Modern Languages
Curriculum Overview – MFL
Students at Louth Academy study up to three languages – Spanish, French and / or German during their time here. The sequencing of the MFL curriculum at Louth Academy is designed to help students learn and embed a range of cultural knowledge, linguistic and grammatical skills in the language. The topics are sequenced so that they can reinforce their vocabulary knowledge at regular intervals and develop their linguistic skills further. The topics are broken down into chunks depending on the ability of the group so as not to overload their cognitive function, allowing them to become embedded in their long-term memory. Students are also encouraged to understand that languages have an important role in the wider world and provide students with transferrable skills which can be used in a range of careers. Students are encouraged to think about the effect languages has in the wider world through engaging cultural topics. Students are encouraged to believe that a knowledge of a foreign language can benefit them both socially and in a work environment and are encouraged to be aspirational in their outlook, which fits in with the drive for an outstanding education in MFL.
Key Skills Developed
- Confidence in all four skill areas – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.
- Independence – being able to produce words from memory and understand a text by yourself with guidance.
- Resilience – learning from your mistakes and misconceptions and using these to help you improve.
- Teamwork and Communication – being able to work and communicate with others in another language.
- Creativity when speaking and writing – developing ideas further. Extending sentences by using tenses, opinions and connectives.
- Curiosity to find out about other cultures and to learn about how a language works.
- Tolerance and Empathy of other traditions and cultures. Developing an understanding of different countries where the language you study is spoken.
- Translation into and from the foreign language.
How parents and carers can support
Parents and carers can support their child by encouraging them to continue their studies at home. Students of MFL have a Languagenut account online where they can further their understanding and knowledge - parents and carers can encourage them to use this regularly. Regular learning of vocabulary can also help them to succeed. They could watch a film with subtitles in a different language, or listen to song lyrics in another language to develop their skills or read a bi-lingual book. Students are provided with revision resources before an assessment and can be encouraged to learn vocabulary in an active way, eg- recording themselves speaking in the language, making flashcards to learn answers to questions or by making mindmaps or posters with key knowledge. They could also access a number of good revision websites listed below to support their language learning, or use an app such as DuoLingo to practice. There are also a lot of good revision guides and workbooks available to practice their skills.
Useful websites
BBC Bitesize – useful information and activities for all key stages in languages www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zrqmhyc
AQA is the exam board for GCSE MFL and we use the new specification– past papers and further information can be found at www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages
Languagenut – games, practice, homework tasks - www.languagenut.com
Quizlet - a range of flashcards to support language learning – www.quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-mfl
Languages online – range of games and activities in French, German or Spanish - www.languagesonline.org.uk
Monks' Dyke Road
Louth
Lincolnshire
LN11 9AW
United Kingdom
North Holme Road
Louth
Lincolnshire
LN11 0HG
United Kingdom