Languages: French and Spanish
Our Vision: ‘A world outside Wigan’
When you learn a language, it’s for life – you see the world through other people’s eyes. You make your own world a bit bigger, you discover a whole other culture, new films, songs, maybe even new friendships. In words perhaps more familiar to students, you unlock the next level in life, allowing you to enter new dimensions and enjoy the contrast with your own.
Aims of the subject:
We aim to promote a lifelong love of languages, alongside curiosity and respect for other countries and cultures, and how they relate to our own. Whether French or Spanish (pupils learn one language dependent on A/B side of the year group), pupils will learn useful vocabulary and an awareness of grammar to allow them to communicate in a variety of interesting ways. Pupils will develop the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
We follow the Pearson schemes of learning, using the up-to-date Dynamo and Viva digital textbooks and assessments.
We celebrate the work of our linguists on the MFL Twitter page @DeaneryLanguage
| Year | Topics | What will I do |
| 7 | · My life
· My family · My free time · School |
· I will begin each lesson silently with a retrieval task to connect to the learning · I will listen, speak, read and write about the topics being studied · I will learn through modelling and the use of parallel texts and sentence builders to support my learning. · I will work independently, and in pairs and groups. · I will learn, practise, revise and be quizzed on vocabulary relating to the topic. · I will increase my understanding and knowledge of grammar and apply it in the four language skills. · I will learn about how people from French and Spanish speaking countries live. |
| 8 | · Food and drink
· Holidays · Going out · Technology, music and TV · An adventure in Paris (French) |
|
| 9 | · Celebrations and special events
· Healthy lifestyles · Jobs and future plans · An adventure in Madrid (Spanish) |
Co-curricular opportunities
Links with schools in France and Spain. Co-curricular cooking. Trips to be arranged when viable. Visiting speakers from Higher Education institutions. Lunchtime club – German.
How you can support your child’s progress
Talk to your child about the importance and usefulness of acquiring a second language and the opportunities it could lead to, at home and abroad. Discuss how other countries and cultures come together to make an inclusive world for the future.
Developing memory skills is a vital part of language learning and we set vocabulary learning as homework. You can help your child by encouraging them to memorise the set vocabulary. This can be done in many enjoyable ways such as quizzing, creating mini flash cards, using post-it notes, writing on a mini whiteboard, recording the vocabulary on their phone, miming or using one of the many vocabulary learning websites available. We recommend the apps Duolingo and Quizlet, and on YouTube: EasyFrench and EasySpanish.
