Modern Foreign Languages

Learning a language is key to a child’s learning development and to their identity in today’s world. As the UK is becoming increasingly multilingual, here at Downe, we believe it is our duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages. We believe that learning a language supports and celebrates the international dimension. Not only are children given the opportunity to gain insight into the world of others, but also reflect upon their own cultural identities. Furthermore, we believe that learning a language stimulates children’s creativity. We encourage the children to enjoy languages through singing, rhymes, poems and stories. Finally, we believe that learning a language supports oracy and literacy. The children spend much of their time speaking, singing, taking part in role plays and performing to audiences. We believe this critical for effective communication as well as a key foundation for literacy.

Listening

To be able to listen to longer text and more authentic foreign language material.

To learn to pick our familiar words and learn to ‘gist’ listen even when hearing language that has not been taught or covered.

Speaking

To learn to recall previously learnt language and recycle/incorporate it with new language with increased speed and spontaneity.

To speak in longer sentences and use particular sentence structures more flexibly to create own sentence.

To engage in short conversations on familiar topics, responding with opinions and justification where appropriate.

Reading

To read longer texts aloud that containing taught phrases and vocabulary.

To understand a short text made up of short sentences with familiar language on a familiar topic.

To decode unknown language using bilingual dictionaries or word lists.

Writing

To adapt taught phrases to create new sentences.

To write a short, simple text from memory, using simple sentences from one familiar topic with reasonable spelling.

To start to incorporate conjugated verbs and to be comfortable using connectives/conjunctions, adjectives and possessive adjectives.

Grammar

To consolidate understanding of gender nouns, use of the negative, adjectival agreement and possessive adjectives.

To be confident with full verb conjugation- both regular and irregular.
Implementation

French is taught from Year 3 to Year 6 by their class teacher. We use the program Language Angels. At the beginning of each term, the children have a have a French day where the children have the opportunity to practice the 5 key skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing and grammar). This is carried out in the classroom through role play, songs, quizzes, games, key texts and creative activities. The children have access to bilingual dictionaries and books to deepen their skill set and independently decode language. They are able to practice real-life scenarios and use key language to ask and respond to questions. A variety of topics are covered throughout the year providing a range of vocabulary and knowledge.