Modern Foreign Languages

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, it goes to his heart.”  
Nelson Mandela

Intent:

At Coverack  we believe that learning a foreign language enriches our curriculum.  It provides fun, excitement and challenge for children and teachers, helping to create enthusiastic learners and to develop positive attitudes to language learning. The skills, knowledge and understanding gained make a major contribution to the development of children’s oracy and literacy and to their understanding of their culture and the culture of others. Language lies at the heart of identity and community and learning another language helps children to develop their understanding of diversity. It also gives them a new perspective on their own language.

Implementation:

At Coverack we follow the Kapow scheme of work for French in Key Stage Two which embraces the National Curriculum aims with a varied and progressive scheme of work aimed specifically at mixed-age classes. Pupils develop their knowledge of French phonics to support pronunciation and spelling, vocabulary and sentence building and grammar. Pupils are encouraged to have-a-go at speaking aloud in front of their peers.  Our aim is for pupils to gain an understanding and enjoyment of an additional language and be better prepared for their future studies.

Key Stage Two
Lessons and activities will include:

• Providing opportunities in each lesson for pupils to use and practise what they have learned.
• Language games to enhance motivation and engagement.
• Learning songs, rhymes and stories.
• Focus on grammatical structures and phonology.
• Pair work and group work.
• Use of authentic materials.
• Use of ICT where relevant.
• Written activities to reinforce learning.

Lessons will be interactive and will provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. The focus will be on practical communication. Lessons should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing.

Impact:

Through the teaching and learning of French:

• Children will be provided with opportunities to communicate with each other in French.
• Children will become aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another.
• Children will develop their language through development of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Children will enrich their language learning by developing an understanding of the French culture.