MFL
Subject Coordinator: Mrs L Stanbridge
A high-quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. The aim of our curriculum is to equip children with the knowledge of other countries and languages to support global citizenship supporting their understanding of equality and diversity within it’s global context.
At Woodhouse Primary Academy we feel a high-quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children:
· to express their ideas and thoughts in another language
· to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing continuing to build and develop on their communication and language skills.
· to develop their knowledge of the wider world understanding it’s global dimension.
At the Woodhouse Primary Academy we aim to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares them for life beyond primary education.
Our whole school curriculum follows a Long Term Plan which has been designed to build upon Spanish vocabulary, phonic knowledge and cultural awareness. Knowledge organisers are designed to support teacher subject knowledge and children’s knowledge at Key Stage 2.
Each new unit of work begins with a recap of the previous related knowledge from previous years. This helps children to retrieve what they have learnt in the earlier sequence of the programme of study, and ensures that new knowledge is taught in the context of previous learning to promote a shift in long term memory.
Key vocabulary for new topics is introduced and displayed in classrooms to allow children to refer to it during learning time. Teachers provide definitions and accompanying visuals for each word where appropriate to ensure accessibility to all. By following this approach it means children are able to understand the new vocabulary when it is used in teaching and learning activities and apply it themselves when they approach their work.
Planning involves teachers creating engaging lessons, with resources from Language Angels to aid understanding of conceptual knowledge. Festivals of Spanish speaking countries are also included within lessons with the aim to develop cultural awareness of the world we live in. Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion.
We build upon the knowledge and skill development of the previous years. As the children’s knowledge and understanding increases, they become more proficient in selecting, using relevant media and materials to support to Spanish development.
Modern Foreign languages is taught from year 3-6 and the language we focus on is Spanish. We use Language Angels to deliver our curriculum as this supports staff with planning and sequencing lessons and resources including videos to support correct pronunciation. The following grid shows the coverage of Spanish units across Year 3-6 at our school. Each unit has been carefully and progressively planned to build upon pupils’ Spanish knowledge and skills. Within each unit, pupils will learn knowledge about different aspects of Spanish, and these will build progressively on from previous units. In Year 3 and 4, children move from Early Language Units to Intermediate Language units across the year. In Year 5 and 6, children move from Intermediate Language Units to Progressive Language Units across the year. Children will spend time looking at pronunciation and phonetics, with children revisiting these units throughout the year. The following grid shows the coverage of MFL units across Year 3-6 at our school. Each unit has been carefully and progressively planned to build upon pupils’ knowledge. Within each unit, pupils will cover phonics, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and look at a festival.
