Intent

Green Park School uses the Language Angels scheme of work to develop pupils’ enthusiasm and curiosity about foreign languages (French). Our aim is for pupils to build their French vocabulary and language skills throughout KS2 by using relevant and broad resources to inspire and excite them. We also want to ensure that our children feel ready and willing to continue studying languages into KS3.

The foreign languages scheme of work at Green Park offers a series of lessons showing progression of the MFL National Curriculum requirements. All pupils will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning. During Lower KS2 the focus is on developing the basic understanding of the French language and culture. Then Upper KS2 builds on this, beginning to apply skills and knowledge to a variety of different contexts. The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered throughout their journey at Green Park School in an age-appropriate way.

In addition, children will be taught how to look up and research language they are unsure of and they will have a bank of reference materials to help them with their spoken and written tasks. This bank of reference materials will develop into a reference library to help pupils recall and build on previous knowledge throughout their primary school language learning journey.

Implementation

All classes will have access to the school’s scheme of work and resources. This will progressively support children in developing foreign language skills through weekly lessons in key stage 2. Foreign language lessons will be taught by class teachers across key stage 2.

Early Language Units (entry level) and Core Vocabulary lessons are designed to run for approximately 30 minutes. Intermediate, Progressive and Creative Curriculum units are designed to run for approximately 45 minutes.

Units, where possible and appropriate, will be linked to class topics and cross curricular themes. Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge.

Grammar is integrated and taught discreetly throughout all appropriate units. Teachers can also use the specific Grammar Explained units to ensure pupils are exposed to all of the appropriate grammar so they are able to create their own accurate and personalised responses to complex authentic foreign language questions by the end of the primary phase.

• Each class in each year group will have an overview of units to be taught during the academic year to ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved. Each teaching unit is divided into 6 fully planned lessons.
• Each unit and lesson will have clearly defined objectives and aims.
• Each lesson will incorporate interactive whiteboard materials to include ample speaking and listening tasks within a lesson.
• Lessons will incorporate challenge sections and desk-based activities that will be offered with three levels of stretch and differentiation. These may be sent home as homework if not completed in class.
• Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units. Some extended reading and writing activities are provided so that native speakers can also be catered for.
• Every unit will include a grammar concept which will increase in complexity as pupils move from
• Early Language units, through Intermediate units and into Progressive units.
• Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learnt language and, by reusing it, will be able to recall it and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks will help to link units together and show that pupils are retaining and recalling the language taught with increased fluency and ease.

Units are progressive within themselves as subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress though the lessons in a unit they will build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. We think of the progression within the 6 lessons in a unit as ‘language Lego’. We provide blocks of language knowledge and, over the course of a 6-week unit, encourage pupils to build more complex and sophisticated language structures with their blocks of language knowledge.

Pupil learning and progression will be assessed at regular intervals in line with school policy. Teachers will aim to assess each language skill (speaking, listening, reading and writing) twice throughout each academic year to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.

In addition to following the lessons provided in the Language Angels scheme of work and resources, we will also build cultural capital through:

• Foreign language celebration assemblies.
• Cookery sessions of traditional foods from the country of the language being studied.
• Fashion shows demonstrating typical / traditional clothing from the country of the language being studied.
• Weather forecasts based on maps from the country of the language being studied.
• School celebrations of national feast days from the country of the language being studied when appropriate to facilitate a whole school approach to foreign language learning along with improved cultural awareness.

Impact

Early Learning units will start at basic noun and article level and will teach pupils how to formulate short phrases. By the time pupils reach the Progressive units they will be exposed to much longer texts and will be encouraged to formulate their own, more personalised responses based on a much wider bank of vocabulary, linguistic structures and grammatical knowledge. They will be able to create longer pieces of spoken and written language and are encouraged to use a variety of conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, opinions and justifications.

Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.

Pupils will be aware of their own learning goals and progression as each unit offers a pupil friendly overview so that all pupils can review their own learning at the start and at the end of each unit. They will know and will be able to articulate if they have or have not met their learning objectives and can keep their unit learning intention sheets and unit core vocabulary sheets as a record of what they have learnt from unit to unit and from year to year.

If pupils are not progressing in line with expectations, this will be identified in the End of Unit Skills Assessments provided in the Language Angels Tracking & Progression Tool. This will enable teachers to put in place an early intervention programme to address any areas that require attention in any of the language learning skills.