Modern Foreign Languages and Latin
Aims of the Department
Our pupils learn languages in a positive and encouraging environment where they master the rules of grammar and develop the confidence to communicate well in their chosen languages. As they progress we expect more intellectual rigour in the target language including discussions about social and global issues, culminating in the Sixth Form in which culture, contemporary social issues, history and literature are discussed.
Languages are the ideal opportunity to widen their knowledge of the world and other cultures.
Employers know that linguists have:
- An international dimension
- An awareness of cultural differences
- Team-working, oral communication, problem solving
- A skill for life
Linguists are well regarded by universities and employers since Modern Languages GCSEs and A-Levels give students an advantage in the job market at every level, thanks to the many transferable skills which they will have mastered during their ‘Linguistic’ journey.
In Year 7 French is taught to all during 3 weekly lessons, with the progression to both French and Spanish for all students from Year 8, at a rate of 2 weekly lessons per language. Pupils will have made their choice of either French or Spanish for their GCSE by the Spring term of Year 9. Pupils are offered opportunities to practise their language skills in context and learn more about other countries through a programme of courses and visits abroad.
Italian is offered as a co-curricular class at KS3 and can lead to a GCSE qualification. Latin is offered as a co-curricular class at KS3 and as a curriculum option from Year 10, to lead to a GCSE qualification and potentially an A-Level.
Our approach to lessons
At The Fulham Boys School, we fully embrace the St Martin’s approach to languages. It is mainly about using the Target Language as much as possible and creating a classroom environment which simulates language acquisition.
This implies that we often do make or adapt our own resources since we do not teach from a book at KS3 but use the book to support our teaching. Everything in the classroom is for a reason and we provide substantial scaffolding in all our classrooms to stimulate attempts at high-level language and a natural desire to stretch oneself.
Department Staff
- Emile Sinot- Head of Modern Foreign Languages: e.sinot@fulhamboysschool.org.uk
- Alexandra Gaudé - Second in Charge of MFL
- Annie Embiricos - MFL Teacher
- Michela Iannucci - MFL Teacher
- Martin Hartigan - Latin Teacher
Year 7 curriculum
- Greetings/ Introductions/ Routines/ Alphabet/ Numbers
- Family
- Pets
- Food
- Sports
- School life/ items of school bag
- Countries/ Transport
- Geographical features
How the boys will be assessed in Year 7
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the beginning of spring term 1 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
Year 8 curriculum
- Accommodation
- Home Life
- Daily Routine + past tense
- Jobs
- Part-time jobs & pocket money
- Future plans & Employment
- Your area & what there is
- Problems in the area
- Cultural awareness of TL countries
How the boys will be assessed in Year 8
-
At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the beginning of spring term 1 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
Year 9 curriculum
- Film Study
- TV, Cinema
- Music, Social Media
- Technology
- Fashion & Trends
- Attitude towards food
- Healthy Lifestyle
- Aches & Pains
How the boys will be assessed in Year 9
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the end of autumn term 2 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
Year 10 curriculum
- Autumn 1: Topic 1: Me, my family and friends
- Autumn 2: Topic 5: Home, town, neighbourhood and region
- Spring 1: Topic 9: My studies & Topic 10: Life at school/college
- Spring 2: Topic 11: Education post-16 & Topic 12: Jobs, career choices and ambitions
- Summer 1: Topic 4: Customs and festivals in French-speaking countries/communities Topic 3: Free-time activities.
- Summer 2: Topic 2: Technology in everyday life
How the boys will be assessed in Year 10
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these exam cycles, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the end of autumn term 2 and at the beginning of summer term 1. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based for the autumn term 2 session but for the end of year of year exam, this is also exam-based.
Year 11 curriculum
- Autumn 1: Topic 8: Travel and tourism & Topic 6: Social Issues.
- Autumn 2: & Topic 7: Global issues.
- Spring Terms & Summer Term 1: Revision and Practice of exam-style questions.+ GCSE Speaking exam.
How the boys will be assessed in Year 11
At the beginning of year 11, students sit an academic fitness test to gauge their level after the summer break. This is a writing unit.
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based
- Students will also be assessed through formal mocks exams by the middle of January. The
- Speaking exam take place at the beginning of December to model the format of the actual
- GCSE. All 4 skills are assessed during that time.
- Actual GCSE Speaking exams are conducted during the week commencing the last week of
- April/ first week of May.
MFL Co-Curricular
The department is heavily involved in the school’s co-curricular programme, including lunchtime activities.
We currently offer French board games, French Cinema, French booster sessions, Foreign Language Spelling Bee, Spanish for beginners, Cultural discovery including cooking and early GCSE preparation for bi-lingual students.
GCSE French/ Spanish
Examination Board AQA. This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course. The new AQA French/Spanish GCSE is designed to stimulate and motivate students. There are familiar topics as well as new ones that will inspire students to further their interests in the culture of the target-language countries. We will be therefore looking more specifically at France/Spain and the French-speaking/ Spanish-speaking communities and countries.
The French/Spanish GCSE offers a Foundation Tier (grades 1–5) or a Higher Tier (grades 4–9) and, each exam is spread across four question papers. Students must take all four question papers at the same tier and all question papers must be taken in the same series.
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Our approach to the MFL & Latin curriculum
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Our pupils learn languages in a positive and encouraging environment where they master the rules of grammar and develop the confidence to communicate well in their chosen languages. As they progress we expect more intellectual rigour in the target language including discussions about social and global issues, culminating in the Sixth Form in which culture, contemporary social issues, history and literature are discussed. Languages are the ideal opportunity to widen their knowledge of the world and other cultures. Employers know that linguists have:
Linguists are well regarded by universities and employers since Modern Languages GCSEs and A-Levels give students an advantage in the job market at every level, thanks to the many transferable skills which they will have mastered during their ‘Linguistic’ journey. In Year 7 French is taught to all during 3 weekly lessons, with the progression to both French and Spanish for all students from Year 8, at a rate of 2 weekly lessons per language. Pupils will have made their choice of either French or Spanish for their GCSE by the Spring term of Year 9. Pupils are offered opportunities to practise their language skills in context and learn more about other countries through a programme of courses and visits abroad. Italian is offered as a co-curricular class at KS3 and can lead to a GCSE qualification. Latin is offered as a co-curricular class at KS3 and as a curriculum option from Year 10, to lead to a GCSE qualification and potentially an A-Level. |
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Our approach to lessons
At The Fulham Boys School, we fully embrace the St Martin’s approach to languages. It is mainly about using the Target Language as much as possible and creating a classroom environment which simulates language acquisition. |
Department staff
Jaya Chetti-Mootoosamy, Head of Modern Foreign Languages –j.chetti@fulhamboysschool.org.uk
Khady Konaté, Teacher of French
Kevin Scalia, Teacher of Spanish
Alexandra Gaudé, Teacher of French
Martin Hartigan, Teacher of Latin
Year 7 curriculum
- Greetings/ Introductions/ Routines/ Alphabet/ Numbers
- Family
- Pets
- Food
- Sports
- School life/ items of school bag
- Countries/ Transport
- Geographical features
- Holidays/ Hobbies
How the boys will be assessed in Year 7
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the beginning of spring term 1 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
Year 8 curriculum
- Accommodation
- Home Life
- Daily Routine + past tense
- Jobs
- Part-time jobs & pocket money
- Future plans & Employment
- Your area & what there is
- Problems in the area
- Cultural awareness of TL countries
How the boys will be assessed in Year 8
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the beginning of spring term 1 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
Year 9 curriculum
- Film Study
- TV, Cinema
- Music, Social Media
- Technology
- Fashion & Trends
- Attitude towards food
- Healthy Lifestyle
- Aches & Pains
How the boys will be assessed in Year 9
- At the end of each topic, we assess 2 out of the 4 skills of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. These are class-based.
- Students will also be assessed through formal exams twice in the academic year. For each of these cycles of data capture, all 4 skills are assessed within a fortnight. This will normally occur at the end of autumn term 2 and at the beginning of summer term 2. The speaking exams are the only components which remain class-based. All the other skills are exam-based.
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GCSE French/ Spanish Examination Board AQA. This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course. The new AQA French/Spanish GCSE is designed to stimulate and motivate students. There are familiar topics as well as new ones that will inspire students to further their interests in the culture of the target-language countries. We will be therefore looking more specifically at France/Spain and the French-speaking/ Spanish-speaking communities and countries.
The French/Spanish GCSE offers a Foundation Tier (grades 1–5) or a Higher Tier (grades 4–9) and, each exam is spread across four question papers. Students must take all four question papers at the same tier and all question papers must be taken in the same series.
Students will study 3 distinct themes, which comprise of 12 topics on which the assessments are based.
Topic 1: Me, my family and friends Topic 2: Technology in everyday life Topic 3: Free-time activities Topic 4: Customs and festivals in French-speaking countries/communities Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest Topic 5: Home, town, neighbourhood and region Topic 6: Social issues Topic 7: Global issues Topic 8: Travel and tourism Theme 3: Current and future study and employment Topic 9: My studies Topic 10: Life at school/college Topic 11: Education post-16 Topic 12: Jobs, career choices and ambitions
Year 10 curriculum
Autumn 2: Topic 5: Home, town, neighbourhood and region Spring 1: Topic 9: My studies & Topic 10: Life at school/college Spring 2: Topic 11: Education post-16 & Topic 12: Jobs, career choices and ambitions Summer 1: Topic 4: Customs and festivals in French-speaking countries/communities Topic 3: Free-time activities. Summer 2: Topic 2: Technology in everyday life
How the boys will be assessed in Year 10
Year 11 curriculum
Autumn 2: & Topic 7: Global issues. Spring Terms & Summer Term 1: Revision and Practice of exam-style questions.+ GCSE Speaking exam. How the boys will be assessed in Year 11 (See chart below)
Speaking exam take place at the beginning of December to model the format of the actual GCSE. All 4 skills are assessed during that time.
April/ first week of May.
GCSE Exam Components
Unit 1 Listening Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language. ● Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation Tier), 45 minutes (Higher Tier) ● 40 marks (Foundation Tier), 50 marks (Higher Tier) ● 25% of GCSE Unit 2 Speaking Communicating and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes. There are three components to the speaking exam: role play, photo card task and discussion/ general conversation. ● Speaking exam ● 7–9 minutes of recording time (Foundation Tier) - preceded by 12 minutes of preparation time ● 10–12 minutes of recording time (Higher Tier) - preceded by 12 minutes of preparation time ● 60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier) ● 25% of GCSE Unit 3 Reading Understanding and responding to different types of written language. ● Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation Tier), 1 hour (Higher Tier) ● 60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier) ● 25% of GCSE Unit 4 Writing Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes (essays and translation). ● Written exam: 1 hour (Foundation Tier), 1 hour 15 minutes (Higher Tier) ● 50 marks at Foundation Tier and 60 marks at Higher Tier ● 25% of GCSE
Examination Board OCR. This qualification is linear with 3 exam papers being sat at the end of Year 11 - a language paper and two option papers.
The course is designed to help learners develop their understanding of the Latin language and the related ancient literature, values and society and to develop a desire within them to continue learning Latin, encouraging a lifelong enthusiasm for the Classical world. it also provides solid preparation for those wishing to progress to A Level Latin qualifications.
Course specification: www.ocr.org.uk/Images/220702-specification-accredited-gcselatin-j282.pdf
Aims and Outcomes The course will enable students to: • develop and deploy their knowledge of vocabulary, morphology and syntax in order to read, understand and interpret • develop their knowledge and understanding of ancient literature, values and society through the study of original texts, adapted and abridged as appropriate • develop and apply their critical, analytical and reflective skills to evaluate evidence from a range of sources
The course will encourage students to: • develop insights into the relevance of Latin and of ancient literature and civilisation to our understanding of our modern world of diverse cultures • deploy their knowledge and understanding of Latin to deepen their understanding of English and other languages • relate their knowledge and understanding of the ancient world to other disciplines • develop research and analytical skills which will empower them to become independent learners and enquirers, equipping them for further study in arts, humanities and sciences.
Content Overview How is the Latin GCSE assessed? The two-year course culminates in:
(from a defined list), accidence and syntax (50% of total GCSE.)
answer questions in English on aspects of content and analyse, evaluate and respond to the ancient literature they have studied. We envisage our students would take one Literature and one Verse paper. Each worth 25% of total GCSE)
The Language Paper Language Learners study texts and stories in Latin to build knowledge and understanding of Latin vocabulary, accidence and syntax. In the course of this component, students develop their knowledge of Latin vocabulary and linguistic structures through reading and studying texts and stories in Latin. They then demonstrate their linguistic competence through the translation and comprehension of unseen Latin passages. Students will also be able to demonstrate their linguistic ability by either recognising, analysing and explaining accidence and syntax within the context of a narrative passage or by translating short sentences from English into Latin.
We use the textbooks ‘Latin to GCSE Parts 1 and 2’ ‘Latin to GCSE’ bloomsbury.com/uk/latin-to-gcse-part-1-9781780934402/ bloomsbury.com/uk/latin-to-gcse-part-2-9781780934419/
These resources are complemented with our own materials that include: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/latin-stories-9781350003866/
The Two Option Papers There are 5 option papers, of which any 2 must be chosen. We have chosen to take one Prose and one Verse Literature paper. In each paper students study Latin set texts and answer questions in English on aspects of content and analyse, evaluate and respond to the ancient literature they have studied. The Latin texts that are studied are shown below, noting that every 2 years they change:
Curriculum Year 10 Autumn Term - Latin to GCSE textbook - Chapters 1 and 2 Spring Term - Latin to GCSE textbook - Chapters 3, 4 and 5 Summer Term - Latin to GCSE textbook - Chapter 6, 7 & 8 (Latin Stories Reader introduced) Year 11 Autumn Term - Prose Literature Paper - and Latin to GCSE textbook Chapter 9 Spring Term - Verse Literature Paper - and Latin to GCSE textbook Chapter 10 |
What do the students say about learning in MFL?
MFL in Spring – by Joshua Tindale-Paul
In French for World Book Day this year we are looking at Les Miserables, the author who wrote it and attempting to understand French literature. In our French World Book Day lesson we watched ‘Do You Hear The People Sing’, then we read the first few pages of Les Miserables and explored the language. In normal lessons though we have to use French to ask to sit down and take our blazers. Also to enhance our speaking and listening skills we can be the teacher for the first 5 – 10 minutes and ask for an assistant (someone to control the computer), a point keeper for the points board and a point keeper for individual points, all in French.
We give students opportunities to be enterprising through taking risks, becoming daring, developing resilience, being team players, and building tenacity.
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