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Spanish

Why we teach Spanish

Spoken in 31 different countries, by around 427 million people, the Spanish language opens doors not just to Spain, but also to diverse countries across Central and South America. All our students start learning Spanish at Key Stage 3 using the NCELP (National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy) resources. Unfortunately for the last two consecutive years, trips have been cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic. However, in normal conditions, students are encouraged to take part in the linguistic and cultural visit to Spain in Year 8 and also in work experience offered to Year 10, as well as to participate in other events we arrange with our Spanish link schools. Students can progress to studying Spanish at GCSE, adding an international dimension to their choices which many employers and higher education providers value. The skills learnt in Spanish are useful in a wide range of careers, such as the ability to communicate clearly, being confident about speaking in public and using problem solving strategies. It creates greater opportunities to work abroad, or for companies in the UK with international links.

KS3 Spanish

Overview of content

Students in KS3 will first learn the sounds of the Spanish language (phonics) and their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary will aim to build on any Spanish learnt at Primary School, but with a different focus. This means that students with no prior knowledge of the language are not disadvantaged in any way. All grammar and vocabulary are revisited several times over the years, with the aim of students becoming confident learners of the language.

Yr 7 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	Describing places and location. Saying what someone is like at the moment. Saying what someone is like in general. Saying what people have. Saying what people do Essential verbs: estar, ser and tener Indefinite articles Adjectives – gender and agreement AR verbs in the present (singular) Yes/no questions – raised intonation	Weekly vocabulary tests
Autumn - 2	Saying what people do and don't do. Numbers (1 to 12) and talking about more than one thing Saying what there is around you and describing it Talking about the location of things Describing a place Giving and wanting (festive season and family) Using “no” to make a verb negative Hay/tiene Singular and plural definite articles Dar – to give (singular) Querer – to want, wanting (singular)	Weekly vocabulary tests
Spring - 1	Describing family Describing some natural wonders of the Spanish-speaking world Asking and answering questions Adjective agreement and position Tener – tenemos/tienen Question words Hacer (singular)	Weekly vocabulary tests
Spring - 2	Talking about what you do with others (rural life) Talking about what people can do Contrasting what people must, can and want to do Places and locations Saying what people are like today vs in general Ar verbs – we form Modal verbs – poder,deber Estar – we and they Del versus de la	Weekly vocabulary tests Achievement assessment covering listening, reading, writing and speaking
Summer - 1	Describing activities (travel) Describing what people do Describing what people do (technology) Ar verbs – they Er and ir verbs (singular) Question words	Weekly vocabulary tests
Summer - 2	Discussing what people do and don’t do Describing people and possessions Describing when and where people go Describing future plans Possessive adjectives (my, your) Ir – to go, going Ir + a + infinitive to express future	Weekly vocabulary tests End of Year assessment in all skills

Yr 8 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	Discussing what people do and don’t do Describing people and possessions Describing when and where people go Describing future plans Possessive adjectives (my, your) Ir – to go, going Ir + a + infinitive to express future	Weekly vocabulary tests
Autumn - 2	Describing events in the past and present (travel) Comparing past experiences Talking about what people and places are like now vs in general. Comparing what you and someone else (‘we’) do (news and media, parties and celebrations) Describing what people do (at home) Asking what people can and must do Past tense ar verbs I and you Ser and estar (revisit) Present tense er/ir verbs (we) Hacer (plural) Subject pronouns Present for ongoing actions Question words (revisit)	Weekly vocabulary tests
Spring - 1	Describing events in the past and present (at school) Describing events in the past and present (free time activities) Describing how people feel in the present (feelings and emotions) Describing future plans Talking about what people do (work) Past tense (er/ir verbs I and you) Prenominal adjectives Revisit tener Querer and dar (plural) Ir (we) Para + infinitive Revisit regular present tense verbs	Weekly vocabulary tests
Spring - 2	Describing events in the past and present (at school) Describing events in the past and present (free time activities) Describing how people feel in the present (feelings and emotions) Describing future plans Talking about what people do (work) Past tense ar/er/ir verbs (he/she) Personal a Reflexive me and te Revisit possessive adjectives mi and tu	Weekly vocabulary tests Achievement assessment covering listening, reading, writing and speaking
Summer - 1	Describing a series of events (Narration) Talking about giving and receiving (Birthdays) Describing how things make people feel Giving opinions about school Direct object pronouns lo and la Indirect object pronouns me, te, le Gustar type verbs	Weekly vocabulary tests
Summer - 2	Visiting a Spanish speaking city Describing family members Describing how people feel Comparing things Describing what people do and did (sport) Comparing where people go and went Revisit ser, adjective agreement, para + infinitive Possessive adjectives su and nuestro Comparatives más and menos Demonstratives este, esta Hacer and ir in past (singular)	Weekly vocabulary tests End of Year assessment in all skills

Yr 9 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	Narrating a series of events Describing friendships and relationships Giving opinions about something Work on a challenging text – Ayaymamá	Weekly vocabulary tests Assessment
Autumn - 2	Describing people’s intentions Describing different people’s possessions Making comparisons Describing the weather at different times Comparing where people go and went	Weekly vocabulary tests
Spring - 1	Asking questions about what people did in the past Asking questions about what people do now. Describing what is happening now (present continuous) Challenging text – la Tomatina Comparing future plans	Weekly vocabulary tests Assessment covering listening, reading, speaking and writing
Spring - 2	Describing events in the past (holidays) Asking questions about the past (holidays) Describing the location of things Describing people, places and traditions in Mexico Talking about food and culture	Weekly vocabulary tests
Summer - 1	Giving opinions about things (a trip to a Spanish-speaking city) Giving opinions about things (free time activities) What you do in the summer Giving opinions about activities Talking about a visit to Barcelona	Vocabulary tests Writing, speaking and reading homework
Summer - 2	Describing holiday accommodation / destination Making reservations at a hotel Complaints Talking about holiday problems using three tenses	Vocabulary tests Writing, speaking and reading homework End of Year assessment in reading and writing

Homework

Homework is set once per week and will be to learn 10-15 words using Quizlet and / or vocabulary guide. The words should be learnt over several days, as this will help students to remember them for longer. Vocabulary will be tested at the end of the second lesson each week, so that students have been using the vocabulary prior to the test. Homework for the summer term will include some writing, listening and reading exercises.

Learning outside the classroom

The Spanish spelling bee is an opportunity for students to learn about the sounds of Spanish and take part in a competition with national finals.

Year 9 students can take part in the Language Leaders programme. Those who take part will deliver short language lessons to other students, either Year 7 or during visits to primary schools. There is a small cost for this, to cover use of the minibus for the launch day and for visits to primary schools.

Parental support and extension

Students will benefit from being supported to learn their vocabulary every week. They might enjoy teaching the words to you or ask you to help them practise for the test each week.

More information

Students find that using an app like Duolingo is fun and helps them to retain and expand their knowledge of the language. If students have access to Netflix or Amazon Prime, they could try watching their favourite programmes and films with Spanish subtitles and/or soundtrack.

KS4 Spanish

AQA GCSE Spanish (8968)

Overview of content

In Spanish we aim to build on knowledge from Key Stage 3 to learn listening, reading, writing and speaking skills in Spanish. We also teach students about the culture and traditions of Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.

Programme of Study

Year	Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
10	Autumn - 1	Mi vida en el insti – school subjects and teachers, describing the school day. Grammar: Using adjectives, comparatives and superlatives, justifying opinions, using negatives, imperfect and preterite tenses.	Listening and speaking assessments at end of Module.
	Autumn - 2	School rules and problems, talking about a foreign exchange, talking about activities and achievements. Grammar: Phrases followed by infinitive, near future tense, asking and answering questions, object pronouns, saying how long you have been doing something.
	Spring - 1	Mi gente – talking about social networks, making arrangements, talking about reading preferences, describing people, friends and family. Grammar: Revision of present tense, using para with infinitives, present continuous tense, using a range of connectives, using ser and estar, using a range of relationship verbs, referring to past and present together.	Reading and writing assessments at end of unit
	Spring - 2	Intereses e influencias – talking about what you usually do, talking about sports, talking about what’s trending, discussing different types of entertainment, talking about who inspires you. Grammar: stem-changing verbs, adjectives of nationality, soler + infinitive, using imperfect tense, using perfect tense, using algunos/ciertos/otros/muchos/demasiados/ todos	Listening and reading assessments at end of Module
	Summer - 1	Ciudades – talking about places in a town, describing features of a region, planning what to do, shopping, talking about problems in a town, describing a visit in the past. Grammar: se puede/se pueden, future tense, demonstrative adjectives, conditional tense, synonyms and antonyms, idioms
	Summer - 2	Continue Ciudades module and prepare / take end of year 10 exams	Listening, reading, writing and speaking assessments
11	Autumn - 1	De costumbre – talking about typical foods and mealtimes, daily routines and illness, comparing festivals, describing a special day, ordering in a restaurant, talking about a music festival. Grammar: passive, question words, reflexive verbs in the past tense, absolute superlatives, irregular patterns in the preterite.	Listening and reading assessments at end of Module.
	Autumn - 2	Continue De costumbre Module, then A currar – talking about how you earn money, talking about work experience, the importance of learning languages. Grammar: soler in the imperfect tense, using preterite and imperfect together, present and present continuous
	Spring - 1	Applying for a summer job, discussing gap years, discussing future plans. Grammar: using indirect object pronouns, conditional tense, 24-hour clock, subjunctive with cuando.	Speaking and writing assessments at end of Module.
	Spring - 2	Hacia un mundo mejor – describing houses, global issues, local actions, discussing healthy lifestyles. Grammar: present subjunctive, commands, tenses revision.
	Summer - 1	Talking about international sporting events, talking about natural disasters. Grammar: pluperfect tense, imperfect continuous Revision and preparation for speaking examination
	Summer - 2	Period of Formal Examinations

Homework

Homework will be set twice a week. One homework will always be vocabulary learning using Quizlet. The second homework will be reading, writing or a grammar activity to consolidate learning.

How it is assessed

Spanish is assessed by means of three written and one spoken exam at the end of the course.

Listening	Foundation	35 minutes	Higher	45 minutes
Reading	Foundation	45 minutes	Higher	1 hour
Writing	Foundation	1 hour	Higher	1 hour 15 minutes
Speaking	Foundation	12 minutes	Higher	15 mins

Each paper is worth 25% of the marks for the course.

Students cannot mix tiers, so all papers must be from the same tier.

Learning outside the classroom

Students are encouraged to use Quizlet to revise vocabulary. It may be possible to run a Year 10 Work Experience Trip to Spain. This will depend on the Covid situation and availability of a provider.

Parental support and extension

Students will benefit from help learning vocabulary each week, for example by testing them. Encourage your son/daughter to explain things they have learnt to you, or even to teach you some Spanish. There are online resources available for learning Spanish, such as BBC Bitesize and languagesonline.org.uk, as well as materials in the students section of the CATalogue. The online videos made by the Oak National Academy are a good source of revision and practice. Students could also use apps such as Duolingo, which are a fun way to learn the language.

More information

All students are provided with a vocabulary booklet but may also benefit from using the Grammar and Translation Workbook for the Viva course.

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Melbourn Village College
The Moor, Melbourn
Royston SG8 6EF

Tel: 01763 223400
Email: office@melbournvc.org Absence: absence@melbournvc.org

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Melbourn Village College is an academy of The Cam Academy Trust, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 0749 1945.
The registered office is at Comberton Village College, West Street, Comberton, Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DU