Digital Technology
Mrs. F. Moyano
Head of Department
Welcome to Spanish
Here at Ferndown Upper School we are passionate about learning languages. We wholeheartedly share the sentiments of the Psycholinguist Frank Smith.
“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
When you learn another language, you extend your linguistic and cultural knowledge, expand your worldview and broaden your horizons. You recognise differences in values and beliefs and discover new ways of doing things, not to mention strengthen your understanding of your own cultural and linguistic background. Our aim if for all students at Ferndown Upper School to find their MFL lessons interesting, engaging and challenging.
Subject Leader
Emma Elliott – Head of Modern Languages, Director of Learning for Communications
Meet The Spanish Department Staff
Mrs. F. Moyano
Head of Department
Curriculum
Year 9 Spanish – Introducing yourself and basic classroom vocabulary, school life, traditions in Spain, family and pets, physical appearance, home and local area, daily routine, free time activities. Start GCSE course – Holiday preferences, planning a trip and describing the weather.
Year 10 Spanish – Booking accommodation and saying what you did on holiday, free time, making arrangements to meet up, social media, TV, film and sports. School and plans for the future, describing your area, role models, festivals and celebrations.
Year 11 Spanish – Diet and healthy living, global issues, natural disasters, the value of international sporting events and being a volunteer, jobs, career choices, work experience and ambitions, taking a gap year. Revision for the GCSE exams.
Year 12 & 13 Spanish – Aspects of Hispanic-speaking society: Current trends.
Artistic culture in the Hispanic world.
Multiculturalism in Hispanic society.
Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world.
Individual research project.
Specifications
GCSE – AQA – Assessed through 4 final exams in Year 11 – listening, reading, speaking and writing – all worth 25%.
A level – AQA – Assessed through 3 final exams in Year 13 – listening, reading and writing (50%), writing (20%) and speaking (30%).
Facilities and equipment
The department boasts a computer room where students can access a wide range of online programmes and resources to develop their linguistic skills and listen independently to sound files and watch video clips.
A-level students have access to Kerboodle (for Spanish) and Dynamic Learning (for French) which is an interactive research with a wealth of material to practice all skill areas.
We have an extensive library of films in Spanish and French for students to borrow to enrich their learning.
Extra-Curricular
Exchange trip to Valencia
Pen pal links with our partner school in Valencia
Revision classes for GCSE Spanish (Week 2 Thursday 2:40-3:40 pm)
Revision
• CGP GCSE AQA French/Spanish – The Revision Guide and other workbooks: Exam Practice and Translations Skills
• Revise GCSE Spanish/French Pearson – Revision guide and Revision workbook
• GCSE Bitesize – Listening and Reading exercises
• Atantot.com – Vocabulary practice; games and exercises. There is also some grammar practice
• Atantot Extra.com – Vocabulary practice; games.
• Languages online.com – Interactive reading exercises and grammar practice
• Word reference.com – online dictionary
• Duolingo & Quizlet – vocab building and practice apps
Careers In Modern Foreign Languages
As a Modern Foreign Languages student, you will have gained skills highly valued by employers, such as verbal and written communication, problem solving, processing of information, teamwork, literacy and oracy. Speaking a foreign language enables you to compete in the global market place in a wide range of careers connected to areas such as the diplomatic service, marketing, customer service, law, business management and journalism to name a few. However, if you are passionate about languages you may wish to explore careers opportunities in an area more directly related to Modern Languages such as travel consultant, aviation operations manager, interpreter/translator, bilingual administrator, cabin crew, heritage-engineering technician and commercial procurement and supply.
Labour Market Information – LMI
It is useful to look at the labour market when considering a career related to Modern Foreign Languages. Many sectors related to MFL are areas of growth in terms of employment opportunities. The number of jobs aimed at bilingual workers has more than doubled in recent years with French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic in highest demand.
The LMI for All portal provides high quality, reliable LMI information – see link below: https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/
Pathways Example Post 16 Routes – Level 3 A Level
- A-Level French, Spanish, English Language, English Literature, History and Politics
Pathways Example Post 16 – Apprenticeship Ideas
AVIATION OPERATIONS MANAGERS
- Lead operations in the field of aviation, recruitment of ground staff and crewmembers, scheduling of flights and rotas for pilots, flight attendants and airport staff.
COMMERCIAL PORCUREMENT AND SUPPLY
- Monitor international business trends and product availability in order to pay the best price for company goods and services without sacrificing quality or delivery times. A key element of the role is nurturing relationships with worldwide suppliers to negotiate the best prices.
INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDING SPECIALIST
- Act as an intermediary between the company who makes the shipment and the final destination for the goods organising different transport modes to carry out shipment.
HERITAGE ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
- Perform a vital role in the preservation, restoration, re-manufacture, service and repair of historic UK and International engineering achievements working in organisations as diverse as global manufacturers, museums and small operators.