Modern Languages

Principal Teacher: Miss Lafitte (acting)

 

Staff members of the Modern Languages Department:

Miss M. Lafitte (Principal Teacher Curriculum English/ Modern Languages)

Mrs T. Armstrong (Teacher of French and Spanish)

Mrs Z. Bathgate (Teacher of French and German)

Miss D. Xercavins-Guarro (Teacher of French)

Why learn a language?

‘It is vital for UK business to develop capabilities in languages and intercultural awareness to compete successfully in the global market.’

( Peter M Mathews, Black Country Metals Ltd and President of Black Country Chamber of Commerce)

‘As it becomes increasingly important for firms to compete on a global scale, employers are placing more and more value on those who can offer an additional language.

• 49% of employers are dissatisfied with school leavers’ language skills (Council for Industry and Higher Education)
• 36% of employers recruit people with languages (CBI, 2009)
• 95% of London employers think that language skills are important for the London economy (CBI London)

Language skills are needed at all levels

• It is not just high fliers in international business who need language skills
• There is increasing demand for language skills in jobs involving all kinds of customer service
• The UK has a shortage of people who can combine language skills with other specialisms
• There is also a shortage of specialist linguists with English as a first language’

Source: http://www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages/employers_value_language_skill.aspx

Week of Languages 2010

Every year, during the Week of Languages, the ML department promotes the importance of learning a language to all classes. Fun was had by all during the Week of Languages in 2010 and a large variety of activities took place. Many classes contributed to a display on the importance of learning a language. A selection of S2 and S3 pupils interviewed staff in a foreign language. Croissants and pains au chocolat were offered to all pupils during their language lessons and they took part in European quizzes.  The canteen staff created a delicious International menu for the week.

For more information on the importance of learning a language:

http://www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages.aspx

http://www.whystudylanguages.ac.uk/

Why Study Languages at University?

http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/uk-universities/item/568-why-study-languages-at-university

Languages and Work

http://www.languageswork.org.uk/home.aspx

Sponsoring Nelson

Over the past few years the Spanish classes have been sponsoring a child called Nelson who lives in a very small village in the Mountains near La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, in South America. Nelson was abandoned by his mother many years ago and, along with his brothers, is being raised by his sister. 

Not only have the Spanish classes been raising money for Nelson but they have also been sending him various everyday essentials to meet his educational and health needs (toothpaste, toothbrushes, jotters, pens, pencils,etc…). In addition, many classes have been writing to Nelson in Spanish and his replies have been enthusiastically received!  

Last year, during the interdisciplinary project ‘Poverty Week’, all S1 and Spanish classes contributed to a ‘sponsored silence’ to raise money for Nelson and his family. Over £300 was raised and Nelson was able to buy essential foods such as flour and oil, get treatment for his broken arm, and buy a bike and leather shoes! With the money, he was also taken by voluntary workers of the charity ‘Warita’ to the cinema in the capital city. It was the first time he had ever been to the cinema! 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip to Paris

Last June, 40 pupils and 5 members of staff went to Paris for a week. We visited many famous monuments such as the Louvre Museum, the Versailles Palace, and the Eiffel Tower, and we all went on a cruise on the river Seine. We spent the last day at Euro Disney before embarking on a very long journey back on the coach! For more information check out our video on the school website!

French Club

The French Club takes place every Wednesday lunchtime. With Miss Xercavins’s help, pupils are preparing for the ‘Rencontres Théâtrales’, a drama ‘competition’ organised by the French Institute in Edinburgh. Pupils have written an adaptation of ‘Alice au pays des merveilles’ ( Alice in Wonderland) in French! The club is working with the art department to prepare the props for the play.

Bonne chance pour la compétition!

Study Support

Study Support is an extremely valuable opportunity to get help to prepare for your exams! Study Support takes place every week at 3:30 pm:

Miss Xercavins (Standard Grade French) on Wednesdays

Mrs Armstrong (Standard Grade Spanish) on Thursdays

Miss Lafitte (Higher/ Intermediate 2 French) on Wednesdays

Higher French Masterclass

This year’s Master class will take place on Saturday 26 th February at Herriot Watt University. Pupils will be able to fully prepare for the Higher examination with different teachers from the various West Lothian Schools. They will spend the day on the campus of Herriot Watt University and have a first-taste of student life! They will also be able to see fourth year language students perform a simultaneous translation in various languages!

For more information, please contact Mrs Armstrong.

Revision Websites

Try one of the websites below! You will find some interesting and interactive ways of revising French for your exams

• Standard Grade French: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=French&level=S
• Intermediate 2 French: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=French&level=Int2
• Higher French: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=French&level=H
• Standard Grade Spanish: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=Spanish&level=S
• Intermediate 2 Spanish: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=Spanish&level=Int2
• Higher Spanish: http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm?subject=Spanish&level=H

General revision :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/french/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/

http://www.languagesonline.org.uk/

http://www.ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk/Curriculum/modlang/index.htm

 

Our Curriculum

Curriculum for Excellence (S1)

‘Learning other languages enables children and young people to make connections with different people and their cultures and to play a fuller part as global citizens’

Our S1 course strives to support pupils to become:

 

• ‘successful learners , who can reflect on how they have acquired and learned their first language and how this can assist them in further language learning
• confident individuals , who, through experiencing success and support, can interact with others in real-life situations, talk about topics of personal interest and deliver presentations in their new language
• effective contributors , who can work in individual, paired and group situations, and establish and maintain contact with other speakers of the target language
• responsible citizens , who have a growing awareness of life in another society and of the issues facing citizens in the countries where their new language is spoken.’

 

(Source: Curriculum for Excellence. Principles and Practice paper. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/modern_languages_principles_practice_tcm4-539989.doc)

 

The ability to use language lies at the centre of thinking and learning and therefore pupils are able to develop their literacy and numeracy skills when they learn a new language. The health and well being of pupils is also at the centre of the classroom ethos and classroom activities.

In S1, pupils will also participate in cross-curricular and interdisciplinary projects on Poverty and the Armadale Olympics. This enables them to establish connections in their learning as well as transfer skills from one subject to another.

A variety of resources and media is used to make pupils’ learning more interesting and relevant. We use films, sitcoms, audio files, songs, text books, etc… and all our classrooms are equipped with a language lab which pupils can use to practise their speaking and listening skills.

S2-S4 Courses

Click to jump to the relevant section:

Standard Grade- French

Standard Grade - Spanish
Intermediate 1 - Spanish
Intermediate 2 - French
Intermediate 2 - Spanish
Higher - French
Higher - Spanish

 

Standard Grade - French

Levels: Foundation, General and Credit

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All pupils should study French in S3 and S4 as it is considered essential to provide all students with the knowledge, transferable skills and human qualities that will enable them to be internationally mobile.  Learning a language has an essential role
to play in preparing all students for citizenship in the wider society.

AIMS
Both the Standard Grade and the Access / Intermediate Courses aim to:

• develop an ability to communicate in the language
• access other cultures through the language
• enhance awareness of what language is, how it is structured and how it is used, by comparing the language with English.

Students “with a languages qualification are particularly well qualified in cultural knowledge and communication skills, an area to which employers give high priority”.   (Scottish Executive 2000)

“In a multicultural world a modern language has enormous benefit to offer all students…regardless of their age or their aptitude.” (Scottish Executive 2000)

CONTENT
All courses consist of four elements :  Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.   Students study relevant topics which include family, leisure, holidays, education and future plans.   They are also encouraged to learn about French culture and other French speaking countries.

ASSESSMENT
Standard Grade   :   Speaking assessments and folios account for 50% of the final grade and are assessed internally.   The final exam consists of a Reading and a Listening paper and is assessed externally.

Access 3 / Intermediate 1  :  Access 3 is assessed internally.   Intermediate 1 consists of both internal assessments and a final examination.
Subject to results in S2, Access 3 / Intermediate 1 may be offered to some pupils.

Standard Grade - Spanish

Levels: Foundation, General and Credit

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Starting in S3 some pupils will also be offered the opportunity to study Spanish at Standard Grade and Access 3 levels.  Apart from being a language which is spoken in 23 countries by 400,000,000 people (the third most widely spoken language in the world), many multi-national companies, call centres, etc are currently investing in West Lothian which makes a language such a Spanish a valuable asset to employers.   Pupils are also more likely to see the relevance of learning Spanish as it is a favourite holiday destination.  Therefore, Spanish has the potential to benefit students educationally, personally and more importantly enhance employment prospects.

AIMS
Apart from enhancing students’ linguistic and communication skills which are lifelong  skills and virtually indispensable in any employment situation, the course will aim to :

• develop an ability to communicate in the language
• access the diversity of Spanish culture and tradition
• enhance the students’ awareness of what language is, how it is structured and how it is used by comparing it with English
• make pupils true European citizens able to enjoy the mobility and employment opportunities offered by being members of the European Community.

CONTENT
The course will consist of four elements :  Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.   Pupils will study topics which relate to personal communication and the world of work.   Pupils will be given the opportunity to enhance their world knowledge by exploring the rich diversity of Spanish and Latin American culture and tradition.


ASSESSMENT
Standard Grade: Speaking assessments and folios account for 50% of the final grade and are assessed internally.  The final exam consists of a Reading and a Listening paper and is assessed externally.

 

Intermediate 1 - Spanish

Entry requirements: Standard grade General 4 or above

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  COURSE CONTENT:

Pupils will complete two units :

• Personal and Social Language
• Transactional Language

The four elements for Standard Grade - Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing continue in Intermediate 1, with a change in weighting.  New skills will, however, be required e.g. interpretation of reading passages and pieces of literature, a thorough knowledge of tenses for essay writing, topic discussion in groups - all using the foreign language.

Listening
Listening comprehension will continue to be developed with passages in the target language and answer in English.
Speaking
In addition to talking on personal matters, pupils will learn to speak about subjects of general interest in the target language and to present a topic.
Reading
Pupils will read fairly long passages in the target language, and comprehension is developed by means of translation and comprehension exercise.
Writing
Pupils will required to demonstrate a basic knowledge of grammatical structures.

METHODOLOGY
A multi skilled approach is used in Intermediate 1 and the course is topic based.
Topics studied are:

• Leisure and Lifestyles
• Education and Work
• The Wider World

ASSESSMENT

To gain the unit awards, pupils must pass an assessment in each of the four skills. One assessment will be taken at the end of each topic and pupils are given the chance to re-sit if necessary.

To gain the course award, pupils have to pass the external examination at the end of the course.

Intermediate 2 - French

Entry requirements: Standard Grade General 2/3

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COURSE CONTENT:

Pupils will complete two units  :

Language
Extended reading and Viewing

The four elements for Standard Grade - Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing continue in Intermediate 2, with a change in weighting.  Language skills will be developed through the use of more extended reading and listening passages, novels/ short stories and films.

Speaking
In addition to talking on personal matters, pupils will learn to speak about subjects of general interest in the target language and to present a topic.
Reading
Pupils will answer questions in English on various texts, extracts from newspapers, adverts, business letters and faxes.
Listening
Listening comprehension will continue to be developed through the use of videos and sound files etc. in the target language and answer in English.
Writing
Pupils will required to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the past tense and will be required to apply their knowledge of grammatical structures to written work.

METHODOLOGY

A multi skilled approach is used in Intermediate 2 and the course is topic based.
Topics studied are :

Leisure and Lifestyles.
Education and Work
The Wider World

ASSESSMENT
To gain the unit awards, pupils must pass an assessment in each of the four skills. One assessment will be taken at the end of each topic and pupils are given the chance to re-sit if necessary.
To gain the course award, pupils have to pass the external examination at the end of the course.

Point to Note
Intermediate 2 may be studied as an end in itself in S5/6.  Pupils may use Intermediate 2 as a ‘bridge’ between Standard Grade work and Higher in S5 and continue to take Higher in S6.

 

Intermediate 2 - Spanish

Entry requirements: Standard grade general 3 or above or Int 1 (Grade B)

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COURSE CONTENT:

Pupils will complete two units   :
Language
Language in Work

The four elements for Standard Grade - Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing continue in Intermediate 2, with a change in weighting.  Language skills will be developed through the use of more extended reading and listening passages and authentic business materials - letters, faxes etc. It should be noted that Speaking and Writing are of equal importance and the pupils must gain competence in both.

Speaking
In addition to talking on personal matters, pupils will learn to speak about subjects of general interest in the target language and to present a topic.

Reading
Pupils will answer questions in English on various texts, extracts from newspapers, adverts, business letters and faxes.
Listening
Listening comprehension will continue to be developed through the use of videos and sound files etc. in the target language and answer in English.
Writing
Pupils will required to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the past tense and will be required to apply their knowledge of grammatical structures to written work. Writing should develop from General Level to at least Credit level during the Intermediate 2 Course.

METHODOLOGY
A multi skilled approach is used in Intermediate 2 and the course is topic base .
Topics studied are  : 
Leisure and Lifestyles
Education and Work
The Wider World

ASSESSMENT
To gain the unit awards, pupils must pass an assessment in each of the four skills. One assessment will be taken at the end of each topic and pupils are given the chance to re-sit if necessary.
To gain the course award, pupils have to pass the external examination at the end of the course.

Point to Note
Intermediate 2 may be studied as an end in itself in S5/6.   Pupils may use Intermediate 2 as a ‘bridge’ between Standard Grade work and Higher in S5 and continue to take Higher in S6.

 

Higher - French

Entry requirements: Standard grade credit level (1/2) or Int 2

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COURSE CONTENT:

Pupils will complete two units  :

Language
Extended Reading and Viewing

The four elements for Standard Grade - Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing continue in Higher, with a change in weighting.  New skills will, however, be required e.g. interpretation of reading passages and pieces of literature, a thorough knowledge of tenses for essay writing, topic discussion in groups - all using the foreign language.

Speaking
In addition to talking on personal matters, pupils will learn to speak about subjects of general interest and to present a topic.
Reading
Pupils will read fairly long passages in the target language, and comprehension is developed by means of translation and comprehension exercise.
Listening
Listening comprehension will continue to be developed with passages in the target language and answer in English.
Writing
Writing is both more intensive and extensive than at Standard Grade.
More complex grammar structures are introduced and practised, by means of language exercises, and essay writing. Spoken and written stimuli are used to introduce essay topics, thus linking all elements.

METHODOLOGY
A multi skilled approach is used in Higher Still and the course is topic based. Pupils will practise all four skills through class teaching, group and pair work, and use of  Sanako system, though with more emphasis on the pupil producing extended written work.

Topics studied are current and relevant, comprising  :

Leisure and Lifestyles
Education and Work
The Wider World

ASSESSMENT
To gain the unit awards, pupils must pass an assessment in each of the four skills. One assessment will be taken at the end of each topic and pupils are given the chance to re-sit if necessary.
To gain the course award, pupils have to pass the external examination at the end of the course.

PROGRESSION   Students "with a language qualification are particularly well qualified in cultural knowledge and communication skills, an area to which employers give a high priority." (Scottish Executive 2000)

 

Higher - Spanish

Entry requirements: Standard grade credit level (1/2) or Int 2

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COURSE CONTENT:

Pupils will complete two units  :

Language
Language in Work
The four elements for Standard Grade - Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing continue in Higher, with a change in weighting.  New skills will, however, be required e.g. interpretation of reading passages and pieces of literature, a thorough knowledge of tenses for essay writing, topic discussion in groups - all using the foreign language.
Speaking
In addition to talking on personal matters, pupils will learn to speak about subjects of general interest and to present a topic.
Reading
Pupils will read fairly long passages in the target language, and comprehension is developed by means of translation and comprehension exercise.
Listening
Listening comprehension will continue to be developed with passages in the target language and answer in English.
Writing
Writing is both more intensive and extensive than at Standard Grade.

More complex grammar structures are introduced and practised, by means of language exercises, and essay writing. Spoken and written stimuli are used to introduce essay topics, thus linking all elements.

METHODOLOGY
A multi skilled approach is used in Higher Still and the course is topic based. Pupils will practise all four skills through class teaching, group and pair work, and use of  Sanako system, though with more emphasis on the pupil producing extended written work.
Topics studied are current and relevant, comprising  :

Leisure and Lifestyles
Education and Work
The Wider World

ASSESSMENT
To gain the unit awards, pupils must pass an assessment in each of the four skills. One assessment will be taken at the end of each topic and pupils are given the chance to re-sit if necessary.
To gain the course award, pupils have to pass the external examination at the end of the course.

PROGRESSION   Students "with a language qualification are particularly well qualified in cultural knowledge and communication skills, an area to which employers give a high priority." (Scottish Executive 2000)