Years 7 & 8 Curriculum - Languages

FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH

In the first term of Year 7 all students will complete a carousel of languages within which they will have the opportunity to learn some French, German and Spanish. Each carousel rotation will last 4 weeks and will provide students with the opportunity to get a feel for learning each of three languages that we offer at Brookfield.

At the end of the carousel, towards the end of the autumn term, the students will be able to state a preference for which language they would like to continue learning. Although it cannot be guaranteed, we will endeavour to allocate most students to their first language preference to take forward.

Students will then continue learning their allocated language through to Year 9.

At the end of Year 8, students who have shown a real aptitude for languages in Years 7 and 8 will be offered the opportunity to learn a second language from Year 9 onwards.

Students will be unable to select a language for GCSE that they have not studied in Year 9 without the approval of the Languages Leader following a discussion with the student and their parents or carers.

YEAR 7 AND 8 COURSE CONTENT

At Brookfield, our objective is to enable students of all abilities to develop their foreign language skills to their full potential, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to communicate in a variety of contexts.  We are passionate about the benefits that learning a language can bring and as such we strongly believe in languages as a skill for life and something students should enjoy and find rewarding.

For these reasons, in every Languages lesson students will be expanding their cultural knowledge whilst developing their language skills in a variety of contexts to build a solid base of vocabulary and grammar structures.  This is aimed at supporting them to deal with everyday life in the countries where the language is spoken and/or communicating with visitors from these countries. Languages lessons will also have a strong cultural focus, allowing students to develop their understanding of the customs and traditions of the wider world.

The Year 7/8 course develops the ability of students to excel at the four skills of speaking, writing, listening and reading as well as developing a strong cultural understanding.

This is achieved through:

  • Regular opportunities in lessons to converse in the foreign language and to develop pronunciation and spontaneity.
  • Listening regularly to native speakers and reading authentic materials written in the language studied.
  • Regular writing practice in the foreign language, with and without support, in a variety of styles and contexts.
  • Developing a thorough understanding and application of grammatical rules.
  • Vocabulary memorization to allow for confidence building in listening, reading, speaking and writing.
  • Opportunities to use language creatively and in a variety of contexts.
  • Explicit teaching about customs, traditional and norms in the countries of the languages studied.

At the end of each term, students will sit assessments in two out of the four key skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing). At the end of the academic year students will have sat at least one assessment in each of the skills in order to generate an accurate picture of their strengths and areas for improvement.

ENQUIRIES TO:

Mr A Clements - Learning Leader a.clements@brookfield.hants.sch.uk
Mr M Barrett - Deputy Learning Leader m.barrett@brookfield.hants.sch.uk