Modern Foreign Languages
‘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.’
At South Kilvington, we aim to give all children a wide a range of opportunities and experiences. We acknowledge the influence that Europe has on our lives and as the UK is becoming an increasingly multicultural society, we have a duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages. Learning a language enriches the curriculum, providing excitement, enjoyment and challenge for children and teachers, helping to create enthusiastic learners and to develop positive attitudes to language learning throughout life.
Intent
- To maximise the natural links between languages and other areas of the curriculum to enhance the overall teaching and learning experience.
- To put language at the heart of ideas about individual identity and community
- Learning another language can do a great deal to shape children’s ideas in this critical area as well as giving them a new perspective on their own language.
- To expose children to a wide range of languages from an early age.
Implementation
- The National Curriculum for MFL is taught to all year groups.
- The MFL progression of knowledge and skills framework is used for every year group to ensure coverage is met, the sequence builds on skills and progression is clear.
- Sequencing of lessons allows for children to connect previously taught knowledge from across the curriculum to new learning in order to help make connections and understand new learning.
- In Class 1, children are introduced to Modern Foreign Languages through the use of classroom routines (register), songs, games and ICT. Teachers use a variety of the following techniques to encourage children to have an active engagement with Languages:
- Trio Time is used to retrieve and reinforce previously taught knowledge in order to consolidate prior learning, this is discussed verbally at the start of MFL lessons.
- Action songs and rhymes are used to develop phonetic skills, memory skills and to further vocabulary.
- Puppets and toys are used to develop communication skills.
- Children will be given the opportunity to look at other languages – particularly if children are bi-lingual.
Impact
- Children will learn how language skills can be applied to a range of languages.
- Children are 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 culture.
- 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 own culture and those of others.