At Shavington Primary, we encourage our children to be resilient linguists!
Intent
Here at Shavington Primary, we learn French as our Modern Foreign Language. We aim for children to foster an enthusiastic and positive attitude towards learning an additional language. Children are taught not only to speak French, but also enhance their reading and listening skills too. By giving pupils the confidence to develop their skills, it will allow them to engage in an understanding of linguistics and the nations that use this language.
Our curriculum is designed to manifest a life-long love of language learning, in order to support their understanding of our multi-linguistic world. Children are not only taught the basics of a conversation, but also the structure of sentences, the use of masculine and feminine verb forms and how to engage in listening to instructions or information in non-native dialect.
By teaching the fundamentals of French speaking, listening and writing, we feel we prepare our learners ready for life after Shavington Primary in their secondary settings, and hope that this basis will encourage them to pursue this further than KS3.
Implementation
During their time at Shavington, pupils are taught using a variety of different activities that allow our learners to understand that getting things wrong helps us to learn. By showing resilience and self-belief, children can over-come barriers that will help them to succeed when learning a new language. Following a curriculum re-launch, our learners are working at an appropriate level to ensure gaps in learning are addresses before moving onto more complex vocabulary and language concepts.
We use the Primary Languages Network to deliver high-quality French lessons in class. The resources aim to support not only our pupils, but also our staff who are not usually language specialists. Primary Languages Network, allows our teachers to teach interactively, have the opportunity to practice conversationally and make use of videos of native speakers to support pronunciation and accent. Primary Languages Network has given our teachers and pupil’s confidence to speak another language and our teachers to support the children’s language-learning at home. Teachers are also able to find resources from a variety of places to further support learning of new skills or concepts.
Pupils at Shavington can expect to learn the following objectives of the National Curriculum through the use of songs, rhymes, stories, poems and games.
The children will:
- Listen attentively to the spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.
- Explore the patterns and sounds of language and link 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.
- 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, express ideas clearly.
- Describe people, places, and things orally and in writing.
- Understand some of the basic grammar in French.
Impact
Shavington Primary endeavour to provide our learners with engaging lessons and that all learners are included in their linguistic journey through school.
By passing on their books each year, children and teachers are able to see clear progression and application of skills taught previously. Pupils can focus on persevering during new learning and have courage to challenge and explain their thinking. By using games and song, children are able to recall previous knowledge and allow them to have fun whilst doing so, promoting a love of French.
Children of all abilities and backgrounds strive to achieve success in class work and assessments and prepare our learners to reflect on their knowledge base and feel empowered to continue this in KS3 and beyond.
