Modern Foreign Languages
What does Modern Foreign Languages at Bledlow Ridge school look like?
The teaching of MFL ensures "... a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world."
National Curriculum Programme of Study
INTENT
At Bledlow Ridge School we believe that a high-quality MFL curriculum will enrich our pupils' education. It fosters children’s curiosity (one of our School Values) and thirst for knowledge.
We believe that learning a new language helps children develop the School Values of confidence and resilience as well as adding a depth and breadth to the whole school curriculum.
In French at Bledlow Ridge School, we aim to:
- Inspire children’s curiosity about the world & its people and respect for diversity
- Equip them with knowledge and skills to develop understanding and communication in French
- Build their understanding of strategies that can be used in learning any language
Learning languages raises awareness of the multilingual and multicultural world and introduces an international dimension to the children’s learning thus giving them an insight into their own culture and those of others. It ensures diversity though deepening their understanding of the world and 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 – Y6 Children learn French, through a mix of speaking and listening, reading and writing activities. Singing, pairs conversations and games give children opportunities to practise their speaking and listening, as well as develop their vocabulary. In upper KS2 children have more opportunities to see a range of written texts and write their own texts.
MFL at Bledlow Ridge School:
- The curriculum is designed in line with the National Curriculum and the skills therein : Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Cultural Understanding.
- French is taught by a specialist MFL teacher who teachers Year 3 - Year 6. Ensuring progression and consistency across KS2
- 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.
- Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, such as : feminine, masculine forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English
Lessons are enjoyable, non-threatening with success built in at every level in order that the children develop a positive attitude to their learning. There is a focus on retrieval and retention so we prioritise pupils remembering more. Confidence and self-esteem are built through positive reinforcement for any contribution they make.
IMPACT
Our MFL curriculum is engaging and accessible to all learners, well-resourced and planned to build in progression. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through:
- Pupil discussions about their learning
- On the spot feedback
- Clear learning questions support how progress is measured
- Monitoring and reflection against subject-specific skills defined in each year of study
- Children apply their knowledge of language to other areas of the curriculum
- Children apply their cultural understanding and tolerance across society and cultures