Modern Foreign Languages
At St Wilfrid's our children are...
Intent
Learning a language is an important way to develop interest and enthusiasm for different cultures around the world. By learning a foreign language, children can develop their understanding about where the language is spoken across the world and learn to appreciate the similarities and differences between races, religion, values, traditions and beliefs. They will develop an understanding, respect and tolerance for other countries and people and this will help our children become global citizens who have a deeper understanding of the world they live in. We aim to develop language skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in order for children to be able to communicate effectively with others and provide a secure foundation in preparation for further modern language learning in Key Stage 3.
Implementation
French is taught from Year 3 to Year 6 using the Primary Languages Network scheme. Children learn how to communicate with each other in French, building from words and phrases to sentences and conversations, which include facts and opinions. They will practise and experiment with language through songs, rhymes and games. As their confidence grows, they will show what they have learned through simple conversations, role-plays and short performances with improved pronunciation and intonation. They will then learn how to read and write words and phrases in French, before progressing to a series of sentences and then longer passages, using a bi-lingual dictionary to find new vocabulary and applying their knowledge of grammatical structures.
Our topics in MFL are mapped out to ensure progression of vocabulary and give them plenty of opportunities to build upon their grammatical knowledge. They will also be encouraged to make links with the English language. Within these topics, they will be able to talk about themselves but will also learn about how children live in France, including their cultures and traditions.
Children record their work in their own French book as well as recording evidence of speaking and listening using ipads. Each unit of work begins with a scroll in their books which outlines the main learning for the unit as well as key vocabulary and grammar.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 2, children will have had the opportunity to develop key language learning skills set out by the National Curriculum. They will be able to read, write, listen and speak about a range of topics in French and show positive attitudes towards learning a language. They will show respect and tolerance to other people, countries and cultures and a desire to further explore the languages and diversities of our world.
