English

The theme for year 7 is ‘Identity’.  In the autumn term, learners will develop knowledge, skills and experiences to become confident independent learners who write autobiographies in English, all about themselves in Modern Foreign Languages and celebrities in Welsh.  Learners will develop the skills to be able to transfer what they have learned about how languages work in one language to the learning and use of other languages.  Learners use communication to connect to people, places and communities.   Learners have the opportunities to experience spoken and written language, as well as images , in a range of forms and genres.

In International Languages, Year 7 starts by learning key phonics in French.  The learning of these sounds is reinforced in every unit of work, when we introduce new sentence builders. In the autumn term, we learn the key grammatical ideas on which all languages are built.  Learners start by introducing themselves in the present tense.  This allows them to learn how adjectives behave, the importance of the gender of nouns, cognates, subject pronouns and verbs.  Our students learn about famous Francophones and their contributions not only to French society but to the world.  Learners also get to participate in lots of activities during language week in September.  They are invited to become Language Ambassadors.  Learners can also access online vocabulary learning from their own home via www https://uk.language-gym.com.  We also offer students the opportunity to purchase Mary Glasgow magazines, which enable them to read articles designed for learners of their own age on current affairs and contemporary topics. 

Welsh

In Welsh, learners start the year by introducing themselves to us via a Vlog about themselves.  This gives them a chance to show us what they have learned previously in primary school.  Learners study Ser Cymru / Stars of Wales.  In this topic, they learn how to form sentences in the present tense (positive/negative/question). They will also revise how to describe people.  Learners will write a Blog on their favourite Welsh star as well as be able to answer questions about him/her.  Throughout the term, we will be developing oracy skills, reading skills and writing skills. Learners will learn lots of new vocabulary and will use apps such as Quizlet, Blooket and Memrise to reinforce the vocabulary learned.  Duolingo is also a very useful app to help improve language skills at home.  We have a Twitter account and parents can follow us on @LGSCymraeg.

 

International Languages

The International Languages department employs a range of strategies to ensure students learn in an enjoyable, positive and inclusive environment.  To enable our students to become successful language learners, we have reviewed our curriculum and created teaching resources to implement the Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) method principles into our lessons.

Where possible we replicate the order by which children naturally acquire their first language.   The learning of key sounds is reinforced in every unit of work, when we introduce new sentence builders. In the spring term, we learn the key grammatical ideas on which all languages are built.  Students continue by introducing themselves in the present tense.  This allows pupils to learn how adjectives behave, the importance of the gender of nouns, cognates, subject pronouns and verbs.   Pupils can also access online vocabulary learning from their own home via www https://uk.language-gym.com.

English

This term, Year 7 are exploring the diverse topic of ‘The Sea’ in their English lessons. They will use the poem ‘The Sea’ by James Reeves as inspiration for crafting their own pieces of creative writing, ranging from traditional, shape, and acrostic poems to descriptions. Within their creative writing, students have been able to use a number of techniques such as similes, metaphors, and personification brilliantly to capture the sea from various perspectives.

Students are also developing their analytical reading skills by exploring a range of texts based on the dangers the sea can pose to us, and the dangers that we pose to the sea. We will be debating current issues, such as the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans, using this as a stimulus for writing to argue and persuade.

Welsh

For the first half of this term, students will work on the topic of Teulu a Ffrindiau ( Friends and Family).  This is a topic that pupils will have touched on in primary school but we will be learning lots of new vocabulary and sentence patterns. We will give them the grammatical tools to extend and improve their work in this topic.

 Throughout the topic we will be focusing on learning the present tense in detail, positive sentences, negative sentences and questions, as well as learning how to describe people. Once learned thoroughly, pupils will be able to use the grammar rules they have learned in other topics we study in KS3 and KS4.   We use  a variety of strategies within lessons to help with learning. We do lots of listening and speaking exercises as well as reading and writing work. We play lots of games to help reinforce vocabulary and also use apps such as Quizlet , and Kahoot, Blooket and Memrise to further reinforce learning. Learners are encouraged to use these apps at home, and parents could log on too to have fun learning new vocabulary with their children. Duolingo is also a very useful app to help improve language skills at home. All homework is posted in Google Classroom. We have a twitter account and parents can follow us on @LGSCymraeg

International Languages

This term, the International Languages department will continue to employ a range of strategies to ensure students learn in an enjoyable, positive and inclusive environment.    The learning of key sounds will be reinforced in every unit of work, whilst learning the key grammatical ideas on which all languages are built.  Students continue by introducing themselves in the present tense.  We will look at the topics of describing hair and eyes, saying where we live and talking about our family.  This allows pupils to learn how adjectives behave, the importance of the gender of nouns, cognates, subject pronouns and verbs.  We will also continue our cultural journey by looking at francophone countries and a range of French festivals throughout the year.  Pupils can access online vocabulary learning from their own home via www https://uk.language-gym.com,  https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/ and look at the vocabulary we have studied so far this academic year https://lewisgirlsschool.padlet.org/madameweber/u18y8uzh6tykg8h7.  Please follow us on our twitter account @LGS_MFL.

ENGLISH

Our learning journey continues into the summer term with a focus on how literature fires the imagination through different forms such as:
Shakespeare & Poetry. Students will learn some of the many ways that literature can fire the imagination whilst exploring our rich literary heritage both, in Wales and the UK. There will be opportunities for analytical reading, creative writing, individual presentations and group oracy tasks. 
The Novel. The final focus for Year 7 will be a close study of one of the following novels: The Bone Sparrow, Boy in the Striped Pyjamas or Gangsta Granny. These  texts will support students in becoming ethical, informed citizens who are knowledgeable about their culture, community, society and the world. They will also explore how essential it is that we respect the rights and needs of others as members of a diverse society.

We will continue to use a blended learning approach to maximise learning opportunities and develop the core skills of reading, writing and oracy even further. All units of work have a ‘digital book’ that includes all lesson materials, tasks and support pages.

There are a number of resources available to help your daughter with her English studies including:
Seneca Learning Platform: https://app.senecalearning.com/dashboard

Please encourage your daughter to read for pleasure at home. All English classrooms have a vast range of books suited to all interests that can be borrowed.

Welsh

During this term , pupils will be studying the topic Y Penwythnos ( The Weekend)  This is a topic that pupils may have touched on in primary school but we will be learning lots of new vocabulary and sentence patterns.  Pupils will learn how to form the past tenses in full so that they can not only use this tense in this topic, but will be able to use it in other contexts too. Once learned thoroughly, pupils will be able to use the grammar rules they have learned in other topics we study in KS3 and KS4.   We use  a variety of strategies within lessons to help with learning. We do lots of listening and speaking exercises as well as reading and writing work. We play lots of games to help reinforce vocabulary and also use apps such as Quizlet , and Kahoot, Blooket and Memrise to further reinforce learning. Learners are encouraged to use these apps at home, and parents could log on too to have fun learning new vocabulary with their children. Duolingo is also a very useful app to help improve language skills at home. All homework is posted in Google Classroom. We have a twitter account and parents can follow us on @LGSCymraeg