Intent:

At Gulworthy Academy, we believe that learning a new language is hugely beneficial for children. To achieve this, we provide a French curriculum for our Key Stage 2 children which help nurture and progress our students learning. It contributes to children’s realisation of their own identity, and they are able to make better comparisons between their culture and the culture of others’. Furthermore, the very act of learning a new language combines life skills such as listening, rehearsing and communicating. To understand and embed a new language, we believe you need to be immersed in both spoken and written activities. Therefore, we place an emphasis on French phonics to aid dictation and grammar to aid with written nuances. We feel first quality teaching of Modern Foreign Languages acts as a springboard for children’s further learning at KS3 and beyond.

• 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 (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter 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.

The main language taught at Gulworthy Academy is French. We provide a block of French lessons for Year 3 and above, every academic term. We use Language Angels as our French Scheme as it provides a broad curriculum that builds upon previous knowledge. We use songs, games, role-play and various other teaching techniques in order to create fun and engaging lessons where the learning objective can be easily remembered.

Implementation:

The curriculum is led and overseen by the Foreign Languages lead.

• Children are introduced to French in formal lessons from Year 3 and receive regular lessons of between 45-60 minutes. Lessons across the Key Stage support the skills of oracy, literacy and intercultural understanding.
• Children are taught to listen attentively to spoken language and respond, joining in with songs, rhymes and games. These can be used in knowledge-based learning to reinforce and consolidate understanding of colour, number, the alphabet and basic greetings.
• All year groups will receive French phonics training at the beginning of a module to aid with intonation. Likewise, all modules taught have elements of French grammar taught alongside the learning content.
• Every year, Gulworthy Academy implement a ‘French Day’ to establish an appreciation for foreign cultures through the exploration of French food, music and art.

Impact:

Our MFL curriculum ensures that children develop their knowledge of where different languages, including French, are spoken in the world. Varied learning experiences, including the celebration of French Day will also ensure that languages are celebrated throughout the school community whilst providing a context for language learning and develop the children’s understanding of different cultures. Regular links to a variety of Topics ensures that the children are exposed to a wide vocabulary from Year 3 and as they progress in their learning, can apply this vocabulary in increasingly sophisticated sentences, both spoken and written. Children will find learning a new language fun to learn due to the plethora of methods used to teach the content by staff.

Long Term Overview Gulworthy

Language Angels Progression Type

Language Angels Skills progression