Implementation:
French is taught weekly by a qualified MFL teacher from Year 3 to Year 6. Lessons are 1 hour in duration and this enables each of the 4 main skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing to be included in every lesson.
Children are taught language learning strategies (LLS) that will help them to improve their memory skills, spelling and sentence structure. They become adept at translating between English and French by using their understanding of cognates and context. By recognising different word groups and how they are used in French, they can begin to decode new language and construct simple sentences with a degree of independence early in their language learning journey. They can use their Knowledge About Language (KAL) to make links between different languages and understand how languages have evolved worldwide.
Most language learning activities are song or game based in order to make lessons varied, active, fun and engaging with plenty of repetition and language consolidation. Children are encouraged to 'hear it and say it' before they attempt to read or write as this promotes greater independence and self confidence.
Grammar is taught both formally and informally through all topic areas. For example;
by the end of Year 6, children are expected to know that there are two gender classifications for nouns in French and they are taught that this impacts the spelling of adjectives and also phrases and verbs that use de and a. Children are expected to try to reflect this knowledge in their written work by making gender and plural agreements and by using au and du when appropriate. This will have been taught progressively through all topic areas from Year 3. Resources used in lessons include video clips from the Francophone world, traditional songs, rhymes and stories, and an interactive web based resource called Linguascope which can be used at home and at school. Key focus areas such as Remembrance Day and Black History month are included within the French curriculum as well as key French celebrations such as Bastille Day and The Epiphany.
Cross curricular links are embedded in the French curriculum through topics as diverse as Space, Healthy Eating and WW2. Key grammar points are revisited and,when appropriate, extended as the children progress from one word acquisition through to sentence formation.
Children are taught to recognise that Language Learning Skills are transferable such as comprehension skills and spelling strategies which can be applied in other curriculum areas. The children are encouraged to reflect upon their own learning styles and what might help them to improve memory and recall . These can include colour coding words, repetition, songs and using actions for muscle memory. All lessons incorporate activities for different learning styles and the children are made explicitly aware of the purpose of the activities that they are doing.
Children are helped to be resourceful and resilient in lessons. Examples include having access to physical tools such as knowledge organisers, word cards, sentence building grids, dictionaries and word banks but also emotional tools such as a talking partner for those who are less confident in speaking activities. Peer support is encouraged and children have opportunities to work in pairs, small groups or independently according to their preference or needs. All children are expected to achieve the main lesson objective with some able to extend their learning through additional activities and challenges. Children with SEND are fully integrated into every lesson with adaptations made for their needs as required.