Secondary

English Language and Literature Programme in Sixième: ‘Adapting to Collège’

Year Objectives:

• consolidate and build upon language skills acquired in Primary
• ensure students make a smooth transition to studying English Language and Literature at secondary level

Curriculum Content

• Literary Topic: narrative (a complete novel)
• Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Tempest or Macbeth
• Genre Study: stories of ghosts and the supernatural
• Media Topic: Reporting the news in the 21st Century
• Ballads and narrative poems, modern drama

Reading

• Students will have regular library lessons with the class teacher and on-site librarian.
• Students will be encouraged to extend their reading to different genres and become more sophisticated in their choice of books.

Writing

• Students will work on the composition and craft of writing.
• They will learn the skills necessary for writing to: narrate, persuade, describe, instruct, explain; recollect, organise thought, summarise, hypothesise; express themselves in aesthetic and imaginative ways.

Speaking and Listening

Students will develop a range of oral and listening skills including:

• Articulating to other students, in groups or to the class as a whole, why they chose topics for writing or structured a piece of writing as they did.
• Drama and role-play, improvised or scripted, both as activities in their own right and as supports to other elements of the English curriculum.
• Discussion, argument and debate on social and moral topics affecting students in their lives in and beyond school.
• Summarising previous discussions, complex information or ideas taken from resources

Being an effective listener, building on others’ contributions appropriately, challenging others’ points courteously but critically.

History-Geography in Sixième

The Programme

The Sixième course begins with the introductory unit ‘What is History?’ in which our students get to grips with chronology and begin to explore concepts such as the reliability of historical evidence. Following on from this, the over-arching theme of the programme is the nature of civilization. Students will begin by forming a hypothesis in response to the challenging question ‘what is civilization?’ basing their theories on a range of sources relating to ancient India, Egypt, China and Mesopotamia. The ideas and opinions they form from this piece of work will provide reference point for their work throughout the year, in which they explore aspects of society and culture in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. In the final trimester, our focus will be upon the flourishing of Islamic civilization from the seventh century to the early medieval period.

Aims, Skills and Expectations

In sixième we are aiming to introduce students to the thinking and writing skills which they will build upon throughout their school life. Using a wide range of sources and artefacts throughout the programme, students will be developing their inference skills, and using them to articulate ideas about the past. Closely linked to this is the acquisition of the reading skills required for independent research and the language structures required for developing and substantiating arguments. As such, we will employ techniques designed to help our students to reflect carefully on the process of learning, with the aim of embedding the intellectual tools which will serve them well in future years. We have a strong belief in the value of group oriented tasks and oral work and expect students to have an enthusiastic and proactive approach to learning.

English Language and Literature Programme in Cinquième: ‘Consolidating Key Skills’

Year Objectives:

• extend reading and writing skills
• develop confident and effective oral skills
• nurture a more sophisticated appreciation of literature

Curriculum Content

• Knowledge about Language
  • Old and Middle English, Beowulf and Chaucer
  • Etymology and language change in Modern English
• Literary Topic: survival, sacrifice, journeys
• Genre Study: detective stories
• Media Topic: representations of youth in the media
• Poetry, modern drama and a novel from another culture

Reading

• Students will have regular library lessons with the class teacher and on-site librarian.
• Students will be encouraged to extend their reading to different genres and become more sophisticated in their choice of books.

Writing

• Students will work on the composition and craft of writing.
• They will learn the skills necessary for writing to: report, narrate, persuade, argue, describe, instruct, explain; recollect, organise thought, reconstruct information from outside sources, summarise, hypothesise; express themselves in aesthetic and imaginative ways.

Speaking and Listening

Students will develop a range of oral and listening skills including:

• Articulating to other students, in groups or to the class as a whole, why they chose topics for writing or structured a piece of writing as they did.
• Drama and role-play, improvised or scripted, both as activities in their own right and as supports to other elements of the English curriculum.
• Discussion, argument and debate on social, environmental, and moral topics affecting students in their lives in and beyond school.
• Summarising previous discussions, complex information or ideas taken from resources

Being an effective listener, building on others’ contributions appropriately, challenging others’ points courteously but critically.

History and Geography in Cinquième

The Programme

In the first two trimesters, the Cinquième programme focusses upon Medieval England from the battle of Hastings to the reign of King Richard III. By exploring topics such as the Norman Conquests, the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt, students will acquire insights in to the social, political and religious characteristics of the Medieval world. In the third trimester, our focus is on the cultural history with a project, which aims to develop an understanding of the importance of the Renaissance.

Aims, Skills and Expectations

In Cinquième, students build upon the thinking, writing and oral skills developed in the previous year, to consider increasingly complex historical questions. We begin the year with a challenging conceptual approach by considering the nature of power. In the first trimester, our work on the Battle of Hastings (Why did William win in 1066?) will develop an understanding of causal links in history. The following topic on the Norman Conquest will likewise promote an awareness of change and continuity. In assessing the reign of King John (Was King John really that bad?) students will be drawing inferences on both the content and reliability of source material, and in so doing, will begin to develop ideas about the nature of history itself. Their work on King Richard III will likewise develop a more nuanced view of the past through the analysis and evaluation of conflicting historical perspectives.
In the final trimester, students will be required to create their own hypothesis of historical significance and to use this as a means of evaluating the short and long term impact of the Renaissance.

English Language and Literature programme in Quatrième: ‘Greater independence in analysing and appreciating literature’

Year Objectives:

• consolidate the skills acquired in 6ème and 5ème
• prepare students for the reading, writing and oral demands of the IGCSE course

Curriculum Content

• Literary Topic: literature of political or moral engagement  
• Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice or Much Ado About Nothing
• Media Topic: The Presentation of Immigrants and Immigration in the Media
• Poetry (sonnets), modern drama, autobiographical writing

Reading

• Students will continue to extend their personal reading through regular library sessions.
• All 4ème students will shadow the Carnegie Medal in the summer term.

Writing

• Students will work on the composition and craft of writing.
• They will learn the skills necessary for writing to: report, narrate, persuade, argue, describe, instruct, explain; recollect, organise thought, reconstruct information from outside sources, summarise, hypothesise; express themselves in aesthetic and imaginative ways.

Speaking and Listening

Students will develop a range of oral and listening skills including:

• Articulating to other students, in groups or to the class as a whole, why they chose topics for writing or structured a piece of writing as they did.
• Drama and role-play, improvised or scripted, both as activities in their own right and as supports to other elements of the English curriculum.
• Discussion, argument and debate on social, environmental, moral and political topics affecting students in their lives in and beyond school.
• Summarising previous discussions, complex information or ideas taken from resources
• Being an effective listener, building on others’ contributions appropriately, challenging others’ points courteously but critically.

History and Geography in Quatrième

The Programme

The quatrième programme provides a highly stimulating intellectual challenge for students who in cinquième, have been well grounded in the complexities of medieval and early modern European society. In this year, our over-arching theme is that of revolutions. We begin by examining the political and theological challenge to the power of the Catholic Church, which took place during the European Reformation and use this as a reference point for an exploration of the Tudor and Stewart period in Britain, from the reign of Henry VIII to the English Civil War.

In the second trimester, we examine the origins and key features of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. We will study the nature of slavery in the New World and aspects of slave resistance. We study the multiple impacts of the slave trade on the Americas, Europe, Africa and the peoples involved.

In the final trimester we investigate the challenges to traditional attitudes towards women’s roles and how change began to take place. There will be a particular focus on the Suffragette movement and the role of the Pankhursts.

Aims, Skills and Expectations

The quatrième programme offers our students the opportunity to challenge their own pre-conceived ideas about the past and to develop their methodologies as young historians. In studying the Reformation, we go much further than examining key events; here it is essential to get to grips with the late-medieval/early modern mind-set. An appreciation of the chasm which separates so many of the belief systems of the sixteenth century from those of our own age is critical for enabling students to understanding the revolutionary impact of the schism within the Christian world. To achieve this, students require intellectual curiosity, rigor and imagination.

The legacy of the reformation ultimately shaped both Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the English Civil War. In studying these two key events in British History, students will begin to develop their ability to form a multi-causal analysis of the past; carefully synthesizing evidence and making links between seemingly disparate factors.

In switching our attention to social history in the second and third trimesters, we will be challenging students to conceptualise the past in different ways. By studying Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, they will gain insights in to both the physical conditions of slavery and the social values of the age in which it took place. This is critical to facilitating a nuanced analysis of why the slave trade eventually came to an end. Finally, our study of why women over 30 gained the vote in Britain in 1918 offers insights in to the dynamics of nineteenth and early twentieth century gender relations, leading our students to undertake a complex, multi-causal approach to this key turning point in British History. Through both topics, students will acquire a heightened awareness of the role performed by historians in understanding the social fabric of our recent past.

History-Geography in Troisième

The Programme

The Troisième course offers students a very different challenge to that of their previous collège years, as this is the first time in which they will be facing a public exam. In troisième we follow the French brevet programme and the teaching of this is divided between British Section teachers and our French colleagues. We cover a range of topics including; Scientific, technological, economic and social change in the 20th century, World Wars and Totalitarian regimes, 1914 to 1945,  the world since 1945, the European Union, public opinion and the media. In addition we also cover some elements of the geography with a study of the charactersitics of a global city (London) and the challenges which it faces.

Aims, Skills and Expectations

One of our key aims this year is to promote study skills and independent learning. Reading and research skills, note-taking and synthesis skills are critical to exam success. Students will be expected to draw upon the work methods they have developed in collège to carefully plan and write short essays throughout the year. At this level, we are expecting students to substantiate their points with detailed evidence and begin to develop the intellectual depth of their explanations. The DNBI written exam will be undertaken in French, but an additional oral exam (15 minutes in duration) will be in English. The oral exams will take place in May 2018, whilst the written exams will be in June. Successful students will demonstrate excellent note taking and revision skills throughout the year. A high level of oral participation in each class is likewise key to success in the oral exam.

Brevet: course content

I. A century of scientific, technological, economic and social transformation

Theme 1 – Major scientific and technological innovations

Theme 2 – The development of economic systems of production and their social consequences.

II. World wars and Totalitarian regimes (1914-1945) 

Theme 1 – The First World War (1914-1918)

Theme 2 – Totalitarian regimes in the 1930s

Theme 3 –The Second World War (1939-1945)

III. The world since 1945

Theme 1 – The Cold War

Theme 2 – Decolonisation and it’s aftermath

Theme 3 – The European Union from it’s creation till 2000

Theme 4 – The world since the beginning of the 1990s

IV. Living in Britain

Theme 1 – Urbanisation in the UK: case study of London as a global city

V. Britain or France and the European Union

Theme 1 – The European Union: a union of states

Theme 2 – Democratic life

Theme 3 – Public opinion and the media

IGCSE First Language English in Troisième and Seconde

Year Objectives:

• 3ème students start the first year of the IGCSE English Language course, complete 3 pieces of coursework and take the English oral component of the Diplôme national du brevet international (DNBI).
• 2nde students complete the second year of the IGCSE English Language course and prepare for the written exam.

Course Content: IGCSE First Language English (0500)

• 1 examination: 50% (2 hours, 3 questions on 3 unseen passages).
• Coursework: 50% (3 pieces demonstrating students’ ability to respond to a non-fiction text and to write descriptively and persuasively).

Coursework folders are assessed by class teachers. A sample is externally moderated by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

Breakdown of Course Content by Year Group

Troisième

• Write 3 pieces of coursework and study approaches to answering exam questions for IGCSE English Language

Seconde

• Write 1 piece of coursework and refine exam techniques for IGCSE English Language

English Literature

3ème and 2nde students follow a bespoke English Literature course designed to build up the skills required for Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) Language and Literature.

3ème

Drama

Students will study one text.

Focus: character development and how playwright uses stagecraft to create effects on the audience; writing a close analysis of a key scene.

Prose

Students will study one text and read another.

Focus on: character development, use of setting, symbolism, themes, impact of narrative voice and viewpoint, effects created by narrative structure; writing an essay on how the writer explore and presents a key theme in the novel; comparing 2 novels 

Oral English Component of the DNBI

A 20-minute oral exam in English based on a topic of their own choice.

Students will be supported to decide on a topic, formulate a question, carry out research and create a dossier of texts for the oral:

• 10 minute presentation of dossier to examiner
• 10 minute discussion with examiner
• Coefficient = 1
• Examined by 3ème English teacher 

2nde 

Poetry

Students will study a selection of poems.

Focus on: how poets use form, style, structure, language devices and viewpoint to create effects on the reader and communicate ideas and messages; comparing and contrasting the work of the same poet.

Exploring Shakespeare's Theatre and Context

Focus on: interpreting characters; their relationships and development; how Shakespeare uses the distinctive stagecraft of his time, including language and rhythm, to create effects on the audience and communicate messages.

Homework and IGCSE English Language Coursework Essays

Homework will be set regularly and could involve reading, research or preparation, as well as written tasks, mainly in the form of literature essays and language coursework pieces. (See British Section Homework Policy)

Teachers will establish clear timelines with their classes for preparing pieces of written coursework. Deadlines for handing in drafts and final pieces should be respected. Coursework essays will be planned in class and some lesson time might be devoted to drafting and peer assessment exercises. However, the final piece must be the students’ own work. Cases of plagiarism will be severely penalised.

Assessment

Students’ coursework will be assessed according to the criteria set down in the syllabus documents for IGCSE English Language.

Mock exams will be marked using criteria specific to each exam paper provided by CIE.

Other pieces of work will be assessed according to the British Section Summative Assessment Framework and Use of English mark scheme.

History in Seconde

The Programme  

The British Section History programme is an adaptation of the French programme national. In the first half of year students will be examining the impact of the great religious schisms of the age upon British politics and society. Our key focal points will be: 

• Religious division in the age of James I 
• The Origins of the English Revolution 
• The Impact of the English Revolution 
• Why did Britain restore the monarchy in 1660? 
• Why did Britain undergo a second revolution in 1688? 
• How did the ‘British Model’ influence European History 

In the second half of the year, our students will be studying Geography 

• Development and Demographics 
• Measuring development 
• Classifying development 
• Assessing causes of underdevelopment 
• Measuring demographic change 
• Examining the demographic challenges (ageing populations and youthful populations) 
• Demographic challenges and solutions 

Homework 

Homework is normally set on a weekly basis. Parents can help by taking an interest in their work and by encouraging its regular completion. 

Assessment 

Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the course through written and oral work throughout the year. In addition, there will be three common assessments, which will take place in October, February and May.

English Language and Literature in Première and Terminale

Year Objectives:

• Première students start the first year of the BFI English Language and Literature course.
• Terminale students complete the second year of the BFI English Language and Literature course and take the written and oral exams.

Course Content: BFI English Language and Literature

• 1 written examination: 4 hours
  • 2 questions on each of the 3 set texts; students choose 2 texts and write 1 essay on each (Terminale only)
  • 2 questions on each of the 2 set texts; students write 1 essay on each (Première from 2021)
  • compulsory critical commentary on a choice of poems and prose texts
• 1 oral examination: 30 minutes
  • 15 minutes on set Shakespeare play
  • 15 minutes on Synoptic Topic texts

Breakdown of course content by Year Group

Première

• Study Shakespeare play for oral exam and 2 texts for the written exam
• Practice critical appreciation skills and timed exam technique

Terminale

• Study synoptic topic for oral exam and 1 text for written exam; revise all set texts
• Practice critical appreciation skills and timed exam technique

Example BFI set texts

Oral examination:

• Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing
• Synoptic Topic (Gothic): Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or Dracula by Mary Shelley and The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Written examination

• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Selected Poems by Ezra Pound or The Cartographer tries to map a way to Zion by Kei Miller
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard or The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde or The Way of the World by William Congreve

History-Geography in Première and Terminale

The Programme in Première

In History, four main themes are explored: Europe from the French Revolution to the revolutions of 1848; the socio-economic impact of industrialisation in the 19th century; the dynamics of 19th century colonialism and how this in turn shaped international politics; and finally the suicide of Europe and the end of European empires (1914-1918) which will be an Bac exam topic for Terminale.
In Geography, we explore four themes: urbanisation (a Bac exam topic for Terminale); globalization of industry and services; rural services; and China.

The Programme in Terminale

In History, we study the following themes:

• Relationships between society and its past. This is an exploration of the many ways in which societies engage in remembering the past using the following case studies:
  • World War One in Britain and
  • World War Two in France.
• Ideologies, opinions and beliefs from the end of the 19th century to the present. This theme is an exploration of the complex inter-relationship between media, public opinion and the state in the context of a chosen political crisis.
• Great powers and world tensions from 1918 to the present. This is an examination of the evolution of the role of China and the USA in international relations during the course of the twentieth century. The theme also looks at the causes and consequences of tensions and rivalries in the Near and Middle East during the same period.
• Levels of government from 1945 to the present. This theme has several key areas of focus: national, regional and global levels of governance. On a national level, students will examine the ways in which the French state has evolved since 1945. On a regional level, we will explore the evolution of the European Union. Ona global level, we will focus upon the roles of the Bretton Woods institutions which were created at the end of World War Two, such as the IMF, the World Bank.
• A Study of Britain from the second half of the 20th century to the present.

In Geography, the topics are:

• development,
• the economic superpowers and
• global organisation.

Aims, Skills and Expectations in Première and Terminale

History-Geography teaching in France is intended to provide pupils with an understanding of their cultural heritage - both French and, increasingly, European - and also a knowledge and understanding of the contemporary world in order to make future French citizens both aware of the roots of modern issues but also to offer them the skills to be able to react and to participate in the democracy. Unsurprisingly then, the last two years of History-Geography education in the second degree focus on the modern world: history provides a temporal framework of contemporary international relations and problems whilst geography confronts the question of how the modern world works; its economy, divisions, strategies of development etc. Within this framework, the British Section, working closely in partnership with the UK examining board, Cambridge Assessment, has devised a syllabus which covers many of the most popular topics taught in British schools and seeks to develop not just knowledge of the past, but an understanding of world history and geography as well as the ability to make independent judgments through the use of documentary evidence and engagement with historiographical debates.

Sixième Fast-track Programme

Year Objectives

• To become at ease in an anglophone learning environment
• To develop confident and effective English speaking skills
• To begin reading in English
• To develop solid grammatical foundations in English

Curriculum Content

• Study of literature in English starting with adapted readers and moving towards unabridged novels
• Focus on grammar including all main tenses
• History topic – the ancient world

Reading

• Students will have regular library lessons with the class teacher and on-site librarian.
• Students will be encouraged to read extensively in English for their own pleasure and to facilitate their language acquisition.

Writing

• Students will work on the production of their own extended writing in English, covering both creative tasks and written responses to literature. Emphasis will be placed on both content and the accuracy of expression.

Speaking and Listening

• Students will develop a range of oral and listening skills including:
  • Lessons conducted almost entirely in English
  • A range of both individual and collaborative oral activities including discussion, role play, drama and presentations

History

The 6 hours of lessons include the 2 hours on the programme dedicated to History. The primary aim of these lessons will be the development of oracy skills. The history topic of the ancient world will be covered during the course of the year but activities will tend to be interactive and the focus will be on oral work in order to facilitate the students’ induction into an entirely anglophone programme.

The Fast-track programme from 5ème upwards

The 6 hours of lessons will be split into 4 hours of English Language and Literature and 2 hours of History taught by separate subject specialists. The programme in both subjects will broadly follow that of the Bilingual Class although there will be a continued emphasis on the development of accurate language use, the extension of vocabulary and the teaching of grammar. The aim of the programme is to see the linguistic divide between the Fast-track class and the Bilingual class narrow as the students move up the school.

La classe de Seconde Accueil

Les objectifs de l’année :

• Améliorer le niveau d’anglais à l’oral et à l’écrit
• Développer la connaissance de la culture, de l’histoire et de la littérature britannique
• Développer les compétences requises pour passer le BFI
• Préparer l’intégration dans une classe de Première non aménagée

La répartition des heures

• Une année d’anglais intensif, 8 heures par semaine
• Professeur d’anglais (lettres) (Section GB) : 4 heures par semaine
• Professeur d’histoire (Section GB) : 4 heures par semaine

Le Programme

• Un thème global : la littérature, l’histoire et la culture de Grande Bretagne, de 1945 à aujourd’hui
• Initiation à l'étude des textes littéraires et l’histoire
• Comment écrire une rédaction en anglais (style et méthodes) sur les textes littéraires et les thèmes historiques
• S’exprimer à l’oral sur la littérature et l’histoire en anglais

L’histoire et la culture

• L’immigration depuis les années après-guerre
• 1980s : Thatchérisme
• 1990s : Blairism et ‘Cool Britannia’
• Les relations entre la Grande Bretagne et l’Europe, le Brexit
• La dévolution de l’Ecosse et le Pays de Galles
• Le lien entre les médias et la politique
• Le rôle du royalisme de nos jours
• Les problèmes sociaux et culturels de nos jours

La littérature en anglais

• Etudes des romans complets (e.g. Pride and Prejudice de Jane Austen)
• Des extraits de Shakespeare et une pièce complète
• Sélection de poèmes du XX et XXI siècles
• Étude d’un genre : représentations de la France et de l’Angleterre dans la littérature populaire