Spanish

The transition between Year 11 and Year 12 is quite a smooth one, but there are things that you can do to get a head start on the A Level course.

Grammar:
Make really good use of www.languagesonline.org.uk When you access it, click on Español, then Grammar, and work through the tenses and grammar points. You should make notes on the explanations and have a go at all of the activities that follow, to get some good practice. If you can keep all of your grammar explanations in one place (a specific Grammar exercise book for example), this will become a useful resource for you throughout the A level course, and you can build on this over time.

Film Study:
The film that we will be studying is Ocho Apellidos Vascos. I would really recommend that you buy and watch the film before the course starts, though we will of course be watching and studying it in great detail throughout the A level course. You can buy the film here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apellidos-Vascos-Spanish-Affair-Region/dp/B00JF5YMC8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ocho+apellidos+vascos&qid=1585566531&sr=8-1
It is quite expensive, so if you can find a second hand copy, this might be advisable.
There is also a study guide associated with the film:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Languages-Study-Guides-level/dp/1471891909/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ocho+apellidos+vascos&qid=1585566658&sr=8-2
Again, if you have watched the film and read the study guide before the start of the course, you will feel that you’ve made a real head start on the course.

Cultural Studies:
In the A Level course, you will need to develop an interest in reading the news in Spanish, so why not start this now? Read BBC Mundo and make notes on what you think the story is about. If you then look on BBC News, you might find the same story in English on there, and so you can check your understanding of the Spanish text.
Listen to some Spanish and Latin American music- find singers or groups that you like listening to. Is there a specific Spanish music style that you enjoy? We’ll be looking at Spanish music in Year 12, so coming in to that with some existing knowledge would be a real advantage.

Art:
We’ll be looking at Spanish/Latin American art throughout the course, so do some research into Salvador Dalí, Frida Kahlo, Joan Miró, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso- Start to develop opinions on artists and their work. Research what influenced their work, and see if you can see that reflected in their paintings.
Vocabulary:
There is a great Memrise course for essay phrases: https://www.memrise.com/course/512695/palabra-por-palabra-31/
You do not need to do the whole course, just choose chapters that will be useful to you at the moment, but there are some great phrases on there for adding authenticity and quality to your essays.

Essays:
Speaking of essays, if you feel that you want to start writing some reflective pieces on your art, music or film studies, or you just want to practise the grammar that you’ve been working on, then feel free to send Mr Green some work that you’ve been working on, and he will get back to you with some feedback. For students joining BWS in year 12, this would be a really useful way of letting Mr Green see the quality of your work before you join. You can upload any work to the following OneDrive folder:
https://bishopws-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/adg_bws-school_org_uk/EoKpF0GL5JNEufQBEVJl1x8B7NzJDNUT8Lll7eDh6sKqOQ?e=sF1nMy