Welcome to the Modern Languages Department at Waddesdon Church of England School
Head of Modern Languages
Helen Fitzgerald
Teachers
Elma Brown Angela Mann Philippa Watt
Rebekah Moore Sarah Vincent
Subject Overview
Day Trips, Visits and Exchanges
Course Information
Resources and Websites
Subject Overview
The Department is fortunate to be situated in the newest building on the school site; the Thorp Building opened in 2005. The Department has four permanent teaching rooms, each equipped with television and video or DVD player, audio equipment for listening exercises and it has recently been given two data projectors and one interactive SMARTboard.
The Department delivers French and German to all years from 7-13 at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5. All students study both French and German on entry to the school in Year 7 and most continue with both until the end of Year 8 when they take their GCSE option choices to begin in September of Year 9. The school currently has over 70% of students undertaking a modern language at GCSE Level, which is above the present national average.
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Day Trips, Visits and Exchanges
The school offers a variety of visits to reinforce the learning of the students at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Year 8 - Visit to St. Omer
In Year 8, all students of both French and German are offered the opportunity to go on the day trip to St. Omer in northern France. The day is not only enjoyable but has also proved to be a very rewarding experience.
The party leaves school at 4.30am by coach. After crossing from Dover, the tour includes a visit to the hypermarket, a visit to a traditional French bakery (with a demonstration and the opportunity to buy some bread) and also a walking tour of the town of St. Omer. Completion of a workbook is an important part of the day.
Years 9 and 10 - Paris Trip
In June, Year 9 and Year 10 French students are offered the opportunity to spend a week in Paris, during which time they stay in a hotel and spend the days and evenings walking around the city centre, seeing the sights and learning about Parisian history and culture. The trip includes visits to Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur, Montmartre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs and Disneyland Paris. This is a very informative and rewarding visit, during which students are able to see and learn a great deal about French culture, history and traditions, and also to interact in French with native speakers.
Years 9 and 10 - German Exchange
This exchange visit has been running for over seventeen years and links to the town of Weilheim in Bavaria, Germany. Students tSravel to Germany and are partnered with students of a similar age in a comprehensive school in Weilheim. They stay with families for eight days and spend some time in the school. They also visit sights such as Neuchwanstein Castle, used in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, the Bavarian film studios, the City of Munich and they also undertake a walking tour through a gorge into the foothills of the Alps. This proves to be a very popular visit; it is extremely helpful for students to practise their German language skills with a German family. Many students describe this as an unforgettable experience.
Year 12 / 13 - Visit to Paris
This is a very enjoyable week-long visit for the Sixth Form French students, who have the opportunity both to improve their French and to visit the principal historic and cultural sights in Paris. Students stay in a hostel and attend morning language classes delivered in French at a language school in the hostel; in the afternoons and evenings they go on visits to experience Parisian culture. Students use the visit as an opportunity to undertake research for their AS / A Level coursework and to prepare for their oral exams; accordingly, they choose the sights which are most relevant for their particular study. Independence and confidence are gained through the planning of their own programme.
Learning a language at Waddesdon is a valuable experience. The hard work is challenging but learning a language is both rewarding and enjoyable.
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Course Information
Key Stage 3
- All students in Year 7 are taught both French and German and work on a two-weekly timetable with an alternating cycle of three lessons of one language and two of the other.
- In French, students work from the Expo 1 textbook throughout the year. This includes topics of personal information and description, family and pets, house and home and telling the time and places in a town. The Department provides textbooks for use in class and also asks students to purchase the Workbook which is used for homework.
- In German, students work from the Logo 1 textbook throughout the year. This includes topics of personal information and description, family and pets, free time, hobbies and school. There are textbooks for use in class and students are expected to purchase the Workbook which is used for homework.
- In Year 8, most students continue with both languages, receiving two lessons per week of both French and German. However, certain students are encouraged to study only one and receive four lessons of their chosen language per week.
- During Year 8, students continue with Expo 1 for French Units 5 and 6 and then start Expo 2 in the final term. They cover topics of daily routine, school and free time. In German, they cover Units 5 and 6 of Logo 1 and then Unit 1 of Logo 2. The topics covered are: house and home, daily routine, places in town and ordering food and drink.
In both French and German, students are taught through Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing tasks, following the National Curriculum and the Key Stage 3 National Framework for Modern Languages. They are set one homework per week and are assessed regularly. They cover all four attainment targets and are awarded levels as specified in the National Curriculum. The essential homework task is to learn and consolidate new vocabulary learnt in class. In Years 7 and 8, students should expect to attain a Level 1 - 4 and gifted and talented linguists may attain Level 5. To attain Level 5, students need to be confident in the use of past and future tenses. Lessons aim to achieve a balance between communicative language teaching and the firm belief held within the Department that grammar must be introduced from an early stage in order to give pupils the strongest framework possible for their language learning.
Key Stage 4
- Students begin the GCSE course in Year 9 and all students are encouraged to take at least one language, either French or German. Many continue to take both. Students have three periods of Modern Language teaching per week and are taught following the AQA specification for GCSE.
- As in Key Stage 3, students are given regular opportunities to both consolidate and expand their learning with practice in the four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, each of which makes up 25% of their final examination grade. The lessons are a combination of topic work and grammatical language study.
- Approximately 70% of Year 11 students successfully complete an MFL at GCSE.
Key Stage 5
- The school offers both French and German at Key Stage 5, with French students following the Élan 1 and 2 course and German students following Zeitgeist 1 and 2. Students are expected to purchase their own textbooks in Years 12 and 13.
- Students are taught by two members of staff who normally divide their lessons into grammatical or topic-based themes. They study six periods per week, three per teacher and are also expected to work in private study periods.
- Topics covered range from festivals and social traditions and health and fitness to relationships, environment, French or German politics and the European Union.
- On entry to Year 12, students are expected to do at least three hours of private study per week in addition to classroom tuition in order to develop their subject knowledge and understanding to the standard required in the Sixth Form.
- Grammar tuition plays a major role in AS and A2 Levels so that students are brought up to the required standard of linguistic comprehension and are able to manipulate the language effectively. The teaching encompasses verb work in all forms, as well as other grammatical concepts such as word order in German, all of which require analytical skill for good understanding.
- Students find that the teaching approaches move from more teacher-led learning to more independent study. The programme includes extended writing, internet research and use of newspapers and magazines. Wider reading is important and leads to improved comprehension of the target language and culture.
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MFL ICT Resources and Websites
German
http://www.grantandcutler.comThe UK's largest language bookseller.
http://www.languagesonline.org.uk
Interactive exercises, grammar and pronunciation work for 11-16 year-olds.
http://www.elearningeuropa.info/
This website is backed by the European Commission and has lots of links to websites in German.
http://www.uebersetzung.at
Choose a language and pick "fun" from the left hand menu to see tongue-twisters in German.
http://sport.de
Articles in German about current sporting news and events.
http://www.mflgames.co.uk
Wheel of Fortune, millionaire, hangman, scratch card, quizzes on a variety of basic topics.
http://www.ex.ac.uk/german/abinitio/
Beginners’ German site from Exeter University.
http://dict.leo.org/
Online English-German dictionary.
http://www.wm.edu/CAS/modlang/grammnu.html
German grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary – on-line learning site.
http://www.spiegel.de/index.html
Up-to-the-minute on-line news in German.
http://www.ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk/curriculum/modlang/index.htm
A very useful site for students of GCSE with video clips and on-line interactive activities available on many topics.
http://www.jetzt.de/
Pop culture news and chat room.
http://focus.de
On-line news, weather and politics in German.
http://www.germanfortravellers.com/
A site for travellers to learn German phrases, find out about places to visit and buy German products.
http://german.about.com/
Grammar tests, vocabulary lists and a series of articles about German culture.
http://www.quia.com/
Enjoyable learning games for Years 7 and 8. Go to the Student Zone and then choose ‘German’.
http://www.langweb.co.uk
Activities for pupils to practise German.
http://www.bonn-regio.de/
Information in German about Bonn.
http://www.goethe.de/
The Goethe Institut study materials help students to learn German. There are links to sites of cultural interest as well.
http://eleaston.com/languages.html
Quizzes and tests for pupils to use on-line.
http://www.transparent.com/index.htm
Language games and quizzes; choose from the menu on the left.
http://www.paperball.de
Latest news from lots of German newspapers. Students can search on terms and find articles of interest.
http://www.linguaweb.ndirect.co.uk/
Revision club with topical articles alongside useful vocabulary.
http://www.samlearning.com
Choose sample materials for GCSE to do free activities in German.
http://www.tiere-in-not.de
German website about pets.
http://www.dw-world.de
German news site.
http://www.berlin.de
Information in German about Berlin.
http://www.linguascope.org.uk
Games and activities in French, Spanish, Italian and German.
French
http://www.ados.fr/French teenage interest website.
http://www.ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk/curriculum/modlang/index.htm
A very useful site for students of GCSE with video clips and on-line interactive activities available on many topics.
http://www.elearningeuropa.info/
This website is backed by the European Commission and has lots of links to websites in French.
http://www.phosphore.com
Magazine for 15-25 year-olds in French - full of interesting stories.
http://www.linguascope.org.uk
Games and activities in French, Spanish, Italian and German.
http://www.languagesonline.org.uk
Interactive exercises, grammar and pronunciation work for 11-16 year-olds.
http://www.mflgames.co.uk
Wheel of Fortune, millionaire, hangman, scratchcard, and quizzes on a variety of basic topics.
www.lesclesjunior.com
Fun French student-orientated website.
http://www.bonjourdefrance.com
Fun French exercises for all levels of students.
http://www.langweb.co.uk
Activities for pupils to practise French.
http://www.lesdebrouillards.qc.ca/
French-Canadian website aimed at pupils.
http://www.linguaweb.ndirect.co.uk
Language learning and revision site for pupils with free downloadable teaching resources.
http://www.samlearning.com
Choose sample materials for GCSE to do free activities in French.
http://www.sln.org.uk/mfl/p5.htm
Activities for all levels of French students.
http://www.transparent.com/index.htm
Language games and quizzes - choose from the menu on the left.
http://www.uebersetzung.at
Choose a language and pick 'fun' from the left-hand menu to see tongue-twisters in French.
http://www.parisfree.com
Virtual tour of Paris in French.
http://www.rfi.fr/
Current affairs in French with sound.
http://eleaston.com/languages/html
Quizzes and tests for pupils to use on-line.
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/fk26/xwords/frind.htm
French games for pupils.
http://laguinguette.com
News and features from France for learners of French.
http://www.lemonde.fr/
Le Monde newspaper. Excellent for up-to-the-minute current affairs stories in French.
http://www.mad-4-languages.co.uk
Try the student pages to evoke excitement of the French language.
http://www.quia.com
Enjoyable learning games for Years 7 and 8. Go to the Student Zone and then choose ‘French’.
http://www.vokabel.com
Ready-made vocabulary tests from English to French or French to English.
http://www.festival-cannes.org
Find out about the Cannes Film Festival.
