Modern Foreign Languages
What does Modern Foreign Languages at Bledlow Ridge school look like?
INTENT
At Bledlow Ridge School we believe that introducing MFL will enrich our pupils' education, inspiring curiosity, building confidence and adding depth and breadth to the curriculum.
In French, we aim to:
- Inspire children’s curiosity as global citizens and encourage respect for all
- Build their understanding of strategies that can be used in learning any language
- Provide them with knowledge and skills to begin to understand and communicate in French
Learning languages introduces an international dimension to the children’s learning, giving them an insight into their own culture and those of others. It builds understanding of diversity though widening their horizons.
IMPLEMENTATION
KS1: In Geography and getting to know each other as a class, children are introduced to different places and languages
KS2: From Y3 children begin to learn French, through a mix of speaking and listening, reading and writing activities, following the National Curriculum. Singing, pairs conversations and games give children opportunities to practise, as well as develop their vocabulary. From Y5 they have more opportunities to see a range of written texts and produce their own.
French is taught through topics that provide plenty of opportunity for retrieval and retention, building on existing knowledge. Children are taught in a collaborative atmosphere, that builds confidence and self-esteem. There are a number of inter-woven strands:
- developing vocabulary eg. colours, numbers, family members, school subjects
- basic grammar eg. creating simple sentences, word order, recognising un/une groups
- using strategies to build understanding eg. finding known words, thinking about the context
- confidence and a willingness to "have a go" and accept mistakes as a normal part of learning
IMPACT
Our MFL curriculum is engaging and accessible to all learners, well-resourced and planned to build in progression. In class children show their learning through:
- noticing similarities and differences between English, French and other languages
- pronouncing French words and phrases with growing accuracy
- participation in songs, games, role plays and other activities
- discussion about their learning, applying language patterns & using material in new contexts