Modern Languages
Welcome to the Faculty of Modern Languages
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“A different language is a different vision of life” -Federico Fellini |
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At Hamilton Grammar School, we offer the opportunity to study French, Spanish and Mandarin from S1-S6.
Across the Modern Languages faculty, we aim to inspire all young people to be passionate and excited about learning languages by providing real-life contexts and a range of activities to develop their language skills for a range of purposes, both within the classroom and beyond in their personal and future professional lives.
On top of being incredibly useful for travel and going on holiday as well as communicating with a wider range of people around the world, language skills are increasingly in demand amongst employers, not only in the countries where the languages are spoken, but also in Scotland and the UK.
There are many benefits to studying one or more languages:
- Better understanding of different cultures
- Improved self confidence
- Enhanced ability to build new relationships
- Improved literacy and reading skills
- Enhanced problem solving, interpersonal and communication skills
- Increased employability
We aim to develop our pupils’ skills in our four key skill areas:
- Reading
- Listening
- Talking
- Writing
“Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.” - Amy Chua
Our Staff
| Mr Duffy (Faculty Head) - Spanish/French | Ms McMillan - French/Spanish |
| Ms Chen - Mandarin | Mrs Sinclair - French/Spanish |
| Mrs Grzelak - French/Spanish | Mr Campbell (ASN) - Spanish |
Progression in Modern Languages
In S1-3, pupils study Modern Languages for three periods per week:
- In S1 and S2, pupils study two periods of French per week.
- In the first term of S1, pupils will also have a period of Modern Languages focused on literacy, culture of the countries where the languages are spoken, as well as developing key language skills such as vocabulary learning and dictionary skills.
- Following taster lessons, pupils will have the choice of studying Spanish or Mandarin for their third Modern Languages lesson for the rest of S1 and S2.
- In S3, pupils specialise in their chosen language for three periods per week.
In S4-6, pupils have the opportunity to study French, Mandarin or Spanish at National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels.
Modern Languages for Life and Work Award at SCQF Levels 3-6 are also offered.
Extra-curricular Clubs
- Scottish Gaelic Club - Tuesday Lunchtime - S1-3 - Room A205
- World Film Club - Wednesday Lunchtime - S1-6 - Room A202
- Mandarin Club - Thursday Lunchtime - S1-3 - Room A204
- Language Ambassadors Club - Friday Interval - S6 - Room A205
Connect with Us
Follow us on Twitter: @hgs_langs
To learn more about our subjects, click on the image links below.
"Learning another language not only opens up employment opportunities in other countries, but it also gives you a bit of kudos with the people who speak that language."
- Jim Fleeting, Scottish Football Association