Languages

Head of Department: Ms E Bauduin

“Un linguaggio diverso è una diversa visione della vita” (“A different language is a different vision of life) Federico Fellini

“Avoir une autre langue est de posséder une deuxième âme” (“To have another a language is to possess a second soul”) Charlemagne

"El que habla dos lenguas vale por dos." ("The person who speaks two languages is worth two") Spanish saying

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela

Introduction

The Languages Department provides all Collingwood students with an exciting and engaging introduction to language learning, the chance to develop their skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and an insight into other cultures.

Beginning in Years 7 and 8, students study either French or Spanish in mixed ability classes, and they have five languages lessons per cycle.

In Year 7, our French course centres around the topics of My Life, Where I Live and School.  In Spanish we cover the topics of Hobbies, Family and Friends and Home and Local Area.  In Year 8 students continue with the same language.  In French, students study the language through the topics of Parkour, Paris and Hobbies.  In Spanish they cover the topics of Hispanic Culture, School and Holidays.  The department uses its own Schemes of Work, supplemented by textbooks, interactive platforms and a wide range of authentic resources such as videos and extracts from books and magazines.

In Year 9, students have the option to study French or Spanish in preparation for a language GCSE.

Facilities and Resources

The Department has a suite of rooms in the Kingston building.  Each room contains an interactive whiteboard with listening facilities, mini whiteboards and bilingual dictionaries. There is also the opportunity to use the computer room near the Languages Department.