How to help dyslexic DSD through French GCSE?

[PontyMython]

Options time is fast approaching, DSD is 13 and in yr9. I am under the impression languages went through a non-compulsory phase but are now mandatory at GCSE again? Either way she has been told she must do it.

She can barely write in English let alone read or write French :(

She's accepted that she will not be acing this subject and she knows that we will be over the moon whatever she gets. We have agreed that she needs to only 'get through' and to mainly focus on other subjects - but obviously we know a U would devastate her. She puts so much effort into everything, she is never lazy. She keeps trying despite being constantly told she isn't good enough (including on occasion by her mother, but that's another thread ). She proudly showed me her test paper today... "I was the worst in the class, but it was still the best I've ever done" I was happy for her obviously but very sad it has to be like this.

So. I am looking for any tips or resources to help her through this. School are not being at all forthcoming (the extent of help for dyslexia was... ... handwriting practise ). And of course there is the extra barrier that she doesn't live with us, so despite her really wanting the help from us (well, me, as DH and his ex can't do French) there is not that much time for it, especially as she needs to do her other subjects here too (no help at her house, her mum takes no interest) and spend time with her little siblings.

I don't know, I'm thinking along the lines of focusing on the main verbs/adjectives/key phrases that she will need. We've done successful versions of card games for maths so I'm wondering about making up some games to learn key words? Other than that, I'm stumped.

Any ideas will be gratefully considered.

MindtheGapp - could you explain what you mean by letting dyslexia fester?

It's not about letting it "fester" whatever that may mean. It's about playing to your strengths. DS has managed to stay in top set for everything except english (2nd set)
DS had to do 2 languages from year 7, he chose to take a language for gcse even though he knew he would struggle and has done so compared to most of his other subjects.
DS strengths are in science, maths and humanities. Yes the dyslexia does affect those to a certain extent but no where near as much as it does the MFL and part of the problem is the style of exam. he has never been discouraged from taken an MFL infact it was school's advice that he took an MFL for gcse.

My DCs had to do 2 languages from year 7 too. Where we are one language is compulsory until 16 but they can take just a short course GCSE in it which is what DD did (and got an E).

They both missed many language classes in years 7-9 as that is when they got additional support and that made it difficult to catch up. OTOH both hated languages and I'd rather they missed something they didn't like than be forced to miss classes in a subject they loved (Art in DD's case, History in DS's).

By the way, DD got offers from all the Universities she applied to including Russell Group without having a language GCSE (unless you count the short course E grade)

"By the way, DD got offers from all the Universities she applied to including Russell Group without having a language GCSE (unless you count the short course E grad"

That's good to know

You are spot on about playing to your strengths Bruffin. And well done to your DS for taking a language for GCSE.

My son is taking a Spanish GCSE and he's really struggling to memorise long passages for the 4 controlled assessments he has to do (2 speaking and 2 listening) he has already done the first on and his teacher thinks he got an E with a target grade of and A or A* in every other subject including spanish, are there any methods or is there any help he can get in spanish?

Hi Zenphos

Does he understand what he has written? By that I mean, has he produced the material he needs to learn himself, from his own knowledge/school book/resources, or has he written a text in English and fed it into Google translate? The latter strategy is hopeless as it will produce gobbledygook and he won't be able to remember it.

Get him to draft something simple in his own words. Then go through it with a highlighter and choose the 'prompt' words. (My school's board allows 40 of these; his school's board may differ but he should check with teacher). He should choose words that will prompt him to remember the whole sentence, so if chooses 'semana pasada' he will think oh yes, that's the sentence about what I did last week.

Then it's a case of learning a bit at a time. Sit with him and get him to learn half a sentence, then the other half, and so on. Don't try to learn more than a paragraph at a time, then take a break and come back to it next day. He could write it out triple-spaced and draw little pictures to illustrate the text. That way he may develop a visual memory of the text on the page.