MFL – German

Head of Department: Mrs J Lemée-Wright
Head of German:  Miss E Hawthorne
Level of teaching: Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4

Learning a language opens up new horizons in many ways. Students gain greater understanding of how people live in other countries, cultures and communities – their customs, attitudes and everyday lifestyles. Language learning also provides students with the opportunity to grow in confidence as they develop their communication skills.

Following our departure from the European Community, command of a language will be even more useful in a variety of fields, e.g. commerce, industry, science & technology and travel. A qualification in a language is also highly regarded by universities.

In Year 7, students have the opportunity to study two languages from French, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. A small number of students, identified by the school, will only do one language (Spanish) in order to support them with their English and Maths.

In Year 8, students continue to study their two languages alongside the MEP programme, where appropriate.

In Year 9, students continue to study their two languages. At Key Stage 4, MFL are provided as part of our broad and balanced curriculum offer with all four languages offered as part of the options process.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

Students study a broad and varied language curriculum, which is assessed in the form of the end of module tests. Other tests may be undertaken as and when considered appropriate, for example to ensure students have a strong grasp of vocabulary. Assessment information is used by staff to monitor progress and to inform planning. By the end of KS3, students will learn how to write and speak in at least three tenses.

We aim to nurture a love of languages by incorporating a variety of cultural aspects in our teaching, as well as creative lessons such as creating and practising songs, rhymes, raps, and role plays. At the end of Year 9 an overall level is given for each student. This is based on performance in end of module assessments and on-going teacher assessment.


Year 7
Terms 1 & 2
Self:
Introductions
Numbers
Birthdays
Ages
Classroom equipment

Terms 3 & 4
School:
Subjects and expressing opinions
Clothing
Food and drink
Introduction to the present tense

Terms 5 & 6
Family & Friends:
Pets
Forming plurals in German
Family members
Giving descriptions


Year 8
My free time:
Sports and hobbies
Seasons
Weather phrases
Telling the time

Terms 3 & 4
Holidays:
Talking about what you do on holiday
Talking about where you went on holiday, who you went with and where you stayed
Talking about what you did on holiday
Introduction to the perfect tense

Terms 5 & 6
Food and drink and shopping:
Food and drink likes and dislikes
Shopping for food and drink and buying food and drink in a restaurant
Describing a past trip to a restaurant
Shops
Pocket money


Year 9
Terms 1 & 2
Media:
IT: talking about what you do on the computer
Music: likes and dislikes. Using extended opinions
Film: describing the last film you saw
Re-visiting the perfect tense

Terms 3 & 4
Health and fitness:
Naming parts of the body and their plurals
Saying what is wrong (illnesses)
Saying what you cannot do
At the doctor’s surgery
Healthy and unhealthy living
Comparing your lifestyle now and in the past
Using modal verbs to talk about what you should do to improve health

Terms 5 & 6
Education and future plans:
Talking about your school subjects and expressing opinions using extended sentences
School day: comparing the German school system with the British one
Teachers: using the comparative and superlative
School rules: modal verbs
Careers and future plans: the future tense and the conditional

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)

Course Code: GCSE German AQA 8668
Exam Board Specification: http:/www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-8668

The new AQA GCSE German is divided into three main subject areas called “themes” and each theme is divided into four “topics”.  So the GCSE is made up of 12 topics altogether and is examined in four exams which take place at the end of the course (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

Themes and Topics:

Identity and culture
Me, my family and friends
Technology in everyday life
Free-time activities
Customs and festivals

Local, national, international and global areas of interest
Home town, neighbourhood and region
Social issues
Global issues
Travel and tourism

Current and future study and employment
My studies
Life at school/college
Education post-16
Jobs, career choices and ambitions

Each skill (listening, speaking, reading and writing) is now worth 25%

Two tiers of examination are offered: Foundation and Higher. Candidates can only be entered for one tier.


Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)

This course is not studied at Key Stage 5.


Enrichment and Links:

The Germany Trip has been part of the extra-curricular life of Saint Gregory’s for many years now. The visit took place on alternate years. There has been a pause to the Germany Trip due to Covid but we hope to have the visit up and running again soon.

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