Welcome to the Spanish department...cómo estás? Hola, qué hay?
How Spanish is taught at Hurtwood
Ethos and Aims
On leaving the School all students are expected to have the confidence and competence to communicate effectively and accurately in Spanish.
This is achieved by providing them with the opportunity to learn the language in an interesting and motivating way. We encourage independence by giving our students the tools to further their linguistic skills and cultural knowledge outside of the classroom. Appropriate use of the Internet coupled with excellent study skills will be instrumental to success.
CURRICULUM
The Department follows the Edexcel A Level course which encourages students to develop an understanding of and to communicate confidently, clearly and imaginatively in Spanish through both the spoken and written word.
Attaining this level of fluency will be achieved by using increasingly accurate, complex and varied language while developing critical insights into, and contact with, contemporary Spain and its cultural background and heritage.
EXTRA CURRICULAR
The students of Spanish participate in a range of motivating extra-curricular activities to broaden their cultural knowledge and promote enjoyment of the subject beyond the classroom.
In recent years these have included:
Cultural and linguistic trips to Cuba, Valencia, Madrid or Valladolid
Work experience in Spain or South America
Film making
Language Lectures and conferences
Conferences in London
Film showings at the Consejeria de Educación in London
Theatre trips to see “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”, “Blood Weddings” (adaptation of the play we study at school), “El Camino de Santiago” or “On your feet!” (a musical about the career of the Cuban composer and singer Gloria Estefan
Churros, paella and gazpacho making
Poetry reading and Spanish music creation
In addition, students’ work has been entered for a number of national competitions like: La rute Quetzal and Canning House Essay. In recent years, students of Spanish have participated in the Trinity College Cambridge Linguistics Essay prize, Creativo essay competition at the University of Portsmouth or the Spanish Flash Fiction Competition at the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages of Oxford University.