MFL Statement of Intent
At Cupernham Junior School we aim to teach all children French throughout Key Stage 2. We believe that it is important that the children gain experiences of other languages and cultures. Children engage in a progressive curriculum which is taught through embedding the four pillars of language learning:
- Phonics: children are taught all the key French phonics sounds in Lower KS2 and these are embedded in Upper Key Stage 2, introducing alternative spelling patterns for each of the sounds.
- Vocabulary: children learn a range of vocabulary for each topic. Core vocabulary is revisited regularly through flashback activities, to ensure words and phrases transfer to the long-term memory, supporting future learning.
- Grammar: children learn how to converse and write in full sentences through learning key grammatical concepts, the building blocks to becoming a successful language learner.
- Cultural understanding: children learn about the culture of France, as well as, importantly, the culture of other French-speaking cultures, in Africa and the Caribbean for example. They learn about and experience exciting festivals and holidays in these countries.
We have created a topic-based approach to language learning. Topics are fun and engaging and students enjoy taking part in role play and games and completing puzzles to promote their learning.
Many topics are based around a French book, poem or song, such as The Hungry Caterpillar (La Chenille qui fait des Trous). Students focus primarily on their speaking and listening skills in year 3. However, as they progress through the school, they also develop their reading and writing skills. By year 6, children leave CJS as confident language learners, ready to deepen their language skills at secondary school.
The National Curriculum for languages aims 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.
Key Stage 2 Objectives
Pupils should be taught to:
- 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.