Spanish

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Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese and Hindustani), with over 400 million speakers!

Learning Spanish can benefit you in many ways: intensive study of the vocabulary and grammar can help you develop a better understanding of your own language, as well as providing a stepping stone for learning other foreign languages.

Additionally, if you can imagine yourself working abroad when you’re older then speaking Spanish will make you more employable in over 21 Spanish speaking countries, as well as in the United States (where it is the second most widely spoken language)!

Lastly, speaking Spanish really is something that will benefit you for the rest of your life. It gives you the opportunity to experience other cultures from a different perspective and gives you the chance to interact with a much wider variety of people. It is the difference between visiting Spain or Latin America as a tourist, or travelling with an insider’s knowledge.

At the end of the day, it is perfectly possible to see the pyramids in Mexico, the running of the bulls in Spain, the amazing wildlife in Ecuador and the Galapagos islands, and the fantastic site of Machu Picchu in Peru without speaking a word of Spanish…. But it isn’t nearly half as much fun!

Years 7 - 9

From day one in Year 7 students are starting to prepare for their Languages GCSE exams and follow a GCSE mastery curriculum. We aim to teach the following from the start of Year 7 so as to ensure all students become confident and enthusiastic linguists and master the skills required for GCSE:

Literacy
Numeracy
Phonics
Dictionary and verb table skills
Vocabulary
Spontaneous Speaking
Grammar
Extended Writing
Authentic Listening
Authentic Reading
Memory skills
Culture

Years 10 - 11

Year 10-11 AQA Specification Update (2024): The curriculum now includes three main themes:

Theme 1: People and lifestyle
Theme 2: Popular culture
Theme 3: Communication and the world around us

Useful Resources and Websites

‘Así’ Books 1 and 2 text books
‘Boardworks’ ICT KS3 package (used in teaching)
Kerboodle
www.educacion.es/exterior/uk/es/tecla/tecla.shtml
www.linguascope.com
www.atantot.com
www.sunderlandschools.org/mfl-sunderland/resources.htm
www.voki.com
www.languagesonline.org.uk – general resources for all key skills
www.wordreference.com – online dictionary
www.bbc.co.uk/languages
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips – videos on a variety of topics
www.tes.co.uk/resources – variety of resources available
http://www.languagesresources.co.uk/
http://www.eurobourne.org.uk/mfl_resources/index.html

Extra curricular

Year 7s will have the opportunity to participate in a production of ‘Snow White’ in Spanish at the end of the year.
Year 9 tapas meal
Routes into Languages speaking competition run through the University of West England
Routes into Languages video competition
Opportunity to visit Spain as part of a school trip
Dia de la Hispanidad
Spanish Film club
Flamenco Workshop
Spelling Bee competition