"French is a global language of influence and culture."
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/ FRENCH IN ST. MALACHY'S
Apart from learning to communicate in one of the world’s most beautiful languages, students who learn French are learning a language of global influence and high culture.
French is a language of global trade and international relations. It is one of the official languages of the United Nations and the European Union and is the official or administrative language in over forty five countries or regions worldwide.
Learning French develops your confidence in how you project yourself and how you communicate with others. Employability skills such as teamwork, cultural awareness, critical analysis, problem solving and communication are at the basis of everything we do. As a result, students with a background in French are much sought after because of their knowledge, their people skills and their vision of the world which is outward looking and creative.
What’s more, once you have learnt French,other languages are easy to learn. French is your passport to the rest of the world!
The French department aims to support the whole curriculum, whilst being a subject in its own right. The language is taught in a meaningful context, providing students with experience of using French creatively and with confidence. We seek to provide a broad and balanced curriculum in accordance with the requirements of the Revised Curriculum for Northern Ireland.
Mrs T Mulholland
Dr J Thompson
Mrs C Devlin
Ms Y Colin (Language Assistant)
/ CURRICULUM
Throughout Key Stages 3, 4&5, all students of French work towards a mastery of the four attainment targets (ATs) of speaking, reading, listening and writing.
Although the four ATs comprise four discrete skill areas and have their own distinctive contributions to make to language acquisition, they are also interdependent and mutually supportive. This interdependence is reflected in
class room practice where opportunities are provided to use a multi-skill approach to both teaching and assessment.
Key Stage 4 French COURSE OUTLINE:
Context 1 – Identity, Lifestyle and Culture: Students’ lives, families, homes and interests, and those of others in French-speaking communities and countries. Topics of focus are:
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Myself, my family, relationships and choices
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Social media and new technology
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Free time, leisure and daily routine
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Culture, customs, festivals and celebrations
Context 2 – Local, National, International and Global Areas of Interest: Students’ lifestyles and attitudes to environmental, social and global issues, and those of others in French-speaking communities and countries. Topics of focus are:
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My local area and the wider environment
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Community involvement
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Social and global issues
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Travel and tourism
Context 3 – School Life, Studies and the World of Work: Education and employment issues in students’ own country or community and in French-speaking communities and countries. Topics of focus are:
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My studies and school life
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Extra-curricular activities
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Part-time jobs and money management
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Future plans and career
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Revised GCSE assessment structure:
Content Assessment Weighting
Unit 1 Listening One externally assessed written paper, consisting of 25% twelve questions. Available at Foundation or Higher tier.
Unit 2 Speaking One teacher-facilitated and externally marked examination, 25%
consisting of two role-plays and one general conversation.
Unit 3 Reading One externally assessed written paper, consisting of twelve 25%
questions. Available at Foundation or Higher tier.
Unit 4 Writing One externally assessed written paper, consisting of four 25%
questions. Available at Foundation or Higher tier.
Key Stage 5 French COURSE OUTLINE:
Content Assessment Weighting
AS 1: Q1: presentation (approximately 3 mins.) 30% of AS level
Speaking Q2: conversation (approximately 8 mins.) 12% of A level
AS 2: Listening: 40% of AS level
Listening, Reading Students answer two sets of questions based on
& Use of Language two listening topics
Reading: 16% of A level
Q1: students answer one set of questions in French
based one reading text
Q2: translation of a passage from French into English
Use of Language:
Q1-4: short grammatical and lexical exercises
Q5: translation of short sentences from English into French
AS 3: Students write one essay in French in response 30% of AS level
Extended Writing to a literary text. 12% of A level
Content Assessment Weighting
A2 1: Q1: students introduce and discuss an individual 18% of A level
Speaking research project (based on an aspect of French culture)
(approximately 6 mins.)
Q2: conversation (approximately 9 mins.)
A2 2: Listening: 24% of A level
Listening & Reading Students answer two sets of questions based on two
discrete passages recorded on disk.
Reading:
Q1: students complete gap-filling exercise in French
Q2: students answer a set of questions in French based on one passage
Q3: students read a passage in French and summarise in English
Q4: students translate a passage from English into French
A2 3: Students write one essay in French in response to the set 18% of A level
Extended Writing literary text
/ EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
The French club is held held once a week, on alternate weeks where students have the opportunity to develop their spoken French skills with the French Assistant. This will also be a cultural experience where students will be able to learn about the cultural aspects of French life, including cinema, sport and new technology and food.
Trips to France are organised every two years to provide students with the opportunity to experience French language and culture in an authentic setting. This can be in the form of home stay with French families or as a sightseeing tour.
Students also have the opportunity to attend film showings and workshops at Queen’s Film Theatre, as well as language conferences and revision courses at Queen’s and Ulster Universities.
The European Day of Languages on the September 26th is always eagerly celebrated in the College with a range of activities taking place to promote the enjoyment and importance of French such as food tasting, French competitions, pétanque, French cookery demonstrations, French song, external speakers promoting the importance of French for business and future careers. All A Level students have the opportunity to go out to local primary schools on this day, to teach French to children in the local area as part of our outreach programme.
/ JOB OPPORTUNITIES
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Students who learn French are learning a global language which opens doors onto the worlds of business, law, medical research, diplomacy, politics, art, technology and culture. Studying French gives you endless career opportunities and sets you apart from other monolingual competitors and affords you the opportunity to do work placements abroad and advance your career prospects in different countries.
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Speaking French opens up opportunities to study at renowned French universities and business schools, ranked among the top higher education institutions in Europe and the world.
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Learning French also develops your confidence in how you project yourself and communicate with others and those other key employability skills such as critical thinking, cultural awareness, problem solving, are at the basis of everything we do.
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As a result, students of French are much sought after because of their knowledge, their people skills, their ability to think laterally and their vision of the world which is outward looking and creative.
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Past students of French have found employment not only at home but in France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and the USA among others.
/ ROLE OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE ASSISTANT
The French Assistant’s work is primarily to do conversation classes with the French students of Year 13 &14 in preparation for their externally assessed oral exam. She will also be employed to do activities over lunchtime, as part of the French Language Club and to do immersion classes with small groups of junior students who join the College in Year 9 and 10 but who have not done French in their previous schools.
Where the French Assistant’s timetable allows, she can also do some team teaching with whole class groups and can get involved in preparing materials for the department.