Modern Foreign Language
Studying Languages at Fram is all about young people developing fluency, gaining a skill for life and also learning about other cultures and countries in this ever-evolving world.
We offer two languages up to GCSE level: French and Spanish. French is the main first foreign language learnt by all students to begin with, except for two classes in each year group who will study Spanish from January in Year 7.
Over the five years of studying a language, students will progress from very basic language content and grammar structures in Year 7, talking about oneself, family, school, and town, to slowly introducing new vocabulary and language and increasingly complex grammar forms as appropriate. By the time they reach Key Stage 4 students are capable of producing extended presentations in the target language, taking part in conversations and role-plays, and writing longer passages on such topics as the environment, travel and tourism, cultural differences, leisure opportunities and the world of work.
Educational Visits
Visits abroad are a popular part of the curriculum, where we aim to immerse our students in both the language and the culture of the country.
France
- Year 7: day trip to Boulogne and Le Touquet in June
- Year 9: 5 days in Paris in October, enabling us to see all of the sights and get a real feel for this beautiful capital city
Spain
- A planned 4-day visit to Madrid in the Spring term for students of Spanish
Germany
- We have in the past visited the Christmas markets in Cologne in December, for a truly unique cultural experience
KS 3 Assessment
Students are assessed over the course of each year on a regular basis:
Formally at the end of each unit of work by means of a predetermined test according to the content and skills taught. All formal assessments cover Listening and Reading (understanding) as well as Speaking and Writing (communication). Reported Assessment Points are noted below. But there is also more frequent informal assessment by means of vocabulary tests following on from a learning homework, speaking tests using both peer and formal teacher assessment and by the class teacher using classwork activities.
Key Stage 3
French
Year 7
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
Who am I? Back to school, all the basics. Numbers, dates, alphabet, correct pronunciation sounds, family, describing self and others with correct adjectival agreement. What is an infinitive? Regular -er verbs, avoir & être, use of the definite and indefinite articles. |
Assessment of short simple sentences on the topics covered. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
How to talk about life at school. Colours, subjects, clothes, the school day, agreeing and disagreeing using -er verbs. What is a typical French school like? Using adjectives after nouns, il y a / il n’y a pas de … |
Assessment of opinions with reasons of a sequence of related sentences on the topics covered. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
What do I do in my free time? Weather and the seasons, sports & activities, French speaking countries, like and dislikes, using the verb faire, how to use cognates and context, the verb aimer + the infinitive, how to form and answer questions. |
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
How to talk about my family life. Animals, people in my family, and where I live. What I eat for breakfast and French celebrations. The use of possessive adjectives, the partitive article and the nous form of verbs |
The understanding and communication of a short paragraph. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
How to describe a town. Places we go to in a town or a village, café vocabulary, making future plans, how to invite someone out. Using the verbs aller and vouloir, and the difference between tu /vous. Using two tenses together.
|
|
Year 8
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
What I did during my holidays. Introduction of the past tense. Use of regular and irregular verbs and some which use être in the perfect tense. Negatives, questioning and using 2 tenses together. |
Understanding and communication of a short paragraph including the perfect tense. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
How to talk about festivals and celebrations. Special days, buying food, a future trip, the New Year. |
Understanding and communication of a short text covering more than one topic area. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Leisure time. TV programmes, digital technology, going to the cinema, using all 3 tenses. |
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
Where I live. Describing both your own and a new area, what you have to do at home, moving house. |
Understanding and communication of a short text using different tenses, covering more than one topic area. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
Sports & opinions. Illnesses and injuries, going to the doctor. |
|
Year 9
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
My place in the world. Revision as to how to use all 3 tenses together. |
Understanding and communication of the topic covered, working towards GCSE expectations. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Plans for the future, how to use the future tense. |
GCSE past paper listening & reading, GCSE style speaking and writing. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
My life in music, and how to use the imperfect tense. |
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
The world at its best. What can be done to help the environment? |
GCSE past paper listening & reading, GCSE style speaking and writing. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
The French speaking world. Bringing together all grammar ideas and verbs. |
|
Spanish
Year 7
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Spring Term 1 |
All about me. The basics: questions to introduce ourselves, adjectives about personality, family members, age, numbers, months and pets. |
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
Family members, ages, more numbers. |
Assessment of main points and opinions with reasons of a sequence of related sentences. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
My free time. Expressing opinions, activities we do, combining the weather and sports/activities.
|
|
Year 8
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
School. Opinions, school subjects and school life. |
Understanding and communication of a short paragraph. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Family and friends. Physical descriptions of others. |
Understanding and communication of a short text covering more than one topic area. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Where I live. Descriptions of your house and home.
|
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
My town. Describing places around town. Telling the time & introduction of the future tense. |
Understanding and communication of a short text covering more than one topic area including the near future tense. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
Holidays and using the past tense. |
|
Year 9
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
TV and social media. |
Understanding and communication of the topic covered working towards GCSE expectations. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Food and drink. Ordering a meal & giving an account of a party. |
GCSE past paper listening & reading, GCSE style speaking and writing. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Arranging to go out. Using three different tenses together. |
|
|
Spring Term 2 |
Describing a holiday home & talking about holiday activities. |
GCSE past paper listening & reading, GCSE style speaking and writing. |
|
Summer Term 1 & 2 |
Holidays - using the past, present and future tenses. |
|
Key Stage 4
French
Year 10
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term |
Family and relationships, role models, leisure activities. |
|
Spring Term |
Festivals and traditions. Where I live and community issues. |
|
Summer Term |
Holidays and travel. School life. |
Year 11
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term |
Jobs and work preferences, future plans, the importance of languages. |
|
Spring Term |
World and environmental issues, big events around us, volunteering opportunities. |
|
Summer Term |
Revision and exam preparation. |
Spanish
Year 10
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term |
Discussing school and social media. |
|
Spring Term |
Leisure activities and Spanish and Latin-American celebrations. |
|
Summer Term |
Towns and cities & the geography of Spain. Spanish culture & food. |
Year 11
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term |
Jobs and the world of work. Importance of languages. |
|
Spring Term |
World and environmental issues, big events around us. |
|
Summer Term |
Revision and exam preparation. |
