Paddock Wood Modern Languages

Intent

The staff at Paddock Wood Primary Academy are committed to helping children develop as internationally-minded learners who have a genuine understanding of and interest in the world around them. It is important for all children to learn to communicate with different people and in different situations, and learning a foreign language has a vital role to play in helping our children become global citizens. It is our intent that the French curriculum support the whole-school ethos of open-mindedness and the appreciation of different beliefs and cultures. Whilst guided by the National Curriculum for Languages, language skills will be taught increasingly through the transdisciplinary themes of our international PYP curriculum and, where appropriate, will link in with the Central Ideas for each year group. We do, however, aim to ensure that all pupils:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources

• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation

• Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt

• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

As the Central Ideas change year on year, the content of French lessons will be continuously updated, creating a dynamic programme of study that will engage the pupils and give even more relevance to their language learning. Planning will be based around the skills set down by the DfE to ensure that the foreign language knowledge of our pupils progresses within each academic year. These key skills are: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and these will be taught with a particular focus on vocabulary, phonics and grammar, with cultural exploration and understanding underpinning the children’s learning.

Implementation

From Year 2 to Year 6, all pupils have a weekly timetabled lesson taught by a specialist language teacher. Key language is shared with the Class Teachers and children are encouraged to use French whenever possible, answering the register, asking to sharpen a pencil, or writing the date.

Key Stage 1

In Year 1, the children are introduced to the sounds of language through song. Rhythms and music stick in the brain, so singing along to a catchy tune not only helps children develop the correct pronunciation, but also puts new words into a meaningful context. Simple conversation is explored over the year through the story of Marvin, in which a little French cat introduces an English kitten to life in France. In Year 2, lessons are based around a different French story or song each term and most lessons involve listening and speaking, pair-work, singing and games. Although the children will gradually be introduced to the written language, there is no specific focus on writing at this stage. Through the chosen text, children will be introduced to key language and structures. For example, The Hungry Caterpillar teaches the children initial numbers, colours, fruits and the days of the week. Children listen actively each time the story is read to them and demonstrate their understanding with simple actions. Very soon, they find themselves joining in and by the end of the module most children should be able to participate confidently with the retelling of the story.

Key Stage 2

Each term, the Central Idea for each year group is extended into French lessons and is used not only to deepen their understanding of the various lines of inquiry but also to provide children with the opportunity to develop the keys skills below:

• 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, including: feminine and masculine 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.

Children learn all the ‘usual’ vocabulary one would expect at Key Stage 2, but within the context of their lines of inquiry, thereby making it much more meaningful. For example, children might learn weather expressions through our study of the water cycle in French using the text ‘Gaston la Petite Goutte de Pluie’ (Gaston the little Raindrop), whilst finding out about extreme weather as part of their class inquiry.

Or if children are discussing the impact of one civilisation on another, in their French lessons they might look at the Roman invasion of France. They would use numbers in the hundreds to plot the key dates for events and learn expressions for daily routine when looking at the everyday lives of the Gauls and Romans. 

Impact

‘Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.’ 

At Paddock Wood Primary Academy, the language teaching provided encourages pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world around them.

Children are able to express their ideas and thoughts simply in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing using familiar vocabulary. Looking at the grammar and structure of a foreign language actually impacts positively on their understanding of their own language. When looking at word groups and syntax, the children are quick to point out similarities or differences to English or their home languages. Pupils are shown how to communicate meaningfully for practical purposes, to learn new ways of thinking and to enjoy the thrill of reading a story in the original language. When the children move on to secondary school they may continue with French or may start a new language. What we provide them with is the confidence of knowing how to learn, of understanding the importance of taking a risk and ‘having a go’ and of trusting that a sympathetic listener will fill in any gaps.

Language teaching in primary schools should provide the foundation for learning further languages. At Paddock Wood Primary Academy we equip our pupils with the basics to study, perhaps to work in other countries and, in time, to be international citizens of the future.