Worksheets for Topical Videos

All boards

For A Level French, German and Spanish

Worksheets centred on 12 online news videos immerse students into real-life situations – boosting their language acquisition and honing their comprehension skills.

The videos themselves are well chosen and varied, thus building on knowledge already acquired by the student.

C Hicks, Tutor, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

Verbal and non-verbal tasks build student confidence and ability in 6 sections:

Worksheets based on key specification topics including:
  • Youth
  • Equality
  • Culture
  • Immigration
  • Volunteering
  • Music

… and much more!

  1. Vocabulary starter: ensures learning of key terms before watching the video
  2. Comprehension task: tests understanding of the video in the target language
  3. Grammar question: checks ability to apply and manipulate grammar in the context of the video
  4. Translation exercise: reinforces translation skills into English or the target language
  5. Speaking prompt: encourages sharing of opinions and generates debate on the topic
  6. Writing task: supports topic exploration in more depth and application of knowledge (essay, research, summary)

An invaluable time-saver!

J Briden, Head of French & Peer Reviewer

Prompt independent study and spark debate…

  • Students can watch the videos in full first, then complete the questions independently
  • Teachers can encourage class discussion to assess understanding before progressing students through activities

… Flexible in the classroom and as homework!

What do teachers say about this resource? (11767)

A brilliant resource which will be useful for all students of Key stage 5 Spanish. The rich variety of vocabulary, grammar and skills make it a fantastic resource that could be used as a either an independent resource or as an in class activity. The activities are at a suitable level for A level students with a good variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures. It is very well informed and provides lots of information which could be useful in various aspects of paper 1 and paper 3. It allows students to provide themselves with more information and to expand their knowledge of all things Spanish speaking which is only going to help them improve their grades and enjoyment of the subject.

F Lintern, Head of MFL & Peer Reviewer

I think that this is an excellent resource that covers major grammar points, develops vocabulary, and can help improve students’ listening skills. It offers activities and exercises that relate directly to some important topics covered in the Spanish AQA A2 specification. The audio materials and activities are really relevant and well developed. The audio materials, activities, and exercises, in this particular resource, could assist the students in the learning of grammar, vocabulary, as well as helping them improve their listening skills. I am impressed with the range of activities and exercises that this resource has to offer. It is great to see that the audio materials, activities, and exercises are tailored to specific topics in Spanish and so provide a comprehensive learning experience.

M Camacho, Tutor & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11769)

Overall I am impressed with the simplicity and usefulness of this resource. This pack would be a huge time saver for A level teachers, the videos are well chosen and the tasks are well designed. This is an excellent resource that would help pupils to make progress in all skill areas. I think that it is particularly effective as independent practice and it is an excellent resource for homework / cover lessons, as well as being something that could be done in class. I think because the videos are authentic resources, the pupils would gain a lot from these tasks, ot only as a source of new vocabulary but also in skills/exam skills practice.

L Richardson, Deputy Faculty Leader MFL & Peer Reviewer

A good variety of topics covered with some very nice grammar points targeted in a good way. I particularly think the grammar points were well thought out to practise specific tricky points which then feed into the translation practise nicely.

E Sinot, Head of MFL & Peer Reviewer

I thought that the idea of short videos was excellent, up to date for a public who are familiar with YouTube and may prefer it to listening to audio files. The exercises attached are well chosen and there is variety within the type of exercise proposed. The grammar focuses on points well known to cause problems at this level. The exam type questions are varied. The resource can be used independently, in and out of the classroom.

C Hicks, Retired Teacher/Examiner & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11779)

This resource provides very welcome supplementary materials for most of the topics of Year 1 of German A-Level study. I was particularly impressed with the range of videos and weblinks the author has meticulously researched and exploited to good effect. Not only do they also provide students with up-to-date information and statistics, they also encourage reflection, class discussions and analytical essay writing. As such it constitutes an excellent go-to resource for the busy German teacher, but could also be used as a self-study pack by students who would like to extend their knowledge of German culture and current affairs and practice their skills independently. The comprehension, translation and writing tasks are similar to those that students will encounter in the exam. The video and weblinks are topical and interesting, and I am particularly impressed with the diversity and range of topics and sources. The full range of German speaking countries, media and language varieties are used, adding colour and depth to topics which can be quite challenging to teach. I am very impressed with the range of videos used as well as the way the activities build up to exam-style questions.

E Lamb, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11768)

This resource will save teachers trawling through lots of news items to find suitable videos to supplement their teaching! An invaluable time-saver! This is an interesting selection of video clips covering a wide variety of topics to engage learners with useful tasks to help their comprehension of listening material as well as develop other skills. I had expected it to be a bit off-putting with lengthy videos but in fact I was pleasantly surprised. I like the fact that the video clips are relatively short so they feel manageable; they will not overwhelm the students. Good to have videos from elsewhere in the Francophone world, not just France – this is good for listening skills. The videos are a good source of cultural knowledge eg. the various organisations to stop bullying at school, especially cyberbullying. The video about the film Le petit Nicolas was particularly charming and is likely to inspire staff and students alike to watch the film itself. It’s good that there wasn’t too much to do for each video thus keeping the amount on the page to a minimum. This in turn makes it more likely that students will want to do these activities.

J Briden, Head of French & Peer Reviewer

The structure of the activities allows for scaffolding leading up to watching the videos. It addresses topics which would be interesting and relevant to students and if this resource was intended to be a homework or revision resource then it would allow your more able students to develop their knowledge of a variety of topics which they could then use as examples in their speaking exams. The use of authentic resources makes this relevant to our students who are keen to learn about francophone countries. In addition it will increase students holistic knowledge of francophone culture and politics, subjects of which our students have limited knowledge. The resource would provide students with the opportunity to develop their subject knowledge and allow them to enhance their answers to paper 3 and perhaps even spark their interest in a topic that they could then go on to discuss in the independent research project.

F Lintern, Head of MFL & Peer Reviewer

It’s a good resource with a variety of topics covered and a good sense of routine for completion. I really liked the variety of videos and topics covered. The progression between vocabulary and grammar to translation which then can help formulate analysis and opinion for the oral questions. Grammar and translation fits perfectly into exam preparation.

E Sinot, Head of MFL & Peer Reviewer

This is an interesting resource, insofar as it uses up to date videos rather than the more usual audio files. The videos themselves are well chosen and varied, thus building on knowledge already acquired by the student. I liked the choice of videos. They open up the already acquired knowledge the student has of the [language] he/she studies. The level offers some challenge to the learner and is just long enough to retain his/her attention. I see it as an extra resource, available to students and teachers/tutors to further practise some topics. It covers the different skills tested at Advanced level. Perhaps some videos are closer to the demands of the exam but all of them improve the student fluency both oral and written.

C Hicks, Tutor, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (12052)

This resource provides very welcome supplementary materials for most of the topics of Year 2 of German A-Level study. I was particularly impressed with the range of videos and weblinks the author has meticulously researched and exploited to good effect. Not only do they provide students with up-to-date information and statistics, they also encourage reflection, class discussions and analytical essay writing. As such it constitutes an excellent go-to resource for the busy German teacher, but could also be used as a self-study pack by students who would like to extend their knowledge of German culture and current affairs and practice their skills independently. Each of the twelve “worksheets” (as the author calls them, but they are actually a lot more than just a “sheet”) consists of a set of activities linked to a topical video. The fact that they follow the same pattern makes them easy to use. The patterns follow sound pedagogical principles, starting with a baseline vocabulary task prior to the viewing of the video, followed, after the viewing, by a set of comprehension questions. After this students complete a series of language tasks which practice grammar points, e.g. the passive voice, infinitive constructions, modal verbs or the subjunctive in indirect speech. Each “worksheet” also contains a translation passage, speaking activities (pair work, group discussions, debates) and a final writing task which offers further links to websites with more information and data. The comprehension, translation and writing tasks are similar to those students will encounter in the exam.

E Lamb, Teacher of German (KS3, GCSE + A-Level) & Peer Reviewer

A lot of good interesting tasks that are ideal to train listening comprehension in self-study time.

S Evans, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11780)

On the whole, I think that it is a great resource as it provides lots of opportunity to boost students´ Spanish language acquisition and comprehension skills through the use of lots of motivating, relevant and engaging videos. The resource also gives students plenty of chances to practice their grammar and their vocabulary of the several Spanish A level topics and also to enhance their cultural knowledge of Spanish speaking countries and their people by means of A level topics. In general I like the fact that the resource mirrors very well the main topics for the first year of the A level Spanish, such as the monarchy in Spain or the actual situation of the equalitarian marriage in Chile.
Apart from the topics, I like the variety of tasks included, such as listening and comprehension exercises and translations, which will be very beneficial to students as this could boost their confidence when tackling the listening and reading exam questions.

J Ermina, MFL Teacher, Examiner & Peer Reviewer