Modern Foreign Language Subject Leader: Mrs A Bath
At Shorne, we teach modern foreign languages to support the understanding of a multicultural world. We have chosen to teach French. It is the official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. It is the only language spoken on 5 continents of the globe, and is a language that our pupils may experience should they travel to other European countries.
Intent
Shorne C of E Primary School ensures that we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum to inspire and excite our pupils through a wide variety of topics and themes. All pupils will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning – the ultimate aim being that pupils will feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2. We use the Language Angels Scheme of Work to support this, and the language our children learn is French.
The four key language learning skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught and all necessary grammar is covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This enables pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas. In addition, the children will be taught how to look up and research language they are unsure of and they will have a bank of reference materials to help them with their spoken and written tasks going forward. This bank of reference materials will develop into a reference library to help pupils recall and build on previous knowledge throughout their primary school language learning journey.
Through the Language Angels scheme of work, we intend for children to develop a genuine interest and curiosity about foreign languages. Learning a second language offers pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, and develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences
Implementation
All classes will have access to a high-quality foreign language curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This will progressively develop pupils’ skills in French through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons which will be taught by class teachers.
Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their French lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learned language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- We start with nouns and articles and 1st person singular of high-frequency verbs in Early Learning units.
- We move on to the use of the possessive, the concept of adjectives, the use of the negative form, conjunctions/connectives and introduce the concept of whole regular verb conjugation in Intermediate units.
- We end with opinions and introduce the concept of whole high-frequency irregular verb conjugation in Progressive units.
Each unit and lesson will have clearly defined objectives and aims, and incorporates interactive whiteboard materials to include ample speaking and listening tasks within the lesson. Lessons will include challenge sections and written activities.
Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units, with grammar concepts that will increase in complexity as pupils expand their language education.
Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learned language and, by reusing it, will be able to recall it and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks will help to link units together and show that pupils are retaining and recalling the language taught with increased fluency and ease.
Impact
As well as each subsequent lesson within a unit being progressive, the teaching type organisation of Language Angels units also directs, drives and guarantees progressive learning and challenge. Units increase in the level of challenge, stretch and linguistic and grammatical complexity as pupils move from Early Learning units through Intermediate units and into the most challenging Progressive units. Units in each subsequent level of the teaching type categories require more knowledge and application of skills than the previous teaching type. Activities contain progressively more text (both in English and the foreign language being studied) and lessons will have more content as the children become more confident and ambitious with the foreign language they are learning.
Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. The previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.
Children are expected to make good or better than good progress in their foreign language learning and their individual progress is tracked and reported to pupils and parents/carers in line with school recommendations.
Modern Foreign Language in Each Stage
Children learn greetings, family names, numbers up to 20, their age, playground games and colours. They also learn how to sing songs in French and how to act out stories such as ‘The Enormous Turnip’ – all told in French. By the end of their first-year children will be able to have a simple conversation in French and understand basic instructions and greetings.
Children practise their French in role-play conversations and learn how to talk about travel, holidays, transport, weather, toys, likes and dislikes, food and drink, animals and their habitats, colours and how to read a simple French story. They also learn about Intercultural Understanding and Knowledge about languages and where French is spoken around the world.
Children learn how to say the alphabet in French and how to spell their names when asked. They also learn the names of main body parts and revise colours before using this vocabulary to create and describe their own monsters. They learn how to talk about places in the locality, directions and their position by creating a large map game with instructions. Finally, children learn how to read and follow instructions about how to make a traditional French recipe.
Children use their skills and knowledge together to produce a video tour guide of the school and its surrounding area, imagining a pupil from a French school came to visit. This is then put into an information guide including a timetable. During the year we also try to plan for extra activities such as writing to a French pen pal, cooking and/or tasting French food, playing Boules, learning about and experiencing French art and researching famous landmarks.
Modern Foreign Languages Progression
Assessment
Teacher assessment is ongoing and forms part of our planning process in all subjects. Pupils’ attainment in all subjects is tracked 3 times per year against teacher assessment frameworks.
SEND Information
Interventions, support, and challenges are constantly revised and adapted to ensure all children are supported in achieving learning. Learning is robustly and continuously monitored and assessed to ensure gaps in learning are addressed. Teachers and support staff offer adaptive teaching to enable access for all, and may provide scaffolds, pre-teaching, and other support and intervention, as outlined in the Kent Mainstream Core Standards. Pupils may also be supported to access learning through the use of Clicker software.
Modern Foreign Language Resources