Spanish

Our Curriculum Aims:
“Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.”
Amy Chua

The principal aim in teaching our students Spanish is promote and develop self-confidence and self-esteem, so they can communicate effectively in the Target Language. All students should be aware of the vast opportunities available to them if they have knowledge of Spanish. With over 580 million Spanish speakers worldwide and a language spoken in 22 countries, it is a highly respected and desired skill to be able to communicate in Spanish in today’s society. It undoubtedly helps foster an appreciation and respect for other cultures and people groups.

The Spanish curriculum here is ambitious and challenging, giving all pupils the chance to not only develop impressive language skills, but also to be more aware of cultural, moral and social aspects of everyday life in societies around the world. The topics covered in years 9-13 particularly promote good citizenship and equality, whilst also teaching a language. Examples of some topics studied include; wealth and poverty and the environment at GCSE; Franco’s dictatorship, racism and gender equality at A Level. No two lessons are the same in Spanish and students also learn skills that can be transferred to other subjects, it naturally being co-curricular, so all subjects studied can also be explored through the Spanish language. Language skills can aid those pursuing any career, for example in medicine, science, law, economics, history and many more.

Language cannot be accessed without culture, so we explore Spanish through film, music, online newspapers and a wide range of websites we subscribe to. Visiting Spain is an integral part of learning the Spanish language and we offer a one-week exchange trip to Barcelona for pupils in years 10,11, 12 and 13. There is a joint 6^th form Art and Spanish trip to Madrid which has provided students who have different skills to come together and share their skill with one and other. We also offer a popular year 8 trip to Valencia at the end of the school year. Year 12 and 13 are encouraged to take part in the hugely successful Essay Writing Courses for A-Level; film workshops and taster days for studying Spanish at degree level at Manchester University and HOME cinema.

Key Stage Three Curriculum Overview
Year 7

Name of topic

Key Content of the Topic

Assessment points

HT 1

Greetings
Personal details
Alphabet

Introduction to Spanish, personal details.

Students will learn the following vocabulary:
Introductions, dates/birthdays, colours, school items, opinions, days of the week and times, months of the year, the Spanish alphabet, colours

Students will learn the following grammar points:
Word order in number, conjugating verbs, genders, articles, question words, adjective endings, the use of gustar with indirect object pronouns; the definite and indefinite articles.

Students will learn the following culture:
The first day of school in Spain, el Día de la Hispanidad, el Día de los Muertos in Mexico

*Students will also learn Spanish phonics and how to pronounce words in Spanish.

Vocabulary tests

Languagenut self testing

End of Unit 1 reading, writing, listening and grammar test

Informal translation tests

HT 2

Family
Pets/ animals
Physical and character description

Students will learn the following vocabulary:
Talking about their family, siblings, pets. They will be able to describe how they look physically and what their personality traits are and describe others.

Students will learn the following grammar points:
Using possessive adjectives; (mi(s); tu(s) etc.) Word order in Spanish with adjectives coming after the noun and agreeing with the noun. Conjugating the verbs in the 3^rd personal singular and plural. Using the verb ser.

Students will learn the following culture:
El día de los Muertos in Mexico, Christmas traditions in Spain

End of unit reading, listening and writing tests

Languagenut self testing

Vocabulary tests

Informal speaking assessment

HT 3

Hobbies and sports
Weather
Music and social media

Students will learn the following vocabulary:
Talking about sports and hobbies they do. They will be able to give opinions and to justify their opinions. They will be able to describe the weather using si and cuando and to give opinions on music.

Students will learn the following grammar points:
Conjugating -ar, -er and -ir verbs as well as jugar and hacer. Adjectival agreement in terms of number and gender. Connectives extended sentences and justification of opinion. Comparatives

Students will learn the following culture:
Hispanic music, famous sports personalities, artists and influencers.

End of Year reading, writing and grammar, listening tests.

Year 8

	Name of topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment points
HT 1	Introduction to diet and what you eat/drink	*Students will recap the following content:* Personal information; physical and character descriptions, numbers. Word order, conjugating verbs, telling the time, the present tense and how to conjugate verbs. *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Food/drink/healthy lifestyle/ordering food. Body parts/ communicating ailments and illnesses *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Using the present tense and radical-changing verbs. Using negative expressions. Using the near future tense. *Students will learn the following culture:* Daily routine and eating habits in Spain/Spanish speaking countries. Cuisine around the Spanish Speaking world. Spanish adverts for medicine to treat ailments.	Vocabexpress self testing thisislanguage.com self testing End of Unit reading, writing, grammar tests Translation tasks in class Group speaking assessment; ordering food in a restaurant.
HT 2	Transport Holiday travel Discussing popular technology talking about the internet and social media Clothes/fashion Shopping Problems with shopping Revision of the year Pre-GCSE preparations	*Students will recap the following content:* The present tense conjugations, the near future tense, gustar with indirect object pronouns *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Talking about holiday destinations, transport, holiday activities, positive and negative opinions *Students will learn the following grammar points:* The formation of the preterite tense; regular –ar, -er. Ir verbs and some irregulars; (IR). Using Soler + infinitive. Using the preterite tense together with the present and future tenses. *Students will learn the following culture:* Different Spanish speaking countries and where they are geographically; how Spanish cities may vary from English ones/ similarities and differences in how young Spaniards/ Spanish-speaking people/familes and British children spend their holidays.	Vocabexpress self testing thisislanguage.com self testing End of Unit reading, writing, listening, grammar tests Speaking assessment-role-play in Spanish speaking country on holiday Translation tasks in class
HT 3		*Students will recap the following content:* How to express likes/dislikes; gustar/encantar etc. the present tense conjugations, adjectival agreement, opinions and justifications. *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Talking about technology, positive and negative aspects of the internet and social media/Television, the cinema and music. *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Using acabar de + infinitive; using connectives to extend sentences, create various clauses. Using the comparative and the superlative. Using ser/estar. Introduction to the simple future tense. *Students will learn the following culture:*Online habits of the Spanish speaking world. TV viewing habits of Spaniards, including examples of Spanish TV programmes and clips of these.	Vocabexpress self testing thisislanguage.com self testing End of Unit reading, writing, listening, grammar tests Speaking assessment- Translation tasks in class
HT 4		*Students will recap the following content:* Adjectival agreement/the present tense with reflexive verbs (llevarse). Gustar/encantar and other ways to express your opinion. *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Clothes; colours; different shops; problems when shopping. *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Using the conditional tense; me gustaría followed by the infinitive. The present continuous tense and how to conjugate, regulars and irregulars. *Students will learn the following culture:* Spanish and South American clothes brands. Spanish and Spanish speaking popular shops/shopping habits/daily routine and how this has an effect on when and how they shop.	End of Unit reading, writing, listening, grammar tests Vocabulary tests Group dialogue Shopping and experiencing difficulties/returning an item.
HT 5		*Students will recap the following content:* All of the Year 8 content *Students will learn the following:* How to succeed in exams- revision and exam techniques	End of Year exams in Listening, Reading, Writing and Translation
HT 6		Students will work on key areas of development that arose from the exams. They will practise these areas regularly. They will be introduced to new grammar points that they will need for GCSE Spanish. Students will also complete culture projects on different key aspects of Hispanic culture; people, music, food, companies, sports, history, the arts and traditions.	Peer assessment of cultural project work.

Year 9 In Year 9 the topics are more in depth as it is the foundation GCSE course and so overlap half terms. Students are taught to go into more detail than in Key Stage 3 as they have more confidence and fluency.

	Name of topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment points
Term 1	Family and relationships Family life marriage and partnerships	*Students will recap the following content:* All grammar from Key Stage 3 *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Getting on with family members and reasons why, different types of families in a modern world, thoughts on marriage, what makes a good friend. *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Reflexive verbs, separable verbs, possessive adjectives, adjectival agreement and position, the imperfect tense. *Students will learn the following culture:* The family structure in Spanish speaking countries	End of Unit 1 assessments- end of November Group speaking assessment-Mi familia
HT 2	Technology in everyday life social media social networking mobile technology	*Students will recap the following content:* The present, preterite, and imperfect tenses, likes and dislikes, the use of gustar with pronouns, question words *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Technology in everyday life, using social media, online safety, trends in mobile phones, positives and negatives of mobile technology *Students will learn the following grammar points:* The real future tense, the perfect tense, por and para *Students will learn the following culture:* How Spanish speaking communities have reacted to social media.	End of Unit assessments at the end of February. Speaking assessment- Creating a mobile phone app
HT 3	free time and sports TV/films sports pocket money going out and socialising	*Students will recap the following content:* Free time activities, food and drink, sports, the present, preterite and future tenses, adverbial phrases of time, forming questions, using gustar/encantar *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Music types, films and plot lines, Type of TV programmes, traditional Spanish and Latin Amercian food and eating habits *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Using the tenses together for variety and complexity if language *Students will learn the following culture:* Traditional Spanish food and eating habits, Spanish sports, popular Spanish musicians/bands.	End of year exams
HT4	Customs and traditions	Students revisit the “Family and Relationships” topic, now covering Higher Tier material. Students also engage in learning about different customs and traditions in Spain/ Latin America and different cultures within the autonomous regions of Spain. They will also complete grammar booklets ready for Year 10 Spanish.	Class presentations on Spanish festivals
HT5
HT6

What can parents do to support their sons?
Please check your son has completed his independent learning tasks and ensure he is using his text book/vocabulary glossary to help. All vocabulary lists should be revisited regularly.
All grammar notes in your son’s exercise book should be regularly revisited.
There are excellent language websites on O365:
www.vocabexpress.com-vocabulary learning interactive learning tool
www.kerboodle.com (on-line text book; foundation in Year 9) Digibook and interactive resources that accompany the AQA textbook.
www.languagesonline.org.uk : grammar and topic based vocabulary work
www.languagenut.com A comprehensive, competitive website which allow students to practise GCSE exam skills.
www.rtve.es On demand Spanish TV programmes/documentaries
www.netflix.com Spanish speaking TV programmes/films/documentaries

Any opportunity for your son to experience practising speaking Spanish would be a huge confidence booster for him eg: visiting the country or participating in the Spanish exchange to Barcelona and the summer trip to Valencia.

GCSE Course Followed: Spanish

Specification: AQA (Syllabus code 8698)

Why Choose GCSE Languages?

If you enjoy learning about different countries and cultures, communicating with other people, finding out how language works, then studying GCSE languages is an excellent choice for you! You will choose an MFL GCSE from the two languages you are currently studying at KS3 – why not consider choosing two?

Please note that Chinese is only open to those students currently studying Chinese as part of the curriculum at AGSB and who will sit the GCSE exam at AGSB at the end of Year 11.

There are many reasons for taking this GCSE:

You will be able to share your interests, ideas and opinions with other people who speak French, German, Chinese or Spanish.
You will learn about the country of your chosen language(s) and get a lot more out of a trip there.
You will add an international dimension to your choice of GCSE subjects, which is something many future employers and higher education providers look for.
You will learn many skills which are useful in a wide range of future careers, such as the ability to communicate clearly, being confident about speaking in public, using problem-solving strategies, etc.
If you continue with languages beyond GCSE to A Level, you will be able to combine your language with many different subjects at University, e.g. Medicine, Law, Business and many more.
You will create greater opportunities for yourself to work abroad, or for companies in the UK with international links. Many employers look for people who speak a foreign language.

What do I need to know?
You have started your GCSE course in Year 9 so you already know a lot of the vocabulary and grammar you’ll need for GCSE. You know how to talk about yourself, your family and friends, your hobbies, where you live, school, holidays, food and drink. You will build on these topics over the next two years, as well as moving on to new topics.

So you are already part way there!

Four skills are tested in a formal exam at the end of Year 11. Each skill is worth 25% of your total GCSE. You will be entered for either Foundation or Higher tier. The exams are set out below:

Listening:
You will answer questions on recorded material from different topic areas. Some material will be formal (for example a telephone message) and some informal (for example a telephone conversation between friends).

Reading:
You will answer questions about short texts on different topics in various forms such as text messages, adverts, emails and letters.

Speaking:
This exam will be conducted by your teacher. You will have range of activities to complete. You will take part in a role play with your teacher, you will answer questions about a photo and you will have a general conversation on a topic you have previously studied.

Writing:
There are three main tasks to complete. First you will write a short response to bullet points on a certain topic. You will then show off all of your language skills in a more detailed response to bullet points and finally you will translate a short passage from English into your chosen language.

What can I do after I have completed the course?
People with language skills and knowledge are highly thought of in the modern world. They stand out as talented and successful people, with broad and exciting horizons. Being able to speak more than one language has been scientifically proven to give people higher cognitive ability. Taking GCSE language(s) means you will have much more fun when travelling and be able to continue your language learning to A Level. You will add an extra dimension to your personal skills profile which will impress anyone who reads your CV and you will be in a stronger position to get a job in companies with international links or to work abroad. You will also be able to choose between many careers that you may not have previously thought of such as working as a calls interceptor for MI5, being responsible for international links in global companies or even opening new franchises in foreign countries. The options are endless!

Key Stage Four Curriculum Overview
Year 10

	Name of topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment points
HT 1	My home and local area	*Students will recap the following content:* Types of house, types of area, your future house. Prepositions of place, demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, possessive pronouns, formulating complex questions, tenses. *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Higher level furniture items, amenities in their town *Students will learn the following culture:* Popular towns in Spanish speaking countries, differences between city and country life.	End of Unit assessments. Weekly vocabulary tests. Speaking preparation assessments
HT 2	Social issues 1	*Students will recap the following content:* Healthy vs unhealthy lifestyles, food, tenses *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Lifestyles in the past, consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle, food, smoking, drinking, drugs, charity/voluntary work (abroad) *Students will learn the following grammar points:* The irregular conditional tense, the gerund with other than the present continuous, using modal verbs; tener que/se debe/hay que +infinitive, the present subjunctive, how to form and its uses *Students will learn the following culture:* Spanish diet/eating habits Poverty in Spain and Latin American countries	End of Unit tests Weekly vocabulary tests
HT 3	Social issues 2	*Students will recap the following content:* Qualifiers, revision of course so far in preparation for trial exams *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Poverty/homelessness, environmental problems and solutions *Students will learn the following grammar points:* The pluperfect tense, the conditional tense with the imperfect subjunctive and uses with ‘if’ clauses *Students will learn the following culture:* Recycling in Spain, poverty and ways to manage this in Latin American countries.	End of Unit tests Weekly vocabulary tests
HT 4	Travel and tourism	*Students will recap the following content:* Different types of holiday accommodation, tenses, describing a holiday, Co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Types of holiday, accommodation, weather, what you can do in various places around the world and in your area *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Imperfect tense with irregular verbs, using estar and the past participle, using the passive forms with se, Using impersonal verbs, Relative pronouns and clauses, more complex question words *Students will learn the following culture:* Spain’s and Latin America’s tourist industry.	Trial exam
HT 5
HT 6

Year 11

	Name of topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment points
HT 1	My studies	*Students will recap the following content:* School subjects, facilities, model constructions; hay que, se debe, se tiene que + infinitive, Imperative, reflexive verbs, comparatives and superlatives. *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Different education settings in Spain, describing the school, school rules, the school day, problems at school, school uniform pros and cons *Students will learn the following grammar points:* The imperative, common subjunctive forms *Students will learn the following culture:* The school system in Spain	Weekly vocabulary tests End of Unit tests Speaking preparation assessments Trial Exams (including speaking exams)
HT 2	Post 16 choices	*Students will recap the following content:* Adjectives, conditional verbs, the present continous tense *Students will learn the following vocabulary:* Career choices and ambitions, further education pros and cons, jobs, choosing a career, my ideal job. *Students will learn the following grammar points:* Using the present subjunctive in hypothetical situations, using the past continous tense	Weekly vocabulary tests End of Unit tests Speaking preparation assessments
HT 3		Students prepare for their GCSE German exams in the following ways: Revise every module Revisit each grammar point Past papers in class Preparation of the speaking exam	GCSE exams
HT 4
HT 5
HT 6	NA		GCSE exams

Recommended Revision Guides for GCSE
CGP Complete revision and practice guide GCSE AQA (9-1) You are strongly advised to purchase this. AQA core vocabulary will be provided through syllabus. AQA vocabulary list. www.kerboodle.com www.vocabexpress.com www.vocabexpress.com
AQA GCSE Spanish Higher textbook (OUP).

Support available for GCSE Students
Pupils are mentored by year 13 prefects who practise their speaking: (role-play/photo cards and general conversation). There will be additional speaking practice Reading practice and listening practice at 12:20 starting in January.