MFL
Intent
The national curriculum outlines that students should be given the opportunity to make significant progress in a foreign language. The language of choice here at Thorpe Lea is French and we strive to deliver our teaching of this subject to a high standard and create a passion for language learning amongst the pupils.
Implementation
Children start learning French in Year 3. Language learning is based on the development of four key skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our planning allows for good coverage of these skills over the course of the four years. Pupils gradually develop and build on each competency year by year, as well as learning key grammar rules. By the time students reach year 6 they should have made significant progress in all four skills.
Learning a new language can be daunting, so the lessons combine a mixture of games, songs and activities to make the experience stimulating and fun. Children are given many opportunities to practise their spoken French and we try and make this as relevant as possible by creating real-life scenarios such as the French Sweet Shop run by Year 6 where children in KS2 are able to practise their greetings, numbers and food flavours.
Please find below a basic overview of the KS2 curriculum which follows the Kapow scheme of work.
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | |
| Year 3 | French greetings with puppets | French adjectives of colour, size and shape | French playground games - numbers and shape | In a French classroom | French transport | A circle of life in French |
| Year 4 | Portraits - describing in French | Clothes - getting dressed in France | French numbers, calendars and birthdays | French weather and the water cycle | French food - Mian, miam! | French and the Eurovision Song Contest |
| Year 5 | French monster pets | Space exploration - in French | Shopping in France | French-speaking world | Verbs in a French week | Meet my French family |
| Year 6 | French sport and the Olympics | French football champions | In my French house | Planning a French holiday | Visiting a town in France | French project |
Impact
Pupils progression in reading, writing, speaking and listening is assessed on a half-termly basis, using assessments created to link to each stage in the Kapow scheme of work. Learning walks and book looks are also used to monitor teaching and learning.
