Modern Languages

French, German, Spanish A - 3 lessons per week

ISH offers German, French or Spanish to native speaker students, as and when appropriate. Courses will be offered in these languages on condition that there are sufficient interested students to create a class.

Aims

• to enhance students’ knowledge and enjoyment of their own culture, literature and language within the given timeframe.
• to help students with the use of their own language as a vehicle for thought, reflection, learning and self-expression through the use of a variety of media such as films, printed material, and so on, in the target language.

Students are encouraged to apply their acquired knowledge and skills creatively through story writing, devising advertising campaigns, writing poetry, etc. This provides the students with an opportunity for self-assessment and peer assessment, which will help them measure their progress.

Students are assessed according to their level within the group: Language A or Language A Transition. Transition level offers opportunities to some students to further develop their technical accuracy. Students are placed within these sub-groups according to preset criteria.

French, German, Spanish B – 3 lessons per week

All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 choose to study German or French or Spanish as a foreign language (Language B).   The primary aim of the Language B programme is to teach students to communicate in the target language, both in class with their classmates and, when the occasion arises, with other speakers of the target language. For this communication to be effective, students must learn to express themselves with reasonable accuracy.

The secondary aim of the programme is to immerse students in an authentic cultural context. Through the many conversations in the teaching materials (textbook, audio and video cassettes) students get to know and appreciate the culture of the countries where the target language is spoken.

Once students understand new phrases and expressions, they are encouraged to practise their knowledge in numerous communicative activities, carefully graded from easy to more challenging. Students work in pairs or small groups for most activities, but they also have the opportunity to express themselves individually, both orally and in writing.

In addition to activities presented by the teaching material, students are challenged to apply what they have learned to everyday situations, e.g. by carrying out interviews, making calendars and cards, making projects about their family and friends, hobbies, etc.

Students are made aware of their own development and progress through the use of self-assessment, peer assessment and clear assessment criteria.