French / German

How does the teaching of languages develop from Year 5 through to Year 8?

The focus of study in modern languages at Wellfield is on practical communication, as well as fostering a curiosity and understanding of the wider world. We provide opportunities for students to communicate for practical purposes and become confident in their listening, speaking, reading and writing of French (Year 5, 6, 7 & 8) and German (Year 8). Our programme of study is supplemented with cross-curricular enrichment activities and the use of cultural resources to make the connection between real life and culture to equip pupils to visit, study and work in other countries.

See Resources section [link to MFL / Resources section] for more detailed information about resources used

The teaching in KS2 provides a balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language learning 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.

By the end of KS2 students will be able to:

1. listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
2. explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
3. engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
4. speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
5. develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
6. present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
7. read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
8. appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
9. broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
10. write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
11. describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
12. understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

The teaching in KS3 provides a balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language learning for GCSEs at key stage 4. We supplement the 2 French lessons a week with 1 German lesson a week to strengthen their language learning capabilities and equip students for further language study at High School.

Our focus is to foster students’ understanding and communication skills, as well as further develop their ability to manipulate language in speech and writing, using more three tenses and a wider range of grammatical structures and vocabulary.

By the end of KS3 students will be able to:

1. understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
2. 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
3. write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
4. discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied
5. identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past, and future as appropriate to the language being studied
6. use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods, as appropriate
7. develop and use a wide-ranging and deepening vocabulary that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, allowing them to give and justify opinions and take part in discussion about wider issues
8. use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Linguistic competence
9. listen to a variety of forms of spoken language to obtain information and respond appropriately
10. transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy
11. initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses, making use of important social conventions such as formal modes of address
12. express and develop ideas clearly and with increasing accuracy, both orally and in writing
13. speak coherently and confidently, with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation
14. read and show comprehension of original and adapted materials from a range of different sources, understanding the purpose, important ideas and details, and provide an accurate English translation of short, suitable material
15. read literary texts in the language [such as stories, songs, poems and letters], to stimulate ideas, develop creative expression and expand understanding of the language and culture
16. write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions, and translate short written text accurately into the foreign language.

Regular practice in listening and watching familiar films in a foreign language, music videos and subtitled foreign films are all good ways to boost language learning. Pupils all receive links through google classroom of online resources.

Key Stage 2 A favourite is Alain le Lait who composes and performs songs going through key vocabularies such as numbers, colours, days of the week and months are available on youtube.

By Keys Stage 3 watching music videos and thematic clips as well as using source text is promoted, Stromae is very interesting both from a music, dance and language point of view.

Linguascope

We use this app to promote language learning in class and every pupil has a copy of the password to access it at home also.

Quizlet

This platform for learning is free and is very good for learning vocabulary with matching and flashcard activities

A closed shared area on the site where vocabulary sets are uploaded per topic is available for pupils and invites are sent by the MFL Department to pupils to join.

Text books

Textbooks are used largely to order the chronology through which we teach grammar and topics

For French, we use the Expo 1 and Expo 2 text-books

For German, we use Echo text-books