Modern Foreign Language (French) - Subject Content
Teaching focuses on enabling pupils to make substantial progress in one language, which at Milnthorpe is French. The teaching provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at Key Stage 3. It enables pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. The focus of study in modern languages at Milnthorpe is on practical communication.
Intent
At Milnthorpe, the intention of our MFL curriculum is to develop an interest in and thirst for learning other languages. We aim to introduce the learning of the French language and the understanding of its culture in enjoyable and stimulating ways. We hope to embed the essential skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing. We aim to build the children’s ‘culture capital’ so that they are aware of similarities and differences between cultures. In short, we hope to lay the foundations for future language learning.
Implementation
Our MFL curriculum has been designed to progressively develop skills in French. We are currently using the ‘Primary French’ units to deliver our French lessons. These ensure children acquire a bank of vocabulary organized around topics. They ensure development is progressive as they build on previous knowledge from units already studied.
All children in KS2 are taught French in a weekly discreet lesson. This is delivered by the class teacher or another qualified teacher during PPA.
KS1 children are introduced to MFL through exploring other languages informally when studying another country.
Impact
We want to ensure that French is loved by teachers and pupils across school, therefore encouraging them to embark on further language studies. Impact can be measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, child-led assessment and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning. Teachers assess French throughout lessons using ‘assessment through learning’. This helps teachers plan for future lessons.
