Welcome to Year 8 French at Jumeirah College

It is estimated that French is spoken by 76 million people as a native language throughout the world and by about 280 million people as a second or third language. French is the official language in 31 countries and has significant speakers in 54 countries.

In Year 8, students will continue to progress and develop their language skills through reading, writing, listening and speaking.

They will study five main topic areas:

• Salut!   Talking about yourself and your recent activities
• Ma vie  Talking about your routine, hobbies and planning future
Activities
• Famille  Comparing others and giving opinions and advice
et copains  
• À table  Talking about what you eat and drink, what you would like and
what you have done
• Une semaine Making arrangements, stating wishes and describing past events
à Paris

Extension unit
• À nous la Planning a trip to France and describing a previous trip
France

Curriculum Organisation

• Students receive one French lesson of 55 minutes per week.
• The department sets students according to test results, end of year examination results, National Curriculum levels and teacher judgement.
• The work covered is from the Métro 2 textbook, student workbook and ICT software Métro Electro. This is supplemented with additional resources, such as worksheets and online exercises.

Independent Study

• Homework is set once a week but students are encouraged to take responsibility for using the suggested strategies for learning all key vocabulary and structures on the unit wordlists as a matter of course.
• All homework and deadlines are to be recorded in students’ planners.
• Homework should be completed to the highest standard and presentation should follow the department’s guidelines as indicated in the front of students’ exercise books.
• Students are encouraged to use language websites to consolidate language learnt in class.
• Our library is stocked with a number of French books, magazines and DVDs that can be taken home and provide extension listening and reading activities.

Assessment and Reporting

• Ongoing informal assessment will take place in class throughout the year in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
• Selected pieces of homework and classwork are also assessed throughout the year according to National Curriculum guidelines and a National Curriculum level of attainment will be awarded.
• Students are provided with a sheet on which to keep track of their level of attainment for each of the four skills. Where written assignments are given, students will be provided with feedback based on “How To Improve” in order to achieve the next level or sub-level. Each student is provided with an HTI guideline containing a list of all targets (T1-T20) which is placed in the front of exercise books.
• There will be a formal examination at the end of the year based on all of the topics, grammar and skills covered.

Autumn Term

• Talking about yourself and someone else
• Saying what you did yesterday (passé composé)
• Talking about the past
• Saying where you have been and what you have done
• Describing a special day out
• Talking about what you do in the morning (reflexive verbs)
• Describing weekend routines

Key Assessments
Informal writing assessment (set as homework)
Speaking  assessment based on a presentation ‘Qu’est-ce que tu as fait la semaine dernière?’
End of Unit 1 test in speaking, listening, reading and writing

National Curriculum Expectations
Some students achieve levels 4b – 5c
Most students achieve levels 3b – 4c
All students achieve levels 2a – 3c

Spring Term

• Talking about clubs and activities
• Arranging to go out (conditionel)
• Talking about going to the cinema (future proche)
• Talking about family
• Talking about friends