Spanish
The Modern Foreign Languages Department
- Mrs D Egan – Leading Practitioner and Head of Department
- Mrs P Stanziola – Spanish Teacher
- Miss C Williams – Spanish Teacher
We aim to ignite and nurture pupils' interest in and enthusiasm for the Spanish language and, at the same time, build up their self-confidence so that they become excellent communicators, not solely in this foreign tongue, but in their own native language. We want to give them the confidence, the academic skills and knowledge they need to understand and communicate with other people in Spanish. We aim to provide students with the opportunity to experience Spanish language and culture as well as a love of the subject as well as help them to become independent speakers who can communicate in another language naturally and talk about a range of areas of interest. As the Spanish is an accumulative subject, our curriculum introduces pupils to essential vocabulary and grammar and builds upon these basic structures term upon term, year upon year, until learners become confident and competent Spanish speakers. The course starts in year 7 with essential Spanish pronunciation, spelling and grammar which includes knowing how to identify word categories and use articles, pronouns, nouns, adjectives and the present and immediate future tenses. The year 7 content is rooted in learning about the geography of Spain, its culture, traditions and ways of life. In year 8 pupils move on to building upon their grammatical understanding and application by learning more complex structures such as comparative adjectives, use of adverbs and tenses such as the past imperfect and preterite tenses with a content focus on the customs, traditions and culture of the Spanish speaking countries in Central and South America. In year 9, pupils will build on their grammatical understanding, learning other present, past and future tenses and they will study the life and culture in their own world and compare it to that of Spanish speaking countries. At the end of year 9, pupils have the opportunity to choose Spanish as one of their GCSE options. They will follow the AQA course that includes further developing their spoken, listening, reading and written skills through focusing on a range of topic areas that are pertinent to the three main themes; Identity and Culture, Local, national, international and global areas of interest and current and future study and employment. The Spanish GCSE is completely examination based and involves four separate examinations: a speaking exam (conducted by their teacher), a listening exam, a reading exam and a written exam. After their GCSE exam, pupils have the choice to select A Level Spanish where they will continue to develop their language skills, as well as study aspects of society, culture, traditions and literature in the Spanish-speaking world.
Exam Board
Spanish GCSE - AQA
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/spanish-8698
A Level Spanish - AQA
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/as-and-a-level/spanish-7692
Spanish: Useful Websites
KS3
- BBC Bitesize – Useful overviews of different topic areas, grammar and key vocabulary and entertaining videos to practise language comprehension. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z9mtsbk
- Seneca Learning – Useful overviews of grammatical structures and vocabulary with quizzes to test your learning. https://app.senecalearning.com
- Online Dictionary – Easy to use bi-lingual dictionary English to Spanish and Spanish to English https://www.colinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-spanish
KS4
- AQA Spanish – Examination board website where you will find the specification and overview of the entire course. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/GCSE/Spanish-8698
- Revision World – Revision materials of all key topic areas covered and you will find past higher and foundation level papers in all skill areas (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) on this site. https://revisionworld.com/gcse-revision/spanish
- BBC Bitesize – Useful overviews of different topic areas, grammar and key vocabulary and as well as examination practice in all four skill areas. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/z4yyjhv
- Seneca Learning – Useful overviews of grammatical structures and topic related vocabulary with quizzes to test your learning. https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/eefdd6b0-11e8-9e60-31064e3f9a21
KS5
- AQA Spanish – Examination board website where you will find the specification and overview of the entire course. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/as-and-a-level/spanish-7692
- News in Slow Spanish – Keep up to date with current affairs, culture and science and technology in Spain whilst practising listening skills and broadening vocabulary. https://newsinslowspanish.com
- Spanish Listening – Native Spanish speakers from different Spanish speaking countries speak about a range of topics and ask questions. Great listening comprehension practice of all accents. https://spanishlistening.org
- Quizlet – Revision of key vocabulary, structures and literary quotations in Spanish with quizzes to test your learning. https://quizlet.com and search the topic area or the work.