KS3 Subject: Spanish (Years 7 and 8)

What topics will you study in KS3 Spanish?

Year 7:
 

Term 1: 

• Content: Greetings, numbers, birthday, family members, physical and personality descriptions, pets and colours linked to items in the pencil case
• Grammar: present tense regular and irregular verbs

Term 2: 

• Content: Free time activities, sports, the weather
• Grammar: Near future verbs and present tense regular and irregular verbs

Term 3: 

• Content: School subjects, description of teachers, description of the facilities in school
• Grammar: present tense regular and irregular verbs and preterite tense regular and irregular verbs.

Year 8:
 

Term 1: 

• Content: Diet and health: what do you normally eat? What is your favourite food? What must you do to have a healthy lifestyle?
• Grammar: present tense regular and irregular verbs and preterite tense regular and irregular verbs.

Term 2:

• Content: Use of the internet, opinion about social media and free time activities
• Grammar: Near future verbs and present tense regular and irregular verbs

Term 3: 

• Content: Routines with reflexive verbs, Where do you normally go on holidays? Where did you go in the past?, What do you normally do/ what did you do?
• Grammar: present tense regular and reflexive verbs and preterite tense regular and reflexive verbs.

Do you have a reading list for this subject?

• Harry Potter (in Spanish) by J.K Rowling
• La ladrona de libros by Markus Zusak
• El Principito, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• Matar a un ruiseñor by Harper Lee
• Persépolis by Marjane Strapi
• El extranjero by Albert Camus
• Cumbres borrascosas by Emily Bronte
• Las ventajas de ser un marginado by Stephen Chbosky
• Bajo la misma estrella by John Green
• El libro de los rostros by Ana Alonso
• Memorias de Idhún by Laura Gallego
• Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• Amnesia by José Luis Ocasar Ariza

How will you be assessed during the course?

At KS3, students are assessed three times per year during the DPR assessment periods. This will include topics and grammar from Year 7 all the way until the end of Year 8. For Year 7 students, assessments will be cumulative, covering topics and grammar studied in the previous terms. The same approach will apply in Year 8, ensuring that students continually build upon and consolidate their prior learning.

In addition, students will complete weekly vocabulary tests and formative assessment tasks that mirror the mock exams once per term, prior to the DPR assessment.

How can you help your child excel in this subject?

You can support your child by regularly helping them review the key grammar and vocabulary set for homework. A simple and effective way to do this is by using the “look, cover, write, check” method to test their recall.

Encourage your child to also use Quizlet, an online study tool that helps students learn through flashcards, quizzes, and games. On Quizlet, they can access vocabulary and grammar lists linked to their knowledge organisers and the topics covered in lessons, allowing them to practise and reinforce what they have learned in class.

To further develop their language skills, encourage your child to listen to Spanish music or podcasts, watch Spanish films or TV shows with subtitles, and read short articles or stories in Spanish. Engaging with authentic media helps them hear the language in real contexts, improve pronunciation, and build cultural understanding.