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Spanish

Spanish is a widely spoken language and the ability to communicate in this language is a growing advantage to all. We prepare children for the Upper School Entrance Examination and the Scholarship Examination. However, Spanish has obvious uses outside the classroom; it is of great use on trips abroad and it is in increasing demand in the business world.

Staff
Head of Spanish:	Mr Alex Durkin BA PGCE
Teachers:	Mrs Helen Bradley BA (Hons) PGCE CELTA
	Mrs Melanie J Thorpe BSc (Hons) PGCE
	Mr Ben Royston B Ed Cert TEFL
	Mrs Elizabeth Mawson
	Mrs Lydia-Vigié Bonel
	Miss Maria Andreu

The Course

The book used in lessons is Listos 1. It is new KS3 course which follows the most up to date National Curriculum guidelines. It encourages a communicative approach but follows a clear grammatical progression.

The topics that we will focus upon are as follows:

Year 7

Módulo 1: Bienvenidos
Spanish-speaking world, classroom language, greetings, ages, birthdays, numbers, dates.

Módulo 2: Tú y Yo
Saying where you are from, nationalities, talking about your family, describing people, animals.

Módulo 3: Vamos al Instituto
Talking about school subjects, telling the time, Describing facilities in school, food, transport.

Year 8

Módulo 4: En Casa
Describing where you live, your house ,your room, your daily routine.

Modulo 5: Mi Pueblo
Describing your town, giving and understanding directions. The weather.

Modulo 6: Mi Tiempo Libre
Talking about what you do in your freetime. Making arrangements to go out.

Grammar:

This is integrated into the teaching of the topics above. We aim for children to grasp a good understanding of the following:

• Definite and indefinite articles and an awareness of the importance of gender.
• Irregular verbs and regular verbs in the present tense.
• Reflexive verbs.
• Agreements of adjectives and an understanding of word order.
• Question forms and negatives.

Use of ICT

We use ICT regularly in lessons. We have Listos Electrónico, a software package which follows our course book. This offers pupils the opportunity to complete a wide range of tasks. They can also access the software in their own time to consolidate language where necessary. We also use computers for word processing, for oral presentations (using Powerpoint) and we access relevant websites (see useful addresses below).

See the 2007 Trip Photo Gallery

See the 2008 Trip Photo Gallery

Studying Spanish in Spain

Pupils in Year 7 and 8 have the opportunity to go on a Spanish trip, which is a working holiday in the North of Spain. We go to Rosas, a coastal resort in Cataluña and visit the exciting capital of the region, Barcelona. The days are divided between practical language activities, classroom work and cultural visits, all of which help pupils to gain confidence and skills in the Spanish language.

End of Unit Tests

Assessment is an integral part of our course. We test pupils at the end of each unit. We aim to balance assessment across the four skills, so your child will experience tests for listening, speaking, reading and writing over the course of a term. In addition, we have regular ‘mini- tests’ to encourage children to learn vocabulary and verbs on a regular basis.

Self Assessment

Pupils are encouraged to ‘self assess’ at the end of each unit. They work through a check list of the skills they should have acquired in the module and they test each other informally in pairs.

School Examinations

Year 7 are examined in June. In Year 8 they take the transfer exam or scholarship exam to the upper school. Pupils are tested in the four Attainment Targets: Reading, Writing and Listening and Speaking.

Useful websites:

www.languagesonline.org.uk
www.linguascope.com

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