French
Modern Foreign Languages courses at Thornhill Academy aim to equip students with the necessary practical communication skills required for work and leisure. The course also intends to provide students with the linguistic foundation for further study.
Learning a Modern Foreign Language will help to open the doors to more jobs due to the fact that the ability to speak and understand a foreign language remains a specialist skill. It also provides a cultural awareness for all students that study it. Many UK exports go to Europe despite the fact that many companies still lack the specialist staff to conduct business in a foreign language.
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, French is taught as a specialist subject and follows the National Curriculum. Students are offered the opportunity to learn, improve, and develop their knowledge, skills, and understanding to make progress in this subject.
In year 7, students acquire the basic understanding of the linguistic structures and patterns while learning how to describe themselves, talk about their families and interests, as well as discover more about the diverse French culture and traditions.
In year 8, students build upon their knowledge and learn how to describe holidays using different tenses, talk about festivals and celebrations, as well as develop a more understanding of leisure time activities.
In year 9, students work to develop and understand more complex grammar structures, including continued use of three tenses. They use these skills to discuss healthy living and illness, sport and fitness, and family relationships.
KS3 |
HT 1 |
HT 2 |
HT 3 |
HT 4 |
HT 5 |
HT 6 |
Yr7 |
Personal profile – name
Personal profile – age
Personal profile – birthday
Personal profile - likes and dislikes
Personal profile - hair and eyes
|
Celebrity name and age
Celebrity -physical description
Celebrity -physical description
Celebrity –personality
Celebrity – description
Celebrity - description
|
France – house
France - where I live
France - where I live
France - what's in the town
France - what you can do in town
France - description |
France – description
France – writing
Family – people
Family –describing
Family - describing |
Family – relationships
Family – relationships
Family –description
Family – writing
Family -describing |
Family – relationships
Family – relationships
Family –description
Family – poetry
Family – poetry
Correspondence |
Yr8 |
Music –genres
Music - likes and dislikes
Music - Song study
Music – comparing
genres
|
Paris – monuments
Paris – monuments
Paris - visits
Paris - what you can do
Paris - what you can see
Paris – directions
Paris – paintings
|
Food
|
Sport
Sport
Sport
Sport
Sport
|
International Life
International Life
International Life
International Life
International Life
International Life
|
Literature
Literature
Literature
Literature
Literature
Literature
|
Yr9 |
Hobbies
Hobbies
|
Past birthday
Careers - basic jobs
Careers - earning pocket money
Careers - what you would like to do
Careers - what you would like to do
Careers - future plans
|
Future plans – aspirations
Future plans – aspirations
Music tastes - genres
Music tastes – comparisons
Music tastes – comparisons
Music tastes - song/singer |
Future concert
Future concert
Music festivals – cultural
|
Healthy living
Healthy living
Environment
Environment |
Environment
Francophonie
Francophonie
Francophonie
Francophonie
Francophonie
Francophonie |
Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4, students have the opportunity to study French as one of their pathways and embark on a two-year GCSE course. The department currently follows the AQA GCSE course which assesses the four language skills.
Students build upon KS3 knowledge and begin to learn more about the language. Topics such as home and local environment, holidays, social awareness, school, future plans, and the environment are studied. At the end of the course, students will complete four examinations in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
HT 1 |
HT 2 |
HT 3 |
HT 4 |
HT 5 |
HT 6 |
|
Y10 |
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Family & friends
Family & friends - best friend
Family & friends – relationships
Family & friends – relationships
Family & friends – role models
|
Hobbies –sports
Hobbies – frequency
TV and Film – comparing
New technology – opinions
|
New technology - role plays Celebrations - tenses
Celebrations – cultural
Celebrations – cultural
Celebrations
Celebrations
|
Home and town - places
Home and town - getting around
Home and town – weather
Home and town – describing
Home and town - advantages/disadvantages |
Home and town - Ideal town
Travel and Tourism - usual holiday
Travel and tourism - past holiday
Travel and tourism - past holiday
|
Travel and Tourism -transactional situations
Travel and Tourism -transactional situations
|
Y11 |
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School - subjects and teachers
School - describing rules and buildings
School – comparing
Future plans - jobs and workplaces
Future plans – aspirations
|
Work experience - using the past tense
Work experience - describing in the past
Work experience - describing in the past
Jobs - speaking
Celebrations –revisit
|
Healthy living - food choices
Social issues – homelessness
Social issues – poverty
Environment - How to help
Environment - How to help |
Consolidation
Consolidation
Consolidation
Consolidation
Consolidation |
Speaking practice
Speaking practice
Speaking practice
Speaking practice
Exam technique
|
Curriculum Support
Please find below all the support documents you need for French.
Useful Links
https://www.aqa.org.uk/
https://www.euroclub-schools.org/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk