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Curriculum Summaries

Modern Foreign Languages

Our policy is to offer a wide range of languages across the year groups and we try, as far as possible, to cater for individual needs.

Lower College

In LC1 all girls take French and are in sets so that we can tailor the teaching to best suit their needs. Our focus is on developing oral fluency whilst at the same time building a strong grammatical foundation and developing vocabulary. At the same time, we aim to equip the girls with the skills which will enable them to become independent language learners. In LC3, all girls are given the opportunity to start a second language. Currently the choice is between German, Italian, Spanish and Mandarin.

Upper College

(languages available: French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese)

GCSE aims to build on the skills introduced in Lower College: to understand the spoken and written foreign language and to communicate both orally and in writing. The teaching reflects the needs of the pupil traveling or staying in the foreign country, corresponding with a pen-friend and so on. A major focus of the GCSE is coping with practical situations and talking about real-life experiences but there is also scope for expressing opinions and using the imagination. Although GCSE focuses on communicative skills, we recognize the importance of stretching and challenging the girls and do not restrict ourselves to the confines of the GCSE syllabus. We also value the importance of a firm grammatical base.

Work is done in all four skill areas of reading, listening, speaking and writing, in order to increase pupils' confidence in comprehension and communication. We make use of authentic documents and recordings and increasingly on-line and internet resources. There are regular timetabled sessions in the language laboratory to practise speaking and comprehension; in addition, the language lab is open every evening for the girls to work independently or with teacher support. All girls have the opportunity to practise their spoken language with a conversation teacher in small groups and we encourage girls to take part in the trips and visits we organise. We try to encourage an interest in the country, its people and historical and cultural background. For the second language, the same material is dealt with in a shorter period of time.

SFC

(languages available: French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin)

AS: this course is designed to develop the key linguistic skills covered at GCSE with a focus on language. During the year, girls learn how to communicate, both orally and in writing at a more sophisticated level by developing their vocabulary and range of lexis whilst consolidating and extending their grammatical basis. A range of topic areas is covered (Youth cultures and concerns, Lifestyle, The world around us and Education and Employment) although the syllabus is designed to be flexible rather than prescriptive. Students work on a wide range of sources including the internet, satellite broadcasts, newspapers etc to develop both their reading and listening comprehension skills. All girls have a conversation class with a native speaker who helps them improve their oral fluency and supports them in the preparation for the oral exam which is based on a topic area they have chosen in advance.

A2: in the second year, girls continue to develop all their linguistic skills, but as well as writing in the language, translation skills into the target language are taught. At this level, students work on the language of debate so that they can take a firm stance and argue their case both on paper and orally. They are also required to demonstrate evidence of independent reading and research in the target language, linked to the culture of the country, which may be based on literature, art, politics etc

IB: (languages currently available: French, Spanish, German, Mandarin). The Higher and Standard level courses for Language B give students the opportunity to increase their competence in the written and spoken language but also aim to develop their knowledge of the culture and civilisation of the relevant country. On the linguistic side, girls work to broaden their vocabulary, to build a solid knowledge of grammatical structures and to develop their competence at expressing themselves in a range of spoken and written contexts. By reading literary and non-literary texts, watching and discussing foreign language broadcasts and films and by working with the language assistants, the girls acquire an increased awareness of the life and culture of the country or countries in question and sharpen their analytical and critical skills. Topics covered in class will include Society and the Individual, Global Matters and Modern Literature. There is an expectation that all students will visit a country where their chosen language is spoken at least once during the course.

Language ab initio (standard level only) Spanish: This course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of the language. Though a beginner’s course, within 2 years, students reach a standard significantly beyond GCSE. The overall objective of the ab initio course is for students to achieve communicative competence in a variety of every day situations. Emphasis is on real, not simplified language and this is what appears in the examinations. The vocabulary base is far wider than that required at GCSE and is only a base. Students will meet words and phrases which they are expected to deduce a meaning from the context. As the IB is an international qualification, the standards by which students are judged are based on international expectations of language learning, which are significantly higher than UK standards.

Language A2 (higher and standard level) currently available in French: This advanced course is designed for students who have a very high level of language ie near –native speaker level. It is both a language and literature course: language, texts and culture are explored through the framework of cultural and literary options. The five cultural options are language and culture, media and culture, future issues, global issues and social issues. The literary option is compulsory both at higher and standard level and is based around the study of three texts. At both levels students will be expected to produce fluent and coherent essays and comparative commentaries by the end of the course.

This course is designed to be very flexible in order to accommodate students’ different linguistic abilities and the choice of modules will be decided in consultation with the students.

Language coaching (private): As well as the languages on offer within the main curriculum, we have a team of coaches who support bilingual girls and are also able to teach some of the lesser taught languages. Language coaches cover the following languages: French, Arabic, Dutch, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Greek

News

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