MFL
what we say about mfl in dean bank primary school
Noah – “We learn a new language and that is fun.”
Amelia – “It’s very different to other subjects and we learn songs in French.”
intent
At Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School, we have chosen French as our modern foreign language (MFL) as this will support children with the transition to learning MFL in Key Stage 3 at our local secondary school. We use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils. The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught and all necessary grammar is covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This will enables pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning.
We hope that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages. Learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences.
IMPLEMENTATION
Within French, the long-term plan has been created to tailor what is offered by Language Angels. Staff are expected to follow the lesson plan provided by Language Angels and the tasks identified within the lesson sequence we have created to supplement this. It is expected that staff familiarise themselves thoroughly with lesson content and activities prior to the lesson. Teachers will also plan opportunities for retrieval and recall of key vocabulary, including the use of the interactive games provided on Language Angels.
French Lessons
French lessons at Dean Bank should follow a similar pattern in both key stage 1 and 2 – unless it is an activity designed for retrieval and recall of previous content. Staff are expected to follow the Language Angels presentation. The structure of these lessons are carefully designed to ensure that students engage with the language through a variety of activities.
Below is an overview of the typical structure of a French lesson at Dean Bank:
- Review: a lesson often begins with a quick recap of previous lessons. This could involve reviewing vocabulary or concepts learned earlier.
- Introduction: the teacher is expected to explain the objectives of the lesson, including what the pupils will learn and do.
- Introduction to new vocabulary or grammatical concepts: this is typically done through native-speaker audio to model pronunciation.
- Practice and Exploration of new vocabulary or grammar: this is typically done through a range of speaking and listening tasks.
- Task: Children to complete the task/s outlined in the lesson sequence. These have been carefully selected so children are applying a range of the four key language learning skills. These will then either be self or peer assessed.
- Review: At the end of the lesson, the teacher will review the key vocabulary and concepts that were covered.
- Mini-plenaries may take place throughout the tasks/lesson.
iMPACT
Teachers will be using formative assessment continually within their teaching and using this to support their teaching and support children to develop the vocabulary and skills appropriate. They will then use recall and retrieval activities to support students to retain information and support their own ongoing assessment. Staff will record a student’s progress against the relevant knowledge and skills objectives for the unit on ‘Insight’. Children will be judged as working towards age-related expectations or working at age-related expectations based on the number of objectives achieved at the given assessment point.
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