French

Curriculum Intention  

Students are taught how to: 

1. Use personal pronouns 

2. Use the present tense of -ER verbs 

3. Give simple opinions

4. Use the present tense of regular verbs 

5. Use the immediate future tense

By the end of Year 7, students will be able to: 

1. Make simple sentences using connectives

2. Have short conversations on familiar topics

3. Pronounce phonics accurately

4. Describe present and future events

These are the foundation skills of French – at this stage, students need to be able to construct simple accurate sentences and reflect on syntax making links with English or their native language and with the set of sentences they learnt at KS2.  

Students are developing their communication skills at KS3. This is a Life Skill that students will take beyond DIS giving them the ability to communicate in a foreign language. From KS3, students are exposed to the IB Learner Profile – displayed in MFL classroom in French / Spanish – teachers support students developing these qualities.   

Throughout Year 7 it’s our intention to develop students in the following areas of the IB Learner Profile: 

Being Reflective: reflection done after each written assessment with a clear individual target to act upon. 

A Communicator: a variety of speaking / conversations / role-plays undertaken in lessons. 

Being Open-minded: discovering French and French-speaking culture and traditions. 

Curriculum Implementation  

Students are taught through various approaches and methods including:   

1. Redrafting to improve writing – using teacher’s feedback and Success Criteria to improve writing and speaking skills.  

2. Authentic project – students draw + describe their ideal town – digital learning.   

3. Flipped learning – use of Education Perfect for independent learning of topic vocabulary.   

4. Investigating rules of prepositions – use knowledge of articles le/la/les for the formulation of au, à la, à l’, and   aux

5. Researching – using reference materials – online and offline reference materials to apply learnt grammar rules to new  language.

Grammar is the most challenging element of language learning. It is taught through the enquiry based approach along with questioning.  

Assessment  

At the end of Term 1, students are assessed on the productive skills of speaking and writing. At the end of Term 2 and Term 3, students are assessed on all 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

Listening: students complete the listening assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term.  

Speaking: students independently prepare a presentation on questions given by the teacher and record it on Flipgrid. They are not allowed to read from a script. 

Reading: students complete the reading assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term. 

Writing:  students respond to a range of questions on the topics covered in the Term. The assessment is handwritten and uploaded on OneNote. 

Wider Curriculum Opportunities 

Outdoor opportunity:  

Café Céramique: students paint a Mother’s Day card on a tile.  

Cross-curricular link: 

Maths: mental arithmetic  

Drama: role play conversation – at the cafeteria. 

Geography: European countries and capital / cardinal points.  

Curriculum Impact  

Term 1:  

1. To give a detailed description of their home and bedroom and to give simple opinion on these, they will also use prepositions to describe where things are. 

2. To use a range of different regular -ER verbs in the present tense accurately to describe what they do immediately after school and adapt this in various contexts. They will develop a sound knowledge of singular pronouns making links with English and their own native language.

3. To enquire about the formation of negative sentences to describe what they and others do not do in the evening. 

4. Students will be able to pronounce phonics accurately understanding and applying the rules around pronunciation and therefore would be understood by a French native speaker.  

5. To ask and give the time in French. 

Term 2:  

1. Students will reinforce the description skills seen in Term 1 to accurately describe their town and will learn how to justify opinions. 

2. Students will be able to use main irregular verbs to ask and give directions, they will differentiate between the pronouns “tu” and “vous” when addressing to a friend or to an adult they do not know.

3. Students will review how prepositions are used in French to give information about where they are and where they are going making links with what was previously learnt. 

4. Students will use their prior knowledge of numbers and the use the conditional tense of “vouloir” to order food and drinks at a cafeteria, ask for prices and pay.

Term 3:  

1. Students will reinforce their knowledge on how to give opinions and how to justify them in different contexts, school subjects, teachers and timetable. 

2. Students will reinforce their knowledge of the present tense of -ER verbs and apply it to reflexive verbs in order to describe their daily routine adding timings. 

3. Students will be able to differentiate between regular and irregular verbs in the present tense and how to conjugate them with all pronouns. 

4. Students will learn how to use the immediate future tense to describe what their plans are for the following week, they will also add justified opinions to add interest to their work.

Curriculum Intention  

Students are taught how to: 

1. Review personal pronouns 

2. Use the present tense of regular verbs

3. Give and justify opinions 

4. Use the present tense of most common irregular verbs 

5. Use the perfect tense

By the end of Year 8, students will be able to:  

1. Make more complex sentences using negatives

2. Have longer conversations on a wider range of topics 

3. Develop an authentic pronunciation 

4. Describe present, past and future events 

At this stage, students are building up on their prior knowledge. They are expecting to use a range of tense and developed opinions. There is a focus on the speaking skill in particular. Grammar is taught through enquiry – students are encouraged to think critically and make links with prior knowledge.   

Throughout Year 8 it’s our intention to develop students in the following areas of the IB Learner Profile: 

Reflective: reflection done after each written assessment with a clear individual target to act upon. 

Communicator: a variety of speaking / conversations / role-plays undertaken in lessons. 

Open-minded: discovering French and French-speaking culture and traditions. 

Curriculum Implementation  

Students are taught through various approaches and methods including:   

1. Researching about and creating an authentic project on typical weather in different countries.  

2. Theatre – shops and shopping: formulating and asking questions.  

3. Digital learning – researching about typical French food and present project in class.  

4. Developing numeracy skill – shopping – mental arithmetic. 

5. Summarising – directing students on strategies to   revise.

6. Reflecting on and improving written and spoken work – use of more complex   structures.

Grammar is the most challenging element of language learning. It is taught through the enquiry based approach along with questioning. 

Assessment  

At the end of Term 1, students are assessed on the productive skills of speaking and writing. At the end of Term 2 and Term 3, students are assessed on all 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

Listening: students complete the listening assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term.  

Speaking: students independently prepare a presentation on questions given by the teacher and record it on Flipgrid. They are not allowed to read from a script. 

Reading: students complete the reading assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term. 

Writing:  students respond to a range of questions on the topics covered in the Term. The assessment is handwritten and uploaded on OneNote. 

Wider Curriculum Opportunities  

Outdoor opportunity: 

KidZania: treasure hunt. 

Cross-curricular link: 

Geography: comparing weather in different parts of the world.  

Drama: take part in a role play conversation: in the shops. 

Maths: mental arithmetic.  

Curriculum Impact  

Term 1:  

1. To review the content of what was covered in Year 7; describing family members, what they like and dislike to do and justifying opinions. 

2. To use the present of all regular -ER, -IR and -RE verbs accurately and with all pronouns to describe everyday activities. 

3. To differentiate genders when describing other’s jobs adding details on places of work and opinions. 

4. To give details about where they and others live, making links with their knowledge of geography (countries, regions, towns, capitals) using prepositions in different contexts. 

5. To describe the weather and give information about what they do in different types of whether, they will start using more complex language such as clauses with when and if. 

Term 2:  

1. To learn how modal verbs are used in order to make, respond to invitations and give excuses. 

2. To describe what they are wearing giving details on their outfits and reviewing the rules on adjectival agreements. 

3. To have a conversation with a shop assistant asking for help; taking part in a role play conversation. 

4. To use the comparative structures to compare items of clothing and to adapt learning in different contexts. 

5. To learn and discuss about traditional French food and snacks and to compare them to traditional food in their home country. 

Term 3:  

1. To use the perfect tense of -ER verbs with the auxiliary “avoir” and all pronouns to describe that they did last weekend / yesterday, using opinions in the perfect tense and a range of time expressions. 

2. To give complex opinions of TV programmes in the perfect tense. 

3. To use the perfect tense of regular -ER, -RE and -IR verbs with “avoir” and the main irregular verbs to describe what they did few days ago. 

4. The use the perfect tense with “être” verbs accurately and differentiate between “avoir” and “être” verbs to talk about the past. 

Curriculum Intention  

Students are taught how to:  

1. Make links between personal pronouns and more complex subjects of the sentence

2. Use present, past and future tenses 

3. Use complex opinions

4. Use irregular verbs for 3 tenses 

By the end of Year 9, students will be able to: 

1. Use complex negative structures and idioms

2. Talk on a range of topics including 4 tenses 

3. Develop spontaneous speech 

At this stage, students are building up skills over the last three years that would enable to achieve a strong grade B low grade A at IGCSE. They are working on developing all four languages skills of speaking, reading, listening and writing.   

Throughout Year 9 it’s our intention to develop students in the following areas of the IB Learner Profile: 

Reflective: reflection done after each written assessment with a clear individual target to act upon. 

Communicator: a variety of speaking / conversations / role-plays undertaken in lessons. 

Open-minded: discovering French and French-speaking culture and traditions. 

Curriculum Implementation  

Students are taught through various approaches and methods including:   

1. Presenting – use creativity to describe a recent visit to the  cinema

2. Reasoning and deducting – use of existing knowledge of the present tense of reflexive verbs and the perfect tense to work out how to describe daily routine in the past.  

3. Modelling – making links with English to reflect on how Direct Object Pronouns are used in French. 

4. Debating about the importance of learning languages. 

5. Redraft to improve writing – using teacher’s feedback and Success Criteria to improve writing and speaking skills. 

Grammar is the most challenging element of language learning. It is taught through the enquiry based approach along with questioning.  

Assessment  

At the end of Term 1, students are assessed on the productive skills of speaking and writing. At the end of Term 2 and Term 3, students are assessed on all 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

Listening: students complete the listening assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term.  

Speaking: students independently prepare a presentation on questions given by the teacher and record it on Flipgrid. They are not allowed to read from a script. 

Reading: students complete the reading assessment on Education Perfect in examination conditions. They answer a range of multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in the Term. 

Writing:  students respond to a range of questions on the topics covered in the Term. The assessment is handwritten and uploaded on OneNote. 

Wider Curriculum 

Outdoor opportunity: 

Pomegranate institute: initiation to a new language (Japanese, sign language…) 

Cross-curricular link: 

Science: describing injuries, symptoms, debating on the importance of keeping healthy.  

Drama: role play conversation: at the doctor’s office. 

Curriculum Impact  

Term 1:  

1. To reinforce their knowledge of present and perfect tense to describe a recent visit to the cinema. 

2. To accurately use a wider range of structures such as Direct Object Pronouns, comparative and superlative to describe what they or others like to watch on TV. 

3. To use reflexive verbs in both present and perfect tense to compare their weekly routine to their weekend routine, adding justified opinions and time. 

Term 2:  

1. To learn how to use the simple future tense with regular and irregular verbs to describe future plans, what they plan to do when they or others leave school and at university using complex structures such as “quand + simple future tense”.

2. To debate on the importance of learning languages, students will learn how to build an argumentation, giving and reinforcing their ideas and using complex connectives. 

Term 3:  

1. To describe symptoms and talk about illness; to take part in role play conversation at the doctor’s office using “être” and “avoir” expressions accurately. 

2. To reinforce their knowledge of the perfect tense to describe past injuries accurately. 

3. To describe their lifestyle and to use a range of complex negative sentences and the imperative mood to discuss / give advice on what to do to keep healthy and why it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

At the end of KS3, students would say that they find learning a language challenging as it is often very different from their mother tongue. A challenge that is rather rewarding. They would take pride on their ability to communicate in French or Spanish.