Subject: French |
Intent: “Know the Way” |
At Thurlbear we believe that the learning of modern foreign languages provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils. It helps them to develop communication skills including the key skills of speaking and listening and extends their knowledge of how languages work. Learning a language gives children a new and broad perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own culture and develop a respect and understanding of those of others. It will lay positive stepping stones to, enthusiasm for and a confidence to continue language learning at KS3 and beyond. It also helps provide the cultural capital they need to succeed in life and develop an open approach to those from other countries and cultures.
Aims – pupils should be able to– understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources – speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation – write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt – discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied. The curriculum provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. It enables pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.
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Implementation: “Show the Way” |
French is delivered through the use of the iLanguages Scheme of Work which follows the 2014 Primary MFL National Curriculum. This scheme has been adopted as is it suitable for non-linguist teachers and provides a clear progression of language learning through the year groups, has a strong phonics focus and uses the Talk4Writing and Kagan cooperative learning methodology to enhance interaction and progress. Each lesson also includes options to support the learning of those with SEND
Pupils are taught to:– listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding – explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words – engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help – speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures – develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases – present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences – read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing – appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language – broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary – write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly – describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing – understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including: feminine, masculine forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English. A range of French Story books have been carefully selected for each year group to be read in class and be accessible to the children. A class set of Collins Primary Language French/English dictionaries is available to support the scheme. In addition we aim to bring the learning of languages alive through our twinning with a school in Le Mans. Each KS2 class is linked with a partner class in Le Mans and exchange work and link electronically where possible. Languages are best learnt by a little and often approach to ensure new language is embedded in the memory and to develop fluency and confidence. Therefore teachers provide a ½ hour dedicated lesson each week to teach new content. This is followed up with informal, daily 5-10 minute session throughout the week (e.g. at registration, five minute brain breaks, end of the day, PE warm up, etc.) Opportunities for this are highlighted in the lesson plans in the “Throughout the Week” section. This little and often approach ensures vocabulary and gramma are embedded before moving on to the next lesson and encourages, confidence and fluency and is especially important for the lowest 20% of pupils. Assessment is formative and is used to support teaching and learning and inform future planning. Summative assessment is provided through the pupil booklets provided by the scheme and planning also indicates possible assessment opportunities through the year which can be videoed as evidence.
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Impact: “Grow the Way” |
As a linguist leaving Thurlbear, every child will:– understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources – have a foundation in the French language to benefit them when they go on to learn French and other modern languages at secondary school and beyond. – discover and develop an appreciation of French culture as the first step in their discovery of others as them make their way into the world. |
