Year 8 Languages

What will my child study in Languages during Year 8?

In Year 8, students study French, German or Spanish following the Languages Programme of Study for KS3. During the year students will study the following:

In addition, there is a focus on developing students’ understanding of grammar, so as to increase the independent use of the language.

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in Languages in Year 8?

Regular low stakes / mini assessments are held throughout the term in the four skill areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The student can understand, say, read and write:

• longer sentences, which include some opinions
• paragraphs including a range of opinions
• paragraphs which also include references to the past OR future
• longer texts which refer to past, present AND future events, together with more complex sentence structures.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 8 in Languages?

• Each student will be expected to complete a piece of homework each week, with a minimum of four pieces being set each half-term.  This may consist of written work, research or vocabulary learning.  They should spend 30-40 minutes on the tasks.
• In addition, students can access Languages’ study support materials via the School Website.

How can I support my child to do well in Languages during Year 8?

• Ensure that homework tasks are completed on time.
• Encourage the use of a range of methods for learning new words and phrases (Look-Cover-Write or Say-Check/ Match up cards/Online revision, etc).
• Encourage your child to ask the teacher for help if there are any difficulties.
• Looking at the homework on the day it is set to check understanding is a good habit to develop and this allows time for help, in advance of the homework deadline.
• Provide access to our online learning resources – your child will have details of these.

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

 We recommend the Oxford Learner’s French, German or Spanish Dictionary, available from most bookshops.

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in Languages?

• Work out the meaning of new words, using reference materials with ease.
• Draw on familiar language accurately, from memory.
• Recognise and use the past, present and simple future tenses accurately and begin to find different verb forms, using a verb table.
• Check and improve their work, both written and spoken.
• Take part in short, unscripted conversations in which they give and seek information.

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

• Use of Language Gym - Home (language-gym.com) – each student has been provided with their own username / login to help with their studies.
• SamLearning & Quizlet provide quizzes linked to the topics’

Updated September 2024