Students : Curriculum : MFL

What happens in Yr9?

You will continue with the language you’ve been studying for the last 2 years.  Whether you are in an Express set or a Standard set you will have 4 hours per fortnight. 

Typical topics are:  earning money, environmental problems, personal relationships, clothes and fashion, arranging holidays.

You will continue to develop your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.  You will be encouraged to expand your bank of useful phrases and use them as often as possible in as many contexts as possible, and there will be a focus on mastering the past and the future tenses (you will have met these over the last 2 years) so that you have every opportunity of achieving the higher National Curriculum levels.

Homework:  Regular homework (1 piece per week) will help you to memorise phrases and will give you a chance to practise using them in your own spoken or written work.

Assessment:  Just as in Yr7 and 8, you should expect regular mini-tests and a number of formal assessments (which will include 2x open-ended speaking tests and 2x open-ended writing tests) that will help track your progress.  You will be aware of your strengths, and where there are weaknesses you will be set targets for improvement.  If you try hard to address these targets you should continue to make good progress!  Your aim is to achieve or, even better, beat your Target Minimum Level for the end of KS3 - Good luck!

…in addition…

If you are in an Express set, you will also start to learn Spanish (3 hours per fortnight).  You will already have developed many skills as a language-learner, so expect to learn quite a lot in quite a short time!  Hopefully at the end of the year you will consider taking one or both of your foreign languages at KS4.

If you are a Standard set you will follow a ‘Culture’ course (3 hours per fortnight).  You will work in a variety of ways with a range of resources; you will look at cultural differences that exist within your own community; you will consider how different cultures influence one another; you will compare and contrast popular aspects of culture such as music, food, tourism, fashion, language, and customs in order to understand and celebrate differences.  Be ready to share you ideas and work with others!

…and finally…

By now we hope that you understand the importance of learning a foreign language and also how incredibly rewarding it can be.  We look forward to seeing you in Yr10!