons. A great emphasis will be put on conversation. Authentic reading and listening resources will be used to improve your comprehension and you will tackle many different writing tasks from writing e-mails to magazine articles.

Assessment

GCSE languages are assessed in the four skill areas of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, each accounting for 25% of the final marks. Speaking assessments are conducted by your class teacher. The Listening, Reading and Writing examinations are sat in the summer term of year 11.

Beyond GCSE

A GCSE in a modern foreign language enables you to take an A-level in that language and is highly valued by employers as well as further and Higher Education providers. With it you will have a competitive edge in the job market, giving yourself increased opportunities to travel and work abroad.

Your MFL teacher will be happy to talk to you about the course and answer any questions you have.