“ Whatever you do in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:17

Modern Foreign Languages

French Sequence

General Statement

At The Blue School we follow the new National Curriculum for languages.

We believe that the learning of a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils.  It helps them to develop communication skills including key skills of speaking and listening and extends their knowledge of how language works. 

Learning another language gives children a new perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others.

Although Primary Languages cuts across the curriculum, children are taught specific skills, concepts and vocabulary in a weekly dedicated lesson with the specialist native languages teacher. The language chosen by our school is French. French is taught at Key Stage Two for 30 minutes per week in year 3 and 40 minutes in year 4-5-6.

LEARN MORE

Aims

  • foster an interest in language learning by introducing children to other languages in a way that is enjoyable and accessible to all pupils;
  • stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language and creativity in experimenting with it;
  • support oracy and literacy, and in particular develop speaking and listening skills;
  • help children develop their awareness of cultural similarities and differences;
  • lay the foundations for future language study by pupils;
  • provide an added perspective on first language teaching and learning;
  • give an extra dimension to teaching and learning across the curriculum
INCLUSION

Objectives

The children will learn to

  • listen carefully and recognize sounds and combinations of sounds which are similar to, or different from, those of English;
  • understand and respond with increasing competence, accuracy and confidence in a range of situations;
  • join in songs and rhymes which enable them to practice the sounds of the language in an enjoyable and non-threatening way;
  • take part in conversations at an appropriate level, reacting to instructions and questions and expressing opinions and feelings.

Reading and writing: the children will learn to:

  • remember grapheme-phoneme correspondences and vocabulary directly taught and reinforced through word games and similar activities;
  • read short texts and rhymes to gain awareness of the structure of the written language;
  • read, copy and write independently familiar words and simple phrases in context for example classroom items, display labels, weather chart, and date.

Intercultural understanding: the children will learn to:

  • describe the life of children in the countries where the language is spoken;
  • identify similarities and differences in everyday life, social conventions, traditional stories and celebrations;
  • recognise how symbols, products and objects can represent the culture of a country, and how aspects of the culture of different countries become incorporated in the daily life of others;
  • recognise and mistrust stereotypes, and understand and respect cultural diversity.

Inclusion

Primary Languages teaching at The Blue School is fully inclusive.  No child is excluded by reason of a learning difficulty, or because they have English as an additional language.  Experience has indeed shown that such children can derive particular benefit from taking part in Primary Languages learning activities in which they may be less disadvantaged than in other areas of the curriculum.