Indian Queens Primary School & Nursery

Modern Foreign Languages

At Indian Queens School we believe that the learning of foreign languages provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils. It helps them to develop communication skills - including key skills of speaking and listening and extends their knowledge of how language works. Learning other languages gives children a new perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own culture and values as well as those of others.

Curriculum Intent

According to the famous author John le Carré, “...to learn a language is an act of friendship. It is an outstretched hand.” We believe that learning languages gives children a new perspective on the world and encourages them to understand their own values as well as those of others. It helps them to develop communication skills - including key skills of speaking and listening and extends their knowledge of how language works: ‘Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own,’ Goethe.

Implementation

MFL at Indian Queens is taught using the primary MFL scheme of work from twinkl, and this is adapted by the language expert to include resources gained from her own personal collection.

In addition to discrete weekly 45 minute lessons taught by a language specialist, our teachers promote the concept of modern foreign languages by encouraging children to use their language skills in a range of different activities, for example whilst taking the register; with greetings and farewells; using please and thank you; countdowns etc.

As a result of this, children will be able to:

• 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

• 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 languages studied.

National Curriculum Programmes of Study

The teaching will provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. The focus of study in modern languages will be on practical communication, speaking in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures. Children will be encouraged to develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.

Cross Curricular Links

Learning another language presents opportunities for the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other curriculum areas. These opportunities can be exploited through aspects of:

- English: Development of speaking and listening skills, knowledge and understanding of grammar and sentence construction. Opportunities to compare the foreign language with English or another language can be exploited through use of the new alphabet, phonemes, rhyming patterns, sound/ spelling links, dictionary work, formation of structures (e.g. singular/ plural, gender, negatives, question forms, position of adjectives, imperatives), intonation, dialogues, poetry, different text types and formation of complex sentences.

- ICT: Materials from the internet and satellite television, video and audio, presentation of data, word processing, easy speak microphones.

- Citizenship: The multilingual society, knowledge of other countries and cultures.

- Maths: Counting, calculations, money, time and date etc.

- Geography: Work related to studying other countries, weather.

- Science: Parts of the body, animals.

- Music: Rhyming, rhythm, singing, composition and world music.

- RE: Celebration of festivals, storytelling, calendars, customs, international and multicultural work.

- History: Study of the history of other countries.

-Art: Colours, artists from around the world, descriptions of paintings.

-PE: Physical responses to the teachers instructions issued in the language being learnt.

Assessment

The children are assessed by the language specialist who currently leads the weekly MFL sessions. This is done informally during the lessons to inform future planning. Children also carry out self-assessments to see and monitor the progress that they are making in the language. We assess listening, speaking, talking to somebody, reading and writing.