Languages

Languages

MFL Purpose of study

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

Source: National Curriculum, 2014

National Curriculum Aims:

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

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
can 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.

At Countess Gytha Primary School, we use the "Sue Cave Languages" scheme of work to support the teaching and learning of French. This provides clear progression for the development of speaking and listening, and vocabulary acquisition, with the inclusion of resources to support the teaching and learning opportunities for pupils. Rachel Hawkes scheme of work is used for KS1 Spanish alongside the teaching of Year 3.

Intention (Why do we teach what we teach ?)

We have designed our MFL curriculum so that our learners:

Develop resilience and confidence in language learning as well as enjoyment of it through a challenging scheme of work
Are provided a rich and engaging curriculum (through Cave Languages and Rachel Hawkes) which allows them to hear correct pronunciations, practise French/Spanish sayings/sounds, sing songs and write in French/Spanish .
Acquire language learning strategies for memorisation and retrieval as well as for listening, reading and understanding
Develop the skill of how to decode unfamiliar language using a variety of strategies and resources
Are able to manipulate language to speak or write sentences creatively using prior knowledge of grammar and key features with increasing independence
Recognise some of the language patterns of French/Spanish and how these differ or are similar to English
Have a deeper understanding of cultural differences and similarities

Implementation (How do we teach it ?)

Our MFL curriculum is taught:

Through the use of the Cave Languages and Rachel Hawkes scheme of work from Years 3-6, delivered through weekly lessons in line with National Curriculum guidance.
With lessons which are designed to be progressive and build on prior learning, moving from word to sentence level over the four years.
Through lesson activities that are challenging, varied and interactive and develop listening, reading, speaking and writing skills for all learners
Ensuring availability of interactive whiteboard resources with audio support, storybooks and phonics books
Through the use of choice of vocabulary, ensuring exposure to all the key phonic sounds and ability to build sentences using grammatical knowledge

Impact (What has been the impact and how do we know?)

The impact of the MFL curriculum at Countess Gytha Primary can be seen through:

Increased pupil confidence in speaking another language.
Pupils understanding the importance of learning another language to enhance intercultural understanding.
An enriched curriculum, helping to create enthusiastic learners and to develop positive attitudes to language learning throughout life.
Children being reflective of their own learning and language skills.
Developed learning of a language and a deeper understanding of a different culture.
Good progression of linguistic skills and knowledge from the Modern Foreign Languages National Curriculum.

What does Languages look like at Countess Gytha?

At Countess Gytha Primary School we instil a love of languages and curiosity about different cultures and their own beliefs. Following the National Curriculum, alongside high expectations, our Key Stage 2 children are taught French and Spanish and develop the four skills- speaking, listening, reading, and writing in the target language which is taught to them. We encourage our children to develop resilience and problem-solving skills when deciphering new vocabulary and foster an engaging, safe, and supportive approach when exploring new language. Children are supported and encouraged to write independently and to speak in French/Spanish during lessons. New language is taught and revisited to encourage working memory for all children. The children particularly enjoy learning new language and expressing their opinions and participating in a French letter exchange in Year 4,5 and 6. Actions, songs, drawings, and games are used to encourage the children to actively be involved in the language learning process. Alongside this, a physical phonics programme which enables the children to relate pictures with phonemes aiding with correct pronunciation and spelling of key words.