Spanish
Subject Leader: Mrs May - kmay@tqacademy.co.uk
AIMS OF THE SPANISH DEPARTMENT
- to raise cultural awareness
- to build confident communicators who understand that making mistakes is a key part of the language learning process
- to create curious linguists
- to enable students to use the relevant strategies to recognise language patterns and clues to help them decode unknown words
SPANISH CURRICULUM
Our curriculum mountains show the content of the curriculum for each Teaching & Learning quarter for each academic year. To find out more about the curriculum, please contact the Subject Leader.
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 3 CURRICULUM
The KS3 Spanish curriculum includes all the basics to enable our students to be prepared for KS4. We look at the relevant topics that allow students to gain confidence when talking about themselves and then others, and grammar that will allow them to manipulate the language. All four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) are introduced and developed systematically.
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM
Course Title: GCSE Spanish
Examining Body: AQA
Course Lead: Mrs May
What will I study?
The course has eight modules which prepare students to use a range of language structures and grammar features
- My people, my world
- Influences & interests
- Healthy living
- Holidays
- My life at school
- Towns & cities
- Work
- The environment
How and when will I be assessed?
Exams take place in the summer series of Year 11 in all four skills : reading, writing, speaking and listening (equal weighting 25% for each exam)
Further study
A level Spanish
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 5 CURRICULUM
Course Title: A Level Spanish
Examining Body: AQA
Course Lead: Mrs May
Course description
Students study technological and social change, looking at the multicultural nature of Hispanic society. They will study highlights of Hispanic artistic culture, including a focus on Spanish regional identity and the cultural heritage of past civilisations. They will learn about aspects of the diverse political landscape of the Hispanic world.
Students will also explore the influence of the past on present day Hispanic communities. Throughout their studies, they learn the language in the context of Hispanic countries and issues and influences which have shaped them. Students will study texts and film and will have the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of their choice.
What will I learn?
In year 12 students will study :
Modern and traditional values
- The changes in the family
- Attitudes towards marriage and divorce
- The influence of the Catholic Church
Cyberspace
- The influence of the internet
- Social media: the benefits and the dangers
- Artificial Intelligence in our society
Equal rights
- Women in the workplace
- Machismo and feminism
- Trans and gay rights
Immigration
- The benefits and the negative aspects
- Immigration in the hispanic world
- Illegal immigrants
Racism
- Racist attitudes and xenophobia
- Measures against racism
- Anti-racist legislature
Integration
- Cultural coexistence
- Education
- Religion
In year 13 students will study:
Modern day idols
- Singers and musicians
- Stars of television and cinema
- Role-models
Spanish regional identity
- Traditions and customs
- Gastronomy
- Languages
Cultural heritage
- Tourist sites and prehispanic civilisations: Machu Picchu, The Alhambra etc.
- Art and architecture
- Musical patrimony and its diversity
Today’s youth, tomorrow’s citizens
- Young people and their attitude towards politics
- Unemployment amongst young people
- Their ideal society
Monarchies and dictatorships
- Franco’s dictatorship
- The evolution of the Spanish monarchy
- Latin American dictators
Popular movements
- The effectiveness of protests and strikes
- The power of syndicates
- Examples of social protests (eg El 15-M, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo,...)
Students will also complete an independent research project (IRP) and study the novel ‘Como agua para chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel and the film ‘Volver’ by Pedro Almodovar.
Course structure
Assessment tasks will be varied and cover listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Paper 1 : Listening, reading and writing (50% of total mark)
Paper 2 : Writing (20% of total mark)
Paper 3 : Speaking (30% of total mark)
Exams will take place during the summer series of year 13.
Where could it lead?
The Spanish A level could lead into a variety of career paths, including the following jobs:
- Teaching
- Translator or interpreter
- Travel industry
- Journalism
- Healthcare industry
- International business
- Diplomatic service
- Aid worker
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TO UNIVERSITY
Top 5 UK universities to study Spanish:
- University of Oxford
- University of St Andrews
- Imperial College London
- University of Bath
- UCL (University College London)
CAREERS INFORMATION
If you enjoy studying Spanish, the following careers might be for you:
- Interpreter (Average salary £30-55,000)
Help speakers of other languages to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes.
- Translator (Average salary £25-48,000)
Transform media from one language to another to increase potential audience
- Teacher (Average salary £30-46,500)
Educate children or adults by producing and delivering material to aid their learning
EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES
