Spanish

subject overview

Teaching and learning in Spanish and Italian focuses on language acquisition through developing a range of language learning strategies. The emphasis is on encouraging learners to learn, practise and apply key language and structures for a range of tasks and contexts. Languages is traditionally split into four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and work centres on developing mastery in each skill area. Lesson activities are varied and may include exploiting a literary text for comprehension, extracting key details from listening texts, engaging in role-play or practising translation. Throughout their learning learners are strongly encouraged to make links with other languages that they know and to share this information with the class. All languages are celebrated and valued within the culture of Language Learning at Harrow High School

unit overview - AUTUMN TERM 1

Skills

Exam skills

Give opinions/create more complex sentences which include comparisons and expressions of time

Learning vocabulary

Adapting a model

Using y(and) and que(that, which, who) to form longer sentences

Giving opinions in different ways

Constructing a text

Knowledge

Theme: 1.1 Me, my family and friends

Sub topics

Relationships with family and friends and future plans

Key Language, vocabulary and Grammar Present tense and regular verbs

Tener,ser and estar present tense Adjective agreement rules

Possessive adjectives

Reflexive verbs(present tense) Using the immediate future tense

Subject pronouns Direct and indirect object pronouns

Comparatives

Adverbs of frequency Time markers

Interrogatives

Rationale

This first GCSE unit enables Learners to make the transition from Year 8 into Year 9 being confident about previous key points of Grammar and vocabulary. A whole new SOW based on principles of interleaving and building up has been put into place. This represents an opportunity to revisit strategies for learning vocabulary and structures from both Year 7 and 8. In particular, the first two weeks will form part of the transition curriculum.

Low stakes retrieval activities has been specifically created to assess and fill in gaps in knowledge in the first 2 weeks. These include the Como es tu familia power point and individual/pair question and answer thinking skills activities. These have been designed to stimulate, decode and apply prior learning as well as to practice structured grammar drills. Certain non-negotiable concepts, knowledge and skill related to phonics, vocabulary and grammar have already been identified as being vital before embarking an adding further complex language. These will be practised in a specifically created booklet and reinforced in a series of specific lessons over the 2 week transition period with learners. Homeworks will be used to encourage application and manipulation of new and prior learning. A booklet has been created which through scaffolding and challenge will encourage confidence and independent learning. Learners will then be equipped to start the new main topic which will continue to interleave prior and new learning.

We want learners to understand and practice aspects of the GCSE exam fully so that they can make an informed choice at the end of the year. As the unit progresses, learners are expected to understand, request and provide information about the themes specified above relating to their own experiences and those of other people including people in countries and communities where Spanish is spoken. They are expected to acquire knowledge as specified in the SOW for this unit and apply it progressively throughout the course across the topics and the skills in order to understand the importance and relevance of transferring skills and knowledge. This will fully prepare for GCSE Year 1.

unit overview - AUTUMN TERM 2

Skills

Specific Exam skills

Picking out key words when reading

Offering extra information when speaking

Checking your pronunciation

Working out the meaning of unfamiliar words from context

Knowledge

Theme: 1.2 Technology in everyday life

Sub topics Key Language, vocabulary and Grammar

Social Media Making comparisons using mas que and menos Mobile Technology que

Question words

Using the perfect tense of regular verbs

Habia and era

Using por and para

Statements of possibility eg. Permitir/es possible +infinitive

Using estar and the present continuous tense

Formulating questions

Rationale

This unit is vital in demonstrating the speed and range of language Learners can expect at GCSE. It allows for the early introduction to role-play and photo cards that form an integral part of the GCSE. It introduces them to transactional as well as descriptive settings .

They will be encouraged to reuse key phrases from prior learning in their interactions with each other and with the Teacher in order to develop accurate pronunciation, intonation and to work actively on expanding their answers as this is a key part of the GCSE.

There is an opportunity to engage Learners further through the use of songs, tongue twisters and phonetics in order to develop fluency as well as transcribe texts.

In order to be familiar with a variety of accents and idioms, learners will be exposed to Spanish from different Hispanic countries and be expected to transfer the skills they have learnt above to extract key meaning and confidently translate new words.

They are also expected to use increasingly accurate sentences in two tenses in order to fully prepare for the Speaking and Writing assessments in Y10 thereby building on the key grammar points learnt in year 8.

They are expected to acquire knowledge as specified in the specification for this unit and to apply it progressively throughout the course across the topics and across the skills in order to understand the importance and relevance of transferring skills and knowledge.

unit overview - spring term

Subject: Year 9 partly based on AQA GCSE 8698 Theme 1 Identity and culture
Skills	Specific Exam skills Picking out key words when reading Offering extra information when speaking Checking your pronunciation Working out the meaning of unfamiliar words from context
Knowledge	Theme: 1.2 Technology in everyday life Sub topics Key Language, vocabulary and Grammar Social Media Making comparisons using mas que and menos que Mobile Technology Question words Using the perfect tense of regular verbs Habia and era Using por and para Statements of possibility eg. Permitir/es possible +infinitive Using estar and the present continuous tense Formulating questions
Rationale	This unit is vital in demonstrating the speed and range of language Learners can expect as the year progresses. It allows for the early introduction to role-play and photo cards that form an integral part of the GCSE should Learners continue to GCSE. It introduces them to transactional as well as descriptive settings. They will be encouraged to reuse key phrases from prior learning in their interactions with each other and with the Teacher in order to develop accurate pronunciation, intonation and to work actively on expanding their answers as this is a key part of adding depth and detail to their communication. There is an opportunity to engage Learners further through the use of songs, tongue twisters, audiovisual and phonetics in order to develop fluency as well as transcribe texts. In order to be familiar with a variety of accents and idioms, learners will be exposed to Spanish from different Hispanic countries and be expected to transfer the skills they have learnt above to extract key meaning and confidently translate new words. They are also expected to use increasingly accurate sentences in two tenses in order to fully prepare for the Speaking and Writing assessments later on in Y9 thereby building on the key grammar points learnt in year 8. They are expected to acquire knowledge as specified in the SOW for this unit and to apply it progressively throughout the course across the topics and across the skills in order to understand the importance and relevance of transferring skills and knowledge. Key principles of interleaving and building up language will continue to be reflected throughout this and preceding and following units.

unit overview - summer term

Subject: Year 9 partly based on GCSE 8698 Theme 1 Identity and culture
Skills	Specific Exam skills Expanding your statements Listening for positive and negative opinions Using time words to express order Using listening techniques Extending sentences when speaking Using future time phrases
Knowledge	Theme: 1.3 Free Time Activities Sub topics Key Language, vocabulary and Grammar Music Using gustar and encantar Cinema and TV Gustar + plural nouns Food and Eating out Revising the regular present tense Some common irregular verbs in the present tense Sport Learning about radical changing verbs(e-ie) ie) Pronouns after con Forming regular adverbs Using pronouns after para Using hacer and jugar in the present Further uses of gustar Using the future tense Hacer, haber, salir and tener in the future
Rationale	This third unit enables Learners to practise the important skill of sequencing their responses into a logical coherent structure and to extend sentences as overtly practised in the previous unit. This is to ensure learners are getting into the habit of systematically expanding their responses to fully convey what they want to communicate. This unit is designed around themes that learners can easily relate to and engage with, allowing for Learners to draw on familiar contexts as a starting base. Learners are expected to create content providing detailed information about the sub topics specified above and relating to their own experiences and those of other people, including people in countries /communities where Spanish is spoken. The introduction of irregular verbs in a variety of tenses, will help them to acquire knowledge as specified in the SOW for this unit and to apply it progressively throughout the course and in GCSE across any topics. They are expected to acquire knowledge as specified in the SOW for this unit and to apply it progressively throughout the course across the topics and across the skills in order to understand the importance and relevance of transferring skills and knowledge. Key principles of interleaving and building up language will continue to be reflected throughout this, preceding and following units.

knowledge Organiser

A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments, and calculations.

We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:

Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
Practise spelling key vocabulary
Further researching people, events and processes most relevant to the unit.