Through their language studies, students will be introduced to other cultures, which will foster their interests in the wider world, develop new ways of thinking and deepen their understanding of social and cultural differences. Knowledge of other cultures promotes tolerance and compassion for others and will allow students to broaden their views and develop their interpersonal skills. Students will develop a wide range of both cultural and linguistic knowledge about the Spanish speaking world, by studying their geography, history, art, sports, foods and culture. Students will be able to develop their communication skills and will be able to express their thoughts and ideas in another language through both speaking and writing. Throughout the course students will develop the linguistic skills required to continue learning further languages, should they wish to work, study or travel abroad. Students will develop skills in grammar and vocabulary acquisition which will allow them to develop an understanding of how languages are structured and how they have evolved. Students will be able to study authentic resources in the original language which will give them access to foreign culture and literature.
KS3 looks at a range of topics sequenced in a cyclical fashion that allows for increasing complexity of both grammar and vocabulary. This allows students to develop the vocabulary necessary to introduce themselves and talk about the world around them in the target language. The topics are sequenced in a manner that allows them to confidently form simple sentences as well as gradually building on the basics to construct longer, more complex language through speaking and writing, as well as being able to understand content through listening and reading. At the end of KS3 students should have a strong foundation in the language and should be able to express and justify their opinions on a range of different themes. They should have a good basic vocabulary, know how to conjugate verbs into different tenses and be able to structure sentences with complex elements such as adverbs of frequency, connectives and time phrases. Assessments in KS3 embed GCSE type questions to learn and practise skills required to succeed in KS4. In KS4 students build on their foundation to develop their vocabulary and knowledge of complex grammar further.
In KS3 students are introduced to all the topics and themes that are on the GCSE specification and are learning vocabulary from this document. They practise conjugating verbs in different tenses and learn to give their opinions as well as justifying their opinions within the GSCE themes. They develop linguistic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as translation in and out of the target language. These are linguistic skills that can be used to develop their knowledge of their mother tongue as well as transfer these skills to the study of further languages they might wish to study in the future. The knowledge introduced in KS3 will allow them to learn about other cultures, broaden their views and develop their communication skills regardless of their option decisions at the end of KS3
