Subjects > Spanish

Spanish

Members of the Department

Mrs S Morton (Head of Department)
Mrs T Maguire
Miss C Rice
Mrs J Fitzsimons

Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world by British and Irish people.
Spanish is a very successful language at St. Dominic’s High School, with more than 700 students studying it across the school. It is an accessible language because rapid progress can be made in the early stages of learning. It has a very simple sound system, with just five vowel sounds. There is a direct correspondence between spoken and written forms and the basic points of grammar are quite simple.
The Spanish Department is formed by 4 energetic full time teachers and one Spanish language assistant.The students at Key Stage 3 have 2 ½ hours of contact time with their teachers (4 periods). Those studying the language at GCSE level have 3 hours (5 periods) and those at A-Level have 5 hours of study (8 periods) plus 1 more hour of conversation practice with the language assistant.
The aims of the Spanish Department are:

1. To enable all pupils to acquire the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing required for oral and written communication in Spanish.
2. To impart a thorough knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of Spanish.
3. To create for each pupil a positive and enjoyable language-acquisition experience.
4. To foster in the pupils an interest in Spain and an appreciation of its importance in the world.
5. To offer insights into and to encourage appreciation of the culture and civilisation of Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries by:

- The use of authentic materials in class.
- Extra-curricular activities, clubs, etc.
- Providing opportunities for foreign travel.

6. To encourage tolerance towards other people and customs.
7. To contribute to the pupils’ linguistic development which will:

- increase their understanding of their own language.
- facilitate learning of other languages.

8. To develop in the pupils qualities of self-confidence, initiative, team-work, cooperation, tolerance, sensitivity, creativity and imagination.
9. To contribute to the overall intellectual and emotional development of each pupil.

Courses taught in the department - syllabus
Spanish can be studied at St. Dominic’s High School from Year 8.
The Spanish Department follows the new specifications developed by CEA at GCSE and A-Level.
At GCSE level the students have the opportunity to understand and explore issues in Spanish such as: Relationships: families and friends; Local environment: advantages and disadvantages; Activities: daily routine and leisure activities;
Health and lifestyle: diet, exercise and illness; Social issues: problems in society and equality; Travel and tourism: destinations and choices; Environmental issues: attitudes to and responsibilities for litter, transport, energy, conservation and recycling; Media and communications; Celebrations: festivals and customs; School life; Part-time jobs: advantages and disadvantages; and Future plans: choices and expectations.
This specification aims to encourage students to:

• derive enjoyment and benefit from language learning, and be inspired, moved and
  changed by following a broad, coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study;
• recognise that their linguistic knowledge, understanding and skills help them to take
  their place in a multilingual global society, and also provide them with a suitable basis
  for further study and practical use of Spanish;
• make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices;
• develop knowledge of the language and language learning skills;
• develop an understanding of Spanish in a variety of contexts;
• develop the ability to communicate effectively in Spanish; and
• develop awareness and understanding of Spanish-speaking countries and communities.
  At A-Level the students have the opportunity to understand and explore issues in Spanish such as: Relationships, Health and Lifestyle, Young People in Society, Local and Global Citizenship and Environmental Awareness.
  The specification aims to promote continuity, coherence and progression within the study of Spanish. The AS builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills developed within GCSE Spanish at Higher Tier or an equivalent qualification.
  The Advanced GCE specification incorporates the AS. The A2 section of the Advanced GCE builds upon the foundations of knowledge, understanding and
  skills developed within the AS and provides the basis for further study of Spanish
  and related subjects. Courses based on the specification should promote opportunities for progression to further study, or directly into employment. The specification has therefore been designed to provide:
• a suitable foundation for further study and/or practical use of Spanish;
• a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study for students who do not progress to further study in the subject.
  In addition a course based on the Advanced GCE specification should provide:
• a sufficient basis for the further study of languages at degree level or equivalent.

Achievement/s of dept. Top placings –
100% grades A-C at GCSE level last year.
Karen Gallagher was placed 1st in Northern Ireland for her A-Level Spanish studies.
Lauren Walsh and Natasha Doherty became finalists for two consecutive years in the competition “Ruta Quetzal” organised by the Spanish Embassy. Both had the opportunity to spend the day at the Instituto Cervantes in London, experiencing a bit of Spanish culture and meeting other youngsters with the same love and interest for the language and the Hispanic world.

Extra-curricular activities of the department

• Residential trip to Seville/Spain = GCSE & A'level
• Spanish Club
• E-mail exchange with a school in Madrid.
• Spanish study trip to Seville
• A-Level Spanish literature, theatre and cinema courses at Queen’s.
• Participation in competitions organised by the Spanish Embassy (Ruta Quetzal, Designing of promotional PowerPoint presentations of Spanish cities, etc.)
• Celebration of the European Day of Languages (26th of Sept.) with activities related to Spain (music, food, films, etc.)
• After school booster classes for all levels to help weaker students to achieve their full potential.

Results

GCSE A-C 100%
AS/A2 100% Success

Spanish Trip – Sevilla, November 2009

An account of the trip from a student:
It’s a cold Sunday morning at 6am on the 15th November, in Belfast International Airport. Twenty six pupils, along with Mrs Morton, Miss Rice and Miss Maggenis are waiting excitedly to be checked in for our flight to Malaga. Everyone can’t wait to get going and we are all restless as we wait to board the flight. After a 3 hour plane journey, we arrived in Malaga, and to our surprise, even in November we could all feel the warm morning sun as soon as we got off the plane.  For the rest of the week, the weather was definitely on our side, and it was sunny and warm every day, with not a grey cloud in sight.
We all piled on to the coach and made ourselves comfortable for the three and a half hour journey to our hotel in Seville. Some of us tried to catch up on lost sleep while others gazed out the window to take in the beautiful scenery as we drove across the South of Spain.  At around half 4 in the afternoon we arrived at the beautiful 5 star Hotel Silken Al-Andalus. We rushed excitedly out of the bus into the glamorous hotel, and each of us was allocated to our hotel rooms, where we spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and settling in. We all ate dinner that evening in the hotel buffet where we took advantage of all the delicious food and used our Spanish skills to talk to the waiters. We then all set out on an adventure to find the school we were going to be attending for the next week.
 As soon as we stepped out of the hotel we all strolled through the streets in Seville, taking in each different scene as we passed. We saw the Stadium, the beautiful parks, the universities and all the different houses. We noticed how most people travelled by bike and how the city had come alive at night. The streets were buzzing and the atmosphere was great. There were trams travelling through the main streets, and all of the buildings were so different and beautiful. We walked through the Plaza de España, and tried to take in all of the exquisite building and its surroundings and thought excitedly of how this fabulous place was going to be our home for the next week. We found the school, Instituto San Fernando, and took a quick look of the area we were going to be coming to. It was really lovely, and when we got home we all went straight to bed for some well needed sleep and thought anxiously about how our first day at San Fernando was going to be.
Monday mornings are normally pains back home, travelling to school in the dark, cold and wet weather to begin classes at 9 in the morning. However, in Sevilla, school didn’t seem like so much of a burden. We arrived at San Fernando to begin our classes at 10am, and we divided into our two groups. We were all a bit nervous at first, and when we discovered that our teacher, Salvador, wasn’t going to speak any English to us, it all seemed a bit daunting, but not for too long, because we eventually all settled in nicely and shocked ourselves at how much Spanish we could actually understand. Each morning, we had an hour and a half class of language, and then in the afternoon an hour and a half culture lesson. When we arrived we were all given matching t-shirts saying “Mi pasión... hablar español” meaning, my passion... to speak Spanish. On the first day, for our culture lesson Salvador brought us out to the university which was near to our school. We were all equipped with pens and questionnaires and matching t-shirts as we began to ask the students some questions about life in Spain... all in Spanish of course.  It didn’t take long before we all got into the swing of things and amazed ourselves that we could have conversations with the people.
The culture lessons for the rest of the week were all very interesting and we learnt about Flamenco dancing (and got a sneak peak of some of Mrs Morton’s professional dancing), we visited the local fish market, and finally had the chance to taste the “churros” Mrs Morton had raved about since we were only first years. Salvador brought us around the different areas of the city near our school, through the cute streets lined with picturesque houses with balconies with colourful flowers spilling over them. One day, while we were all just walking through one of the streets with Salvador, a man walked past playing a guitar, singing to himself. It seemed so surreal and we couldn’t help but think how if this had happened in Belfast, it would be strange, but we embraced it and took it all in.
 One afternoon, Alejandro brought us on a guided tour of the gorgeous Giralda tower and cathedral. The tower was over 25 floors high, and took a lot of effort, but it was definitely worth it when we were able to see the breathtaking scenery of Sevilla from above. The cathedral was breathtaking, it is one of the biggest in the world, and we wandered through all the different parts of it in awe. We had fan painting workshops out in the terrace of the school, where we all made our best attempts at designing our own “abanicos” and we learned about their history and how they are used.
Each day, during our lunch we had the opportunity to do our own exploring around the city, and of course, the shops. We found the infamous El Corte Ingles, and we all had a great time snatching up any bargains we could find. We found tons of small shops selling all the souvenirs, and we all filled our suitcases up with fans, castanets and ornaments of Spanish dancers. As if the trip wasn’t amazing enough, we found out that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were staying in Sevilla at the same time as us! Each day, we all caught a glimpse of them filming scenes for their new movie around the cathedral and it was a very exciting experience, seeing all the motorbikes, fancy cars and paparazzi.
On the Thursday, we arrived at school expecting to go straight up to the classroom to have our grammar lesson, but instead we found that the electricity in the building was not working. Although this was a shame, the solution turned out to be brilliant; we had our morning class in the beautiful park across the road from the school. We all sat beside the fountain, amongst the stunning flowers and scenery while the sun split through the skies and we listened intently to Salvador. While we were there, we couldn’t think why we would ever want to return to dull Belfast!
When Saturday was over, we couldn’t all help but feel sad that we had to go home. We left the hotel early on Sunday morning, and we reminisced on the week, and how quickly it had passed. There were so many unforgettable moments and the whole experience was really wonderful. Without all the teachers help, the trip wouldn’t have been half as good, and we’re all really grateful for their effort. We all learned so much and everyone had such a great time.