Welcome to the Modern Foreign Languages Department

---

Intent

We fully support the school’s desire to inspire minds and grow learners. Learning languages promotes curiosity, deepens students’ understanding of the world and is becoming increasingly more important in today’s world. Through learning French, students will learn to understand and appreciate different cultures, countries and communities. The Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) curriculum is focused on developing students’ ability to communicate about themselves, their interests and their opinions.  In Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11), the focus widens to include the topics included in the AQA French specification. 

 

Why learn French?

In today’s world it is becoming increasingly important to speak a different language and being able to do so has many benefits:

• Open up a world of job opportunities: The world is changing fast and there are a growing number of careers which require people to be able to communicate with people in other countries. There are many courses at university which promote the study of a foreign language alongside another subject. 
• Broaden your horizons: Have you thought about living and working in a different country?
• Develop your employability skills: Key employability skills such as listening, presenting, creativity, problem solving, aiming high, staying positive, teamwork and leadership are all enhanced through the study of a foreign language.
• A stepping stone to other languages: Learning French will give you an insight into how to learn a language. It will then be easier to learn a second language…or even a third!
• Communicate with other people in their own language: This will give you a different perspective next time you go on holiday. International travel is so much easier when you can speak a different language.
• Keep your brain healthy: research has shown that learning a language can help improve your memory and increase your attention span.
• Understanding and appreciating different cultures: Learning a language promotes a deeper understanding of other cultures as well as your own and helps to promote positive attitudes.
   

Year 7

During year 7, students will study the following topics:

Fertile question: What does excellent French look/sound like?

• An introduction to communicating in French in the classroom and introducing yourself.

 

Fertile question: Who am I?

Giving and understanding information about yourself, your family and friends:

• Describing personality and physical appearance.
• Talking about pets.
• Describing the family.

 

Fertile question: What’s your problem...with school?

Giving and understanding information about school:

• Expressing and justifying opinions of school subjects.
• Describing the school day and uniform.
• Describing teachers.

 

Fertile question: What makes a house a home?

Giving and understanding information about where you live:

• Describing your house and its location.
• Making comparisons.
• Talking about household jobs.
• Talking about your daily routine.

 

Fertile question: Where would I like to be?

Giving and understanding information about holidays:

• Talking about where we usually go on holiday and what we do.
• Using the future tense to describe where we are going to go next year.
• Describing ideal holidays.

 

Fertile question: Where can your imagination take you?

Developing cultural knowledge via the study of a French film ‘Le petit prince’:

• Using our knowledge to describe the characters in the film.

 

Year 8

During year 8, students will study the following topics:

Fertile question: Were those the days?

Giving and understanding information about holidays:

• Talking about where we have been on holiday.
• Using three tenses to talk about our holidays.
• Describing accommodation.

 

Fertile question: Free time…what is that?

Giving and understanding information about our hobbies:

• Talking about which sports and activities we do and which instruments we play.
• Describing professional sports people.

 

Fertile question: Can I take you there?

Giving and understanding information about our towns:

• Talking about places in the town.
• Giving and understanding directions.
• Describing and comparing transport.

 

Fertile question: Who do I want to be?

Giving and understanding information about jobs and future plans:

• Focusing on different types of jobs.
• Using the future tense to talk about plans linked to jobs, home, family and education.

 

Fertile question: Do you remember?

An opportunity to revisit all the topics and grammar covered during year 7 and year 8.

 

Fertile question: Can music lead you to a new tomorrow?

Developing cultural knowledge via the study of a French film ‘Les choristes’:

• Using our knowledge to describe the characters in the film, the school and the school routines.

 

Year 9

During year 9, students will study the following topics:

Fertile question: Am I a slave to trends, or a trend-setter?

Giving and understanding information about our free time activities:

• Describing and expressing opinions on the music we listen to and the television programmes/ films we watch.

 

Fertile question: Am I a slave to trends, or a trend-setter?

Giving and understanding information about our free time activities:

• Describing the clothes that we wear and the technology we use.

 

Fertile question: How may I serve you?

Giving and understanding information about shopping and eating out:

• Recognising different types of shops and what you can buy there.
• Recognising different types of food and drink.
• Ordering food.

 

Fertile question: What’s your problem?

Giving and understanding information about health:

• Learning about the parts of the body.
• Saying/ understanding when something hurts.
• Giving information about a healthy lifestyle (diet, sport etc.).

 

Fertile question: Do you remember?

An opportunity to revisit all the topics and grammar covered during year 7, year 8 and year 9.

 

Fertile question: Naughty or nice?

Developing cultural knowledge via the study of a French film ‘Le petit Nicolas’:

• Using our knowledge to describe the characters in the film and analyse key themes.

 

Year 10

During year 10, students will study the following topics:

Fertile questions:

Who am I?
What makes a house a home?

AQA topics:

• Relationships with family and friends.
• Home, town, neighbourhood and region.

 

Fertile question: What’s your problem...with school?

AQA topics:

• My studies.
• Life at school.
• Education post-16.
   

Fertile question: Free-time….What is that?

AQA topics:

• Free time activities: music, cinema and TV, food and eating out, sport.

 

Fertile questions:

What’s your problem…
Where would I like to be? 
What is going on?
 

AQA topics:

• Healthy and unhealthy living.
• Customs and festivals in French speaking countries.

 

Fertile question: Where would I like to be?

AQA topics:

• Travel and tourism

 

Year 11

During year 11, students will study the following topics:

Fertile question: Why does the world need saving?

AQA topics:

• Social and global issues: poverty, charity, environment.

 

Fertile question: Who do I want to be?

AQA topics:

• Career choices and ambitions.

 

Fertile question: Technology… A blessing, or a curse?

AQA topics:

• Free time activities: mobile technology, social media.

 

 

---

MFL