Queen Margaret College

Year 8 French Programme 2023

Levels 1 and 2 of the New Zealand Learning Languages Curriculum

Phases 1-2 of the Middle Years Programme

‘All about me’ – «C’est perso!»

‘My school’ – «Mon école»

‘My leisure activities’ - «Mes passetemps»

‘My town’ - «Ma zone»

Course details

Baccalaureate

In the final two weeks of each Term, Students will be assessed on the language skills they have developed throughout the unit. Listening, reading, writing, and speaking will each be assessed twice during the year.

During the course of the year, students learn how to talk about themselves and others in a range of familiar situations. They are given insight into the everyday life and culture of France and other French speaking countries, encouraging intercultural understanding. In class, students work on achieving grammatical accuracy in writing and on improving the other key skills of reading, speaking and listening. They have regular conversation classes with our French assistant to help develop their speaking and listening skills. In addition, they engage in elearning, using their laptops to work on OneNote and to access various language learning resources.

Students may study the following topics: o Likes and dislikes o What’s in your personal survival kit o Describing yourself and others

• C’est Perso!

• Mon Collège o Talking about your subjects o Describing your typical school day o Finding out what lunchtime is like in France

• Mes Passetemps o Talking about technology o Talking about sports and other activities o Expressing your opinion about leisure activities

• Ma Zone o Adopting and researching a town in France o Learning how to give directions o Talking about what makes a good town

Course Information

• In 2023 Year 8 French is an option subject.

• Each class has 5 lessons per 10 day timetable.

Homework expectations

Students are expected to complete some homework during the week. Your child should be learning at home for a total of at least 45 minutes per weeknight across all subjects. The key to language learning is ‘little and often’.

Homework might include:

• Learning a number of words, verbs or phrases

• Reading and grammar exercises to do or a short paragraph to write

• Before an assessment, students will be expected to revise their notes or to practise their spoken language

• Revision of vocabulary learned in class with www.languageperfect.com and www.linguascope.com

• Catching up on work missed due to absence

Head of Learning Area: Caroline Harding

Queen Margaret College

Year 8 Humanities (Individuals and Societies) Programme 2023

Level 4 of the New Zealand Curriculum

Year 2 of the Middle Years Programme International Baccalaureate

Unit Title

Becoming Pōneke

Prejudice, Who Me?

It’s a Disaster

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Course details

Proposed assessment date

Term 1 Week 11

Term 2 Week 3, 7 and 9

Term 3 Week 4 and 9

Term 4 Week 6

Humanities (Individuals and Societies) encourages learners to respect and understand the world around them and equips them with the necessary skills to inquire into historical, contemporary, geographical, political, social, economic, religious, technological and cultural factors that have an impact on individuals, societies and environments.

The IB’s approach to Humanities (Individuals and Societies) includes a strong focus on inquiry and investigation. Students collect, describe and analyse data used in the study of societies; they test hypotheses; and learn how to interpret increasingly complex information, including original source material. This focuses on real-world examples, research and analysis is an essential aspect of the subject group.

The study of Humanities (Individuals and Societies) helps students to develop their identities as individuals and as responsible members of local and global communities. Studies in individuals and societies are essential for developing empathy and international-mindedness, including the idea that “other people, with their differences, can also be right” (IB mission statement).

Course Information

• In 2023 Year 8 Humanities (Individuals and Societies) is a compulsory subject.

• Each class has 7 lessons per 10 day timetable.

• Each class covers 4 units over the year.

• Each unit topic will be approximately 9 weeks in length.

• Students are assessed on 4 key skills: o Knowing and Understanding o Investigating o Communicating and o Thinking Critically

Homework expectations

Your child should be learning at home for a total of at least 45 minutes per weeknight across all subjects. To achieve at a high level in this subject, students are expected to complete some homework during the week. Homework might include:

• Completion of or extension of work done in class

• Reading

• Research

• Revision of material covered in class

• Written responses

• Reinforcement of fundamental skills