Modern Foreign Languages Subject Overview
Modern Foreign Languages
WAT Aspire Curriculum
Our curriculum develops students’ aspirations so that they strive to be the best that they can be. In all subjects we carefully plan the subject knowledge, skills and vocabulary, coupled with specific Aspire learner skills and character virtues, so that our students have the tools to be successful in learning and in life. This document sets out the key principles in this subject area.
Teaching and Learning Cycle
Curriculum Overview
Knowledge organisers for each unit of work set out the skills, knowledge and vocabulary to be developed through the unit. Knowledge organisers for each year group can be seen by clicking on the links below:
I am learning French
Animals
Colours and numbers
Greetings
I can
Fruits
Presenting myself
Vegetable
Seasons
My family
In the classroom
At the tea room
The date
Do you have a pet
Clothes
At school
At the weekend
Vikings
Children are taught one hour of French fortnightly. To support the delivery of MFL and to ensure the quality of curriculum, we teach through Language Angels. Lesson plans are adapted depending on the requirements of the class. This allows all pupils to achieve in lessons and to be challenged. Language teaching and learning is in line with the recommendations of the National Curriculum and the requirements outlined in the Department for Education Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2. The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
● Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
● 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
● Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
● Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
Subject Knowledge, skills and vocabulary
Knowledge Units
● Key vocabulary is broken down in Knowledge Organisers
● Vocabulary lists are placed in children’s books for each unit
● Knowledge Organiser is in place for each unit.
● Knowledge organisers are placed in children’s workbooks at the start of each unit and are referred to as needed.
● Each lesson will focus on a combination of the 5 key language learning skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar).
High Challenge for All
Challenging and interesting work is an entitlement for all our learners irrespective of their ability. All learners should be able to learn effectively once they know what learning looks like and are given the appropriate tools and support to make it happen.
‘High Challenge for All’ underpins all lessons at Tenterfields which sits alongside our Teaching and Learning cycle.
SEND
When a pupil has been identified with special needs, their learning will be further scaffolded or differentiated by the class teacher to remove barriers to learning to enable them to access the curriculum. Teachers use a range of teaching strategies to involve every child in learning based upon what they already know and can do. This may include the use of specific resources and strategies:
● The use of visual prompts
● Sensory audits
● Task management boards to chunk tasks
● Reading rulers, concentration cushions, fidget toys, sand timers, etc.
● Overlays, etc.
All staff have high expectations of all pupils. By reviewing children’s progress through formative and summative assessments then gaps in their understanding, skills and knowledge can quickly be identified and support can be put into place to enable them to make progress. At Tenterfields, the interests of the child are always considered when planning the curriculum to ensure that children are engaged and enthusiastic about their learning.
MFL Assessment
The purpose of assessment in MFL is to ensure that children are both supported and challenged. It should help learners to feel confident and successful and helps build resilience and enthusiasm for learning. It gives immediate feedback which then allows for language to build and learning to move forwards. We use both formative and summative assessment to assess pupils' understanding, knowledge and skills. Formative assessments take place in lessons as part of our teaching cycle. It can take many forms, such as multiple choice quizzes, short-answer quizzes or the use of whiteboards. They are often used in Smart Starts which are designed to improve pupils’ retrieval of key knowledge. Marks from these are not collected or analysed centrally; they inform what the teacher does next. The teacher will then deliver appropriately timed feedback that
focuses on moving learning forward eg: Retrieval practice; modelling, explaining and whole-class learning checks and the use of our High Challenge for All framework to support scaffolding and high expectations for all.