Modern Languages at Inverclyde Academy
Learning a language enables our young people to develop a wide range of transferable skills and provides a foundation for all manner of opportunities whilst at school and in the future. Many university courses offer language modules.
We live in a globalised society with easy and instant communication and travel. Learning about other cultures encourages tolerance of others and a deeper understanding of our own culture and language.
S1-S3
We use a mixture of textbooks, digital and project-based learning in the BGE. During their first term, S1 pupils follow an introductory course of Spanish, learning enough basic language to give personal information during a simple conversation.
Then we have a brief look at different Halloween traditions from around the world, including Día de los Muertos in Mexico and Oidhche Shamhna in Scotland, which leads us into learning about Scottish Gaelic until Christmas.
In January, pupils switch to French, revisiting basic vocabulary covered at primary school and then moving on to study ‘Francophonie’ (life in French-speaking countries).
Pupils continue with the three-language split into S2, looking at various language and cultural topics.
Towards the end of S2, pupils engage in the ‘personalisation and choice process’; for Modern Languages, this means that they can choose to continue their studies in any of the three languages they have studied in S1 and S2.
The S3 courses in Modern Languages are similar, in that we cover a variety of cultural phenomena linked to the specific language. This year in Spanish, we are completing a research project on the film “Ferdinand”, a “Race Around the World” project writing, a real-life restaurant review and the origins of chocolate in Mesoamerica among other topics.
Senior Phase
We offer French, Gaelic and Spanish from N3 to Higher
Extracurricular Activities
We start the year celebrating the European Day of Languages.
We host visits from University of Strathclyde Language Ambassadors who meet BGE and Senior Phase pupils to share their experiences of university, their year abroad and career plans.
We have an eTwinning partner school based in the south of France. We exchange work and engage in interactive projects which really brings the learning to life for pupils.
Most years, we are able to offer an educational visit abroad. We tend to alternate between Malaga, Spain and Château Beaumont in Normandy, France. Pupils gain so much confidence though travelling abroad and trying out their language skills in real contexts, as well as enjoying the cultural aspects and the weather!
