FRENCH
French is taught throughout the school from Reception to Year 8 by specialist teachers. In the Pre-Prep, pupils have one lesson each week and in Years 3 and 4, this increases to 3 lessons. Years 5 and 6 have four lessons each, whilst Years 7 and 8 have daily lessons of 35 minutes with weekly preps to supplement this.
Generally, pupils are set in ability groups from Year 5 and a ‘Catch-up French Club’ is available for pupils needing extra help.
Very few children do not learn French at St Aubyns. However, this may occur if a child joins the school with specific learning difficulties severe enough to make it inadvisable. The time thus freed is organised by the Learning + Department and is used as is most appropriate to that child.
An annual evening of performance in French, recently known as the Soirée Française, involves all students of French in Years 5 to 8. This enhances the children’s confidence in speaking French.
Pupils gather on the stage for the finale of "La Marseillaise"
A bi-annual visit to Normandy is open to pupils in Years 7 and 8 during the Easter holidays. Groups of pupils, accompanied by staff, spend four or five nights in an Educational Centre. Daily activities include a variety of educational visits to the area, on-site adventure activities and language improvement sessions.
AIMS
1. To furnish each pupil, within the limits of his/her ability, with
- a practical, creative and imaginative competence in the four
- skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing enabling pupils to
- approach the challenge of contact with native speakers with confidence.
- succeed in internal and external examination, both in the short term (CE and Scholarship) and, in the future, GCSE and A level.
- adopt a positive and sympathetic attitude not only to France, its language and people, but also to those of other French-speaking lands.
- develop an awareness of the nature of language and of language learning.
2. To present French in particular, and language learning in general, as
- an enjoyable, relevant and useful skill, through
- a variety of attractively presented resources, including audio, video and ICT-based.
- a classroom atmosphere which fosters confidence.
- an expectation of success and enjoyment
- first-hand contact with the country.
- maximum use of target language in the classroom by the teacher and pupils
OBJECTIVES
At the age of 13+ children should be able:
as listeners:
- to understand informal instructions, requests, monologues and simple dialogues;
- to listen with understanding to authentic French, spoken by native speakers (usually on CD, video or DVD);
- to have learnt something of the techniques of gist comprehension.
as speakers:
- to respond to prepared and unprepared questions.
- to perform role-play tasks.
- to deliver a speech and conduct a conversation based on a number of prepared topics.
as readers:
- to understand texts such as letters, brochures and menus.
- to recognise attitudes and emotions.
- to access authentic material within their experience.
- to write single words and extended sentences.
- to write a longer piece of continuous French such as a letter of up to one hundred and fifty words.
Scheme of Work
In the Prep section of the school pupils will study three Topic Areas each academic year.