The challenge | To make the curriculum more multi-layered and promote interest in French coinciding with the new GCSE.

The method |

  • Verse, rhyme, quotation and songs were introduced to KS3. Examples included the poem Le gros chat and the songs Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire, L’araignée gypsy and Quel temps fait-il
  • The European Music Scheme was introduced to Year 10 where students picked a song, recreated new lyrics in the target language, sang the song and made a video of it
  • Different text types were introduced to Key Stages 4 and 5 in the form of posters, newspapers, magazines, TV and radio
  • Poetry was a key theme including students writing their own poetry
  • More importance was accorded to pronunciation of key vowel sounds, silent letters and liaison

The impact | With the nature of such a project, it was difficult to quantify fully success in terms of data collecting, since most of the initiatives were inbuilt into the schemes of work. More important at the outset was for teachers to source materials relevant to the themes and to create special features within their lesson planning.

Contact | Paulette Kavanagh paulette.kavanagh@ata.org.uk