Gàidhlig and Modern Languages
At Ullapool High School we believe that monolingualism can be cured! Our aim is to provide pupils with linguistic skills and cultural awareness to ensure students become equipped to deal with languages in education, in the workplace, and in the wider world.
Broad General Education
In S1/2, pupils will study two languages from Gàidhlig (GME), Gaelic (Learners), French and Spanish. With two periods for each language (plus one extra for GME), pupils will develop skills in talking, listening, reading and writing.
Learning is topic based, covering areas such as self & family, school, leisure interests, food & drink, employment, and media issues.
In S3, pupils will continue with one of their chosen languages for three periods per week, while GME pupils will also study Gàidhlig for four periods a week.
Pupils may also have the opportunity to do an introductory course in British Sign Language.
Senior Phase
At senior phase pupils have the option to continue with their chosen language at National 5 and beyond. National 4 is also available for students.
Although pupils have the choice to leave language study at the end of S3, we strongly encourage those who do leave to return in the senior phase. This may be to pick a language up again or to try a new language. In recent years, we have had pupils studying German, Italian and Polish as well as the languages offered in BGE.
For further information, please see the subject choice booklets (Pupil Information page) and the school prospectus (School Information page)
Course Pathways
Resources and Revision
Pupils are expected to come to class every day with a pencil and rubber, as well as the jotters issued to them at the start of term.
Senior pupils should invest in a bilingual dictionary. We recommend a Collins Pocket Dictionary in the appropriate language.
Commonly used sites for vocab revision and practice:
Homework
In the BGE, pupils are expected to study vocabulary for each language regularly, three or four times a week, for approximately ten minutes each time. This is to provide the repeated exposure necessary for the brain to transfer knowledge from the short term working memory to the long term memory. In addition, there may occasionally be a short written task. These will be given with more than a week’s notice, with details posted on the Google classroom stream.
In senior phase, pupils are still expected to consolidate their vocabulary, as well as a weekly listening assignment. In addition, there will be exam preparation tasks including general revision and reading/writing assignments. These will be given with at least a week’s notice.
Beyond The Classroom
We aim to provide a variety of opportunities for pupils beyond the classroom. In the past these have included the following: Gaelic film and writing competitions, Gaelic outdoor activity week, language immersion days with other schools, school trips to Lewis, France and Spain, Spanish adventure competition, French drama competition, and more. We are always open to new ideas.
