THE MODERN LANGUAGES CURRICULUM AT UCC

At Uppingham Community College the MFL curriculum across Key Stage 3 and 4 provides students with the opportunity to study a wide range of language, increasing their knowledge of vocabulary and set phrases while at the same time building their understanding of structures and how language works. This is achieved through the study and development of written and spoken language. Students are able to express their opinions on a variety of topic areas relevant to their everyday lives. Skilful application occurs when students can articulate their ideas either verbally or written through authentic use of the language they have studied. Students are also able to develop the concept of being a global citizen by increasing their understanding of the cultures where the languages are spoken.

Below are two examples of this in practice:

Knowledge: When studying School, the curriculum will cover vocabulary for subjects studied, adjectives to describe the subjects and the teachers. It will also include transferable knowledge of opinion phrases and conjunctions.

Understanding: Students will be encouraged to express their personal opinions about school subjects, focusing on using a variety of opinions and the language structures governing the opinions, at sentence or connected sentence level. They will also learn to transfer an English compound noun, e.g. Geography teacher, into the French equivalent

Skill: Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through the ability to answer questions about their preferences and write a few sentences to express their preferences and describe their teachers.

Knowledge: When studying Customs and festivals the curriculum will cover vocabulary needed to be able to name and describe a variety of traditions celebrated in the chosen country. It will also cover key words and phrases about how these festivals are celebrated, and include the transferable knowledge of describing events in present, past and future time frames.

Understanding: Students will develop an understanding of how the same festival may be celebrated in different countries and cultures. They will learn how to apply previously learnt grammar rules in new contexts.

Skill: Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through the ability to narrate the events of previous, current and future celebrations in both written and spoken form. They will be able to answer questions by listening to and reading accounts of how others celebrate. Students will also be able to express their preferences and justify them.