“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela
Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality language education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read interesting literature in the original language.
It is widely recognised that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language is acquired. At Thomas A Becket Junior School, we believe that the early acquisition of French, together with a strong grasp on English grammar, will facilitate the learning of additional foreign languages later in life.
Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2, using various resources to support learning. In years 3 and 4, children acquire basic skills and understanding of French, with a strong emphasis on their speaking and listening skills. These will be embedded and further developed in years 5 and 6, alongside reading and writing, gradually progressing onto more complex language concepts and greater learner autonomy.
It is intended that when children leave Thomas A Becket Junior School, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages, accepting that, in a multi-lingual society, it is a valuable skill to be able to communicate effectively with others in another language. They will be prepared for the Key Stage 3 language curriculum to enable them to transfer confidently and successfully.
At Thomas A Becket Junior School, French is taught weekly by the class teacher. We follow a language learning scheme called Language Angels, interwoven with phonological and grammatical learning. This approach ensures a consistently high-quality offering across the school. We use a variety of techniques to encourage engagement and enjoyment in French learning:
We base the teaching on the National Curriculum, which is adapted to the context of our school. This provides teachers with clear progression and content for teaching and learning:
Through the teaching of French, we will see the impact of the subject in the following ways:
We measure the impact of our curriculum through various methods: observing children speaking and listening in French; key questioning built into lessons to encourage the children to regularly retrieve and use previous learning ; assessments on Language Angels; marking of written work; capturing the children's views on their learning (pupil voice); communication between teachers; learning walks.
The MFL subject leader will continually monitor the impact that French teaching is having on the children’s learning to ensure the progress of knowledge and skills is being taught. Additionally, they will ensure the content taught is retained by the children and frequently revisited and that the learners are able to apply the skills they have been taught to a variety of settings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPPIT1nbe7Q&safe=active - colours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4kNeFGBAcw&safe=active - colours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXkJ88ygPY0&safe=active - what is your name?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8l1TfnAvWw&safe=active - birthday song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpwf5N0rfVE&safe=active - days of the week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_u2SigckNQ&safe=active - months of the year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LYy3P2okyw&safe=active - French alphabet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL6qEoU91yg&safe=active - 30 mins of French songs for children