Foreign Languages
The focus of study in modern languages will be on practical communication.
Our aims in teaching French at Lady Margaret Primary School are to
- Ensure that the children participate in a broad and balanced curriculum.
- Flourish and develop socially
- Have the opportunity to learn about another culture and develop their understanding of the world in which they live.
- Develop the children’s awareness of cultures which are different to their own.
- To ensure the development of clear communication skills.
- To support the children with learning a range of different languages.
- Learning an additional language enhances overall cognition and improves development
- Have fun!
Children’s quotes about their French lessons:
“I enjoy all of the fun activities, which we get to do in French, it’s great to learn new words”
“The thing that I like the most about French is that we get to participate in fun activities – sometimes I forget that I am even learning!”
“In French, I like it when Madame Marie gives us challenging work to do as it means that we have to work harder to figure it out.”
How French is taught at Lady Margaret Primary School
At LMPS, French is taught as a discrete subject. This allows key vocabulary and grammatical understanding to be developed concurrently, allowing the children to develop practical communication based upon familiar and routine matters. Learning journeys within French cover the following areas.
Opportunities for pupils to attentively listen to spoken language and show understanding through participation and response.
Cultural comparisons between France and Britain
Key vocabulary including oral practise to embed learning.
French grammar to ensure that pupils can make better sense of what they hear and read.
Our French learning aims to inspire pupils to explore and understand a culture beyond their own. Pupils listen attentively to the patterns and sounds of language and are encouraged to explore these. Information that they have learnt is presented, by the children, in a range of manners, including presentations, posters and games. Throughout their time at LMPS, pupils develop their capacity to read and write in French, through scaffolded learning and carefully selected activities, which includes opportunities to listen to rhymes and stories before moving on to reading and writing in French.
As the children progress through KS2, they are increasingly able to utilise their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge to describe in writing, as well as orally in order to best prepare them for linguistic study at KS3. Through guidance and support, pupils will develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.
By the end of year 6, we want pupils to:
- Write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly.
- Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
- Broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material
- Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing.
- Confidently, present their learning to different audiences in a range of formats.