The Modern Foreign Languages Team
The team is led by Mrs Z. Hockings, who specialises in German and French. She studied at the University of Southampton and spent her year abroad as an assistant in Wetzlar, in Germany and at the University of Picardy Jules Verne, in France.
The other members of the team are :-
Mrs H. Smoker (part-time), who specialises in French and Spanish. She studied at Swansea University and spent her year abroad as an assistant in a school in Rouen, in France.
Mrs L. Stevens (part-time), who specialises in Spanish and French. She studied at Cardiff University and spent her year abroad at the University of Granada in Spain.
Mrs N. Sullivan, who specialises in German and French. She studied at the University of Kent at Canterbury and spent her year abroad at the University of Siena in Italy and the University of Jena in Germany.
Modern Foreign Languages at Noadswood
Modern Foreign Languages teaching is driven by passion about foreign languages and cultures, and is committed to engendering this enthusiasm in our pupils.
We regard languages as a skill for life and as enjoyable and rewarding to acquire, refine and deepen in complexity through study. We enhance pupils’ cultural awareness, whilst developing their language skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, without fear of failure and with increasing confidence and resilience.
The starting point is drawn from a child’s own experiences: name, age, family, pets etc, progressing to a variety of other topics, whereby students meet vocabulary and structures of increasing complexity, in order to understand securely and express themselves confidently therein.
At Noadswood we pride ourselves on the uniqueness of our MFL lessons and we craft them to be varied and engaging via interactive activities which pupils enjoy.
We also believe in the importance of grammar to enable pupils to manipulate and structure languages effectively and coherently.
Learning a language enhances pupils’ own and their new languages, as well as their problem solving and communication skills, which are essential in every walk of life. Our curriculum and pedagogy are devised to enhance these skills across five years of study, alongside the language content, manipulation and the key skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. Gaining a qualification in a Modern Foreign Language can also enhance future employment prospects.
Year 7
Our year 7 pupils study French, German or Spanish on entry, with parents able to request a specific language, if there is a strong connection to a particular country, prior to their child starting in September. If there are any questions relating to language requests, please refer to Mrs Z. Hockings in the first instance.
Pupils follow a scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum, based on the Accès and Studio (French), Stimmt (German), Viva (Spanish) textbooks and on-line resources, supplemented by other resources including PowerPoints, songs, games and DVDs. The online resources provide skill practice in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, covering the topic areas listed below. Grammar and vocabulary are interwoven throughout the course and are revisited regularly, in new contexts.
Pupils’ learning is regularly assessed via a programme of common assessments, covering the four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
Year 8
In year 8 pupils continue with the language they started in year 7, following the National Curriculum. Our schemes of work are based on the Studio, Stimmt and Viva textbooks and on-line resources, supplemented by other resources including PowerPoints, songs, games and DVDs. The online resources provide skill practice in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, covering the topic areas listed below. Grammar and vocabulary are interwoven throughout the course and are revisited regularly, in new contexts.
For pupils who demonstrate an aptitude for French/ German, there is the opportunity for them to study a second Modern Foreign Language in year 8.
Pupils’ learning is regularly assessed via a programme of common assessments, covering the four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
Year 10 and 11
In years 10 and 11 pupils study French, German or Spanish to GCSE, based on the language(s) they studied in years 8 and 9. For all three languages the exam board is AQA (Course codes - French 8658, German 8668, Spanish 8698).
We use the Studio, Stimmt and Viva textbooks and on-line resources, supplemented by other resources including PowerPoints, songs, games and DVDs. The online resources provide skill practice in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, covering the themes listed below. There is flexibility in the order in which themes are covered, so that learning can be personalised according to the ability and interest of the classes, including responding to what might occur in the news in a particular country or a current social issue. Grammar and vocabulary are interwoven throughout the course and are revisited regularly, in new contexts.
Pupils are assessed via terminal exams in listening, speaking, reading and writing, which take place at the end of year 11. All four skills are equally weighted and are worth 25% each.
In class we constantly offer support and extension activities to help reinforce and extend learning. We encourage pupils to seek help from us, either during the course of the lesson, or outside of lesson times.
In class we constantly offer support and extension activities to help reinforce and extend learning. We encourage students to seek help from us, either during the course of the lesson or outside of lesson times.
Extra-curricular opportunities
Whole school
We celebrate European Day of Languages. We run an inter-house “Spot the Teacher” competition, where members of staff wear badges for us (representing different aspects of European culture each year) and tutor groups have to identify the teachers and the badges they are wearing. The House with the most entries wins the European Day of Languages cup. Students answer the register in tutor time in a different language and we provide a tutor group quiz raising awareness of different languages and cultures. The canteen also supports us by making foods with a European theme.
Year 9 and 10
Pupils studying German have the opportunity to participate in a German Exchange with our partner school in Homburg. The German pupils come here and stay with our pupils’ families for a week and we then go over to Germany and stay with the German pupils’ families for a week. This is an amazing chance to improve language skills as well as to immerse themselves in German culture and make new friends.
