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learning - departments - modern Foreign Languages...

MFL At Meden...

The Faculty has recently undergone a period of profound change.  We now offer French as the first foreign language and Spanish as the second.

On entry into year 7 all pupils start French.  They are taught by means of flashcards, over-head transparencies, interactive whiteboards, school-produced workbooks known as “carnets” and modern textbooks – “Métro” and “Expo”.

At the start much emphasis is placed on good pronunciation and making pupils feel comfortable with the sounds of the new language.  They usually enjoy whole class oral work and are encouraged to take part, even if they tend to be naturally reserved.  After this stage they are gradually introduced to written work and asked to focus on the spelling of the words that they can say.  More formal listening and reading practice follow and some time is spent exploring French grammar, to help pupils to become more independent users of the language.

At the start of Year 8 pupils are placed into sets to make it easier for them to progress at a suitable pace.  The teaching techniques remain the same but there is more emphasis on grammar in the top sets to enable pupils to reach levels 5 and 6 of the National Curriculum.

The same setting arrangements apply for Year 9 but at this point it is intended to offer Spanish to pupils who have shown an aptitude for language learning and who would like to learn a second foreign language.

Spanish is taught using the same range of resources as for French and the course is based on the textbook “Listos”.

In Key Stage 4 it is hoped to offer both French and Spanish to GCSE. The Faculty’s examination results have been excellent to date.  We follow the AQA Specification A, using the writing option instead of coursework.

French is offered to “A” level as part of the Mansfield Consortium.  Again our examination results using the AQA Specification have been commendable.

If you need more detailed information or would like to meet the staff please contact the Director of Studies, Mr G. O’Keeffe, at school.