Modern Foreign Languages
Intent and Aims
At Moulton School we teach Languages because we want to help students to be able to communicate in a different language and we want to encourage an interest in travel and learning about different cultures. We believe that learning languages contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship and an enjoyment of the differences between people.
Learning Languages at Moulton gives pupils 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. This lays the foundations for the future study of other languages and supports the development of literacy skills in a pupil’s own language.
- Promote an enjoyment of Spanish/French language and culture.
- Promote a sense of global citizenship.
- Encourage students to speak with increasing confidence and fluency, enabling them to visit or work in a Spanish/French speaking country and communicate with local people.
- Enable students to understand and respond to spoken and written language across a range of topics.
- Allow students to express ideas and opinions on their lives both in written and verbal form.
- Promote a culture where mistakes are an accepted part of learning.
- Equip students with the structures and discipline to allow them to study further languages.
- Develop students’ cultural capital with topics from Spain/France and beyond.
Key skills
Speaking:
- Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating, including through discussion and asking questions.
- Speak coherently with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation.
- Develop and justify points of view in speech, with increased spontaneity, independence and accuracy.
- Initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses, making use of important social conventions such as formal modes of address.
Writing:
- Develop and justify points of view in writing, with increased spontaneity, independence and accuracy.
- Write at varying length for different purposes, using a variety of grammatical structures, correct spelling and punctuation.
- Develop skills in language adaptation and manipulation, so that students learn to create their own phrases to express their own ideas.
- Write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions, and translate short written text accurately into the foreign language.
Listening:
- Develop and use a range of listening skills, i.e. listening for gist and/or detail, to allow them access and understand spoken language in a variety of settings.
- Understand and obtain information from a variety of forms of spoken language and respond appropriately.
- Understand language from several topics. Students will understand when present, past and future events are described.
Reading:
- Understand and obtain information from a variety of forms of written language including: articles, letters and literary texts such as stories, songs and poems, and respond appropriately.
- To read for gist, to understand instructions, as well as to extract important ideas and details.
- Develop accurate translation skills both to and from the target language enabling students to read and understand texts from a variety of sources.
Key concepts
- Grammar - Identify and use tenses or other structures that convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied with accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Understand and use correct syntax in Spanish/French.
- Vocabulary - Develop and use a wide range of vocabulary that allows students to give and justify opinions and take part in discussions about wider issues. Develop independent study techniques to allow vocabulary to be retained in the long term.
- Phonics – Understand the relationship between sounds and their spellings to enable students to decode and sound out words in Spanish/French.
- Cultural knowledge – Gain awareness of cultural similarities and differences between Britain and Spain/France and develop an appreciation of a range of Spanish/French culture.
Our programmes of study
We recognise that pupils arriving at MSSC have had different levels of experience of MFL learning at the various Primary Schools that they attended. Each Primary School may have focussed on one of the languages we teach a MSSC or none. Consequently, we aim to provide an inclusive yet ambitious Curriculum which provides all students, regardless of their previous experience at Primary School, with the opportunity to start a successful journey towards MFL learning. Simultaneously, our curriculum acknowledges the key concepts of phonics, vocabulary and grammar which students would have developed whilst learning their native language in Primary School.
Students study either French or Spanish and are able to choose in Year 6 if they have a preference. In Years 7 to 9, core topics are introduced before being expanded and developed in KS4. To enable a deep understanding, teachers focus on the delivery of seven key units which contain the content that will provide a sound foundation for the skills and concepts that students need to progress successfully to KS4 and beyond. During lessons, a focus on the learning of key vocabulary and grammar concepts, as well as the development of the four linguistic skills are at the centre of our curriculum.
Personal skills are developed during lessons and homework opportunities. We pay particular focus to the development of these personal skills:
Independence:
- Learn from their mistakes, correct them and move on
- Be resilient and deal positively with failure
- Be driven by achieving and surpassing personal targets.
Literacy:
- Use dictionaries
- Write accurately
- Read a variety of authentic texts in Spanish/French.
Each unit is assessed in a formal end of unit test (QMA). To support students, they are required to learn ten new words of vocabulary on a weekly basis and a variety of writing tasks are completed in lessons to enable students to use learnt vocabulary and grammar in extended pieces of writing.
At Key Stage 4 we follow the AQA French GCSE course. As a department we have used this examination board for many years and we felt that this choice was appealing and relevant to the Moulton Linguists. The qualification enables our students to develop their linguistic skills in depth as well as explore some aspects of French speaking cultures. The department aims to continue to build from the foundation in Key Stage 3 to produce skilled Linguists by the end of Key Stage 4. This Curriculum deepens knowledge of the core topics studied in KS3 whilst also introducing and covering the full GCSE specification as well as further Language and Cultural Capital beyond that which the specification requires to ensure pupils have a deep appreciation of other languages and other cultures. The course is broken down into several themes and progress will be made in all linguistic skills and concepts across the course.
At Key Stage 4 we follow the AQA Spanish GCSE course. As a department we have used this examination board for many years and we felt that this choice was appealing and relevant to the Moulton Linguists. The qualification enables our students to develop their linguistic skills in depth as well as explore some aspects of Spanish speaking cultures. The department aims to continue to build from the foundation in Key Stage 3 to produce skilled Linguists by the end of Key Stage 4 through a spiralling Curriculum that builds upon and deepens knowledge of the core topics studied at KS3 whilst also introducing covering the full GCSE specification and further Language and Cultural Capital beyond specification to ensure pupils have a deep appreciation of other language and other cultures. The course is broken down into 3 Themes and progress will be made in all linguistic skills and concepts across the course. Although each unit is only taught once in KS4 they are all frequently revisited over the course of study and build upon the core topics introduced at KS3.
Theme 1 - Identity and culture
- Unit 1: Me, my family and friends
- Unit 2: Technology in everyday life
- Unit 3: Free-time activities
- Unit 4: Customs and festivals
Theme 2 - Local, national, international and global areas of interest
- Unit 5: Home, town, neighbourhood and region
- Unit 6: Social issues
- Unit 7: Global issues
- Unit 8: Travel and tourism
Theme 3 - Current and future study and employment
- Unit 9: My studies
- Unit 10: Life at school and college
- Unit 11: Education post-16
- Unit 12: Jobs, career choices and ambitions
We take a Theme approach to the course, where we teach a Theme per academic year and this enables many opportunities to spiral the learning and revisit linguistic concepts. Regular re-visiting of concepts enables us as a department to support our students in their knowledge recall and to consolidate and embed the four linguistic skills required for each exam. When timetabling allows, we try to keep to one teacher for each class across Key stage 4. This means that the relationship between staff and students can be maximised for effective accountability and focussed personalised interventions.
To support all students, we provide revision sessions for assessments, vocabulary booklets for the 3 themes and grammar and exam overview booklets. Students also receive translation booklets per theme to encourage them to develop vocabulary and grammar knowledge by practising their translation skills.
Literacy is taught through all units when addressing the target language grammar.
At Key Stage 5 we follow the AQA French A-level course. As a department we have used this examination board for many years and we felt that this choice was appealing and relevant to Moulton Linguists. The qualification offers stimulating content which enables students to develop their linguistic skills alongside their understanding of the culture and society of the countries where French is spoken. Throughout their studies, they learn the language in the context of Francophone countries and issues and influences which have shaped them. Students will study a literary text and a film and will have the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of their choice.
At Key Stage 5 we follow the AQA Spanish A-level course. As a department we have used this examination board for many years and we felt that this choice was appealing and relevant to the Moulton Linguists. The qualification offers stimulating content which will enable students to develop their linguistic skills alongside their understanding of the culture and society of the countries where Spanish is spoken. Students will explore the influence of the past on present-day Hispanic communities. Throughout their studies, they learn the language in the context of Hispanic countries and issues and influences which have shaped them. Students will study a literary text and a film and will have the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of their choice.
