French
General Information
Hull Trinity House Academy recognises the value of learning a language. We firmly believe that languages can greatly enhance the future prospects of our young learners and we aim to give them a wide understanding of the world around them.
Staffing
| Staff Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Mr N. Germain | Subject Leader of MFL Associate Assistant Principal |
| Miss C. Welton | French and Latin Teacher |
Key Stage 3
All students at KS3 learn French. It is taught 2 lessons per week by two experienced teachers, Mr Germain (native speaker and subject leader) and Miss Welton. KS3 focusses on developing the four key language skills useful for GCSE: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Pupils’ enjoyment of the subject is good as lessons are engaging and we cater for a range of abilities and needs.
The course at KS3 is based on the Allez 1 and Allez 2 textbooks edited by Oxford University Press (as detailed in the Course Outlines below). However, the book supplemented by our own departmental resources that include Authentic texts, Videos and Songs.
Key Stage 4
GCSE French is an option at KS4. It is taught 3 lessons per week and pupils work towards the French GCSE from the Edexcel board. The resources we use are a combination between our departmental resources and GCSE practice written and spoken texts taken from the Exdexcel GCSE textbooks edited by Pearson. We also use the website Vocab Express to widen pupils’ vocabulary and get them ready for the requirement the GCSE examination.
| Exam Board: Edexcel | ||
| Listening Exam | 25% | Foundation: 35 min (Section A: Questions and Answers in English ; Section B: Questions and Answers in French) Higher: 45 min (Section A: Questions and Answers in French ; Section B: Questions and Answers in English) |
| Speaking Exam | 25% | Foundation and Higher: 3 Tasks: Role Play ; Picture Description ; Conversation on 2 topics (Foundation: 4 ½ min ; Higher: 6 min) |
| Reading Exam | 25% | Foundation: 45 min (Section A: Questions and Answers in English ; Section B: Questions and Answers in French ; Section C: Translation into English) Higher: 1 hour (Section A: Questions and Answers in English ; Section B: Questions and Answers in French ; Section C: Translation into English) |
| Writing Exam | 25% | Foundation: 1 hour 10 min (20-30 words describing a picture ; 40-50 words writing ; 80-90 words writing ; Translation of sentences into French) Higher: 1 hour 20 min (80-90 words writing ; 130-150 words writing ; Translation of a paragraph into French) |
| Content | ||
| The five Themes are: - Theme 1: Identity and Culture (Topic 1: Who am I? • Topic 2: Daily Life • Topic 3: Cultural Life) - Theme 2: Local Area, Holiday and Travel (Topic 1: Holidays • Topic 2: Travel and Tourist Transactions • Topic 3: Town, Region and Country) - Theme 3: School (Topic 1: What school is like • Topic 2: School activities) - Theme 4: Future Aspirations, Study and Work (Topic 1: Using Languages beyond the Classroom • Topic 2: Ambitions • Topic 3: Work) - Theme 5: International and Global Dimension (Topic 1: Bringing the World Together • Topic 2: Environmental Issues) | ||
| Revision Resources | ||
| - Vocab Express website - Collins GCSE French 9-1 Revision Book - Edexcel GCSE 9-1 Revision Workbook (provided by the department) - Speaking Questions Booklet (given by your teacher) - Role Play Booklet (given by your teacher) - PALM Sheet (given by your teacher) | ||
| Revision Techniques | ||
| Speaking: Revise Questions from the Speaking Booklet | - Concentrate on 2 to 3 answers at a time. - Write one answer out 2 times. Cover the answer and write it from memory. Compare and see what you forgot. Do it again. Then move on to the next question. - Have someone test you on them. - Record yourself on your phone and listen to it on the way to school. Then in the evening test yourself on the questions you listened to during the day. - Type up your answers and save them. You can then print them enlarged and put them around your house - on your mirror, bedroom walls etc. - Once typed, print the answers with gaps. Can you remember the gaps? - Once typed, cut your answers up and try order sentences or parts of sentences. - Write the first word from each sentence. Can you remember each sentence? - Use revision cards and write out the answers, carry them around with you and revise when on the bus etc. - Put just one or 2 key words on the revision card for each answer. Can you say the answer using just the prompts? | |
| Speaking: Revise Role Play and Picture Cards using Role Play Booklet and PALM sheet | - Learn all the key phrases and sentences by writing them out several times - Test yourself and see if you can complete GCSE Role Plays or describe a range of pictures. | |
| Writing: Revise using Collins Revision Guide suggested | - Go through the different chapters of the revision guide. Concentrate on one double page at a time. - Make notes on a notepad (in a spider diagram form for example) of important points and unknown vocabulary. - Complete the Practice Questions and Review Questions at the end of each unit. | |
| Reading and Listening: Revise vocabulary using vocab express | - Complete all sections of vocab express. - Redo sections that include vocab you are less familiar with - Make notes on a notepad (in a spider diagram form for example) of vocabulary you do not know. | |
| Reading and Listening: Revise exam techniques using Collins Revision Guide and Edexcel Workbook (provided by the department) | - Complete all reading and Listening activities in the Collins Revision Guide (Listening p180-191 ; Reading p195-211). - Complete all reading and listening set for homework from the Edexcel Workbook. | |
Extra-Curriculum Activities
The MFL department offers several extracurricular activities such as trips: the Normandy Trip for Year 8 and the Paris Trip for Year 9 and 10. The department also offers some enrichment activities for More Able students in the form of the Latin Cambridge Qualification which can be done after school for Year 9 and 10 students.
Additional GCSE
The MFL department has also been offering additional GCSEs for native speakers of other languages. In recent years we have entered pupils for GCSE Polish, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Urdu, Russian and Chinese. All with good results.