St Michael's Primary School
Together we achieve
Foreign Languages
Foreign Languages
Intent
At St Michael’s Primary School, 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.
At St Michael’s Primary School, we teach French to our Key Stage 2 children using the Rigolo scheme of work.
The aims of Primary Languages teaching at St Michael’s Primary School are to:
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 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.
Implementation
The comprehensive and highly interactive lessons and resources in Rigolo have been correlated to the Key Stage 2 Programme of Study for the National Curriculum.
The aims of the new National Curriculum: | How St Michael’s and Rigolo deliver the NC objectives: |
“…listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.” | Animated stories within Rigolo with audio and text captions (2 minutes each) introduce the new language of the unit. A variety of aural activities, call and answer exercises and oral repetition are then led by the class teacher, in order to practise and reinforce new words and phrases. |
“…explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words.” | A karaoke song is included with each Rigolo unit, along with numerous oral exercises aimed at encouraging children to repeat and familiarise themselves with new words and phrases. |
“…speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.” | Oral and group activities are included within each unit to simulate familiar contexts in which children can put their language skills into practice. |
“…develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.” | The Virtual Teacher in Rigolo is a native French speaker and provides invaluable support for demonstrating new language with correct pronunciation. |
“…present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences.” | Interactive presentations, help children learn new language and vocabulary in a fun, interactive way. |
“…read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.” | Pupils complete a written worksheet activity in their French books at the end of each lesson in order to ensure understanding and monitor progress. |
“…broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary.” | We develop the children’s vocabulary with a framework of themed units, explored through a variety of songs, animations, oral activities and written exercises.
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“…write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly.” | A number of literacy activities, including an animated sentence builder, support children’s progress in reading and writing in French. |
“…understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied.” | Spell, Sound and Word tools within Rigolo allow children to focus on particular areas of language learning. For example, pupils can use the Word tool to focus on grammar terms and word classes. At the end of the teaching, the children will complete a piece of written work in their work book, to fully understand and consolidate the grammar behind them. |
Enrichment and Resources
Alongside the Rigolo scheme of work, St Michael’s will:
Integrate the French language into the school day, for example: greeting the children or taking the register in French (or another language),
Each KS2 classroom displays a relevant and useful display comprising of everyday French vocabulary, appropriate to the year group, and words and phrases relating to the unit of study.
We have a collection of French resources held centrally, this includes: library of well-known books translated into French, flashcards, French music CDs and cultural objects.
We are in regular contact with the Head of Languages at a local feeder school, ensuring our children are well-prepared when they start Year 7.
Impact (Assessment, Recording and Reporting)
Informal assessment: talking to pupils and asking questions, discussing pupils’ work with them, marking work against the learning objectives, pupils’ self-evaluation of their work.
Formative assessment: which is carried out informally throughout the year, enables teachers to identify pupils’ understanding of subjects and inform their immediate lesson planning.
Summative assessments: a pupil’s progress report will be passed to relevant members of staff, such as pupils’ future teachers, in order to demonstrate where pupils are at a given point in time. Pupil’s French workbooks are also passed onto their next teacher, allowing the next teacher to view the pupil’s work and plan their next steps to ensure continuity and progress.
Parents will be provided with a report about their child’s progress during the Summer term every year. For French, this will involve an attainment chart in which the child’s attainment level is ticked appropriately.
The progress of pupils with SEND will be monitored by the class teacher and reported to the SENDCO.
Inclusion and Differentiation
As is the case for all of our subjects at St Michael’s Primary School, Foreign Language teaching is fully inclusive. Observations and studies have shown that children with additional needs or English as a second language can derive particular benefit from taking part in Foreign Languages learning activities in which they may be less disadvantaged than in other areas of the curriculum. Language learning activities are planned in such a way as to encourage the full and active participation of all pupils. Work is differentiated as appropriate to the needs of individual children.