French Rationale
Intent:
At Tower Hill Primary School our core vision is that ALL children will be equipped with the skills, knowledge, understanding and empathy that will lead to them being able to make their own choices in life, successfully. The intent of our French curriculum is to design a curriculum that helps Pupils develop communication and literacy skills that lay the foundation for future language learning.
We believe the learning of a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for all pupils. They develop linguistic competence, extend their knowledge of how language works and explore differences and similarities between a foreign language and English. Learning another language raises awareness of the multilingual and multicultural world and introduces an international dimension to pupils’ learning, giving them an insight into their own culture and those of others. The learning of a foreign language provides a medium for cross-curricular links and for reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other subjects.
The teaching should provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing.
French at Tower Hill should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3, leading on to further study and ultimately, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries across a global economy. Where possible teachers will embed Tower Hill’s golden thread of aspiration within French units, whilst always underpinning the diverse application of language skills across a range of occupations.
We strive for all to be actively engaged in their own learning, to be motivated and eager, to achieve and attain to their own full potential in French and as such a variety of techniques alongside formal teaching are used to encourage the children to have an active engagement with French, including games, role play and action songs.
Implementation:
Tower Hill’s French Curriculum fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. The teaching of French enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond both in speech and in writing. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries. Through the implementation of our French Curriculum, learning should be consolidated and built upon each year, ensuring that the children make good progress and leave each phase of their learning with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding.
Early Years & Key Stage I:
At Tower Hill Primary school, French is taught to children in Reception and Key Stage I through the learning of songs, rhymes, greetings and other short opportunities to practise with their class teachers. For example, registration, numeracy mental warm-ups and class routines can be used to target the use of French.
Key Stage II:
In Key Stage II, the children follow a more structured scheme of work in weekly 30 minute sessions delivered mainly by the French Leader (AHT).The curriculum provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at Key Stage 3. It enables pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing.
In KSII pupils will be taught to:
- listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
- explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
- engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
- speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
- develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
- present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
- read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
- appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
- broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
- write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
- describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
A variety of techniques are used to encourage the children to have an active engagement with the French, including games, role play and action songs. Puppets and soft toys are often utilised to demonstrate and present the foreign language. Flashcards or other pictorial representations, even mime, are used to present new vocabulary, as this serves to demonstrate the foreign language without the need for translation. Audio recordings, websites and videos provide an additional model of the spoken language and contact with native speakers is encouraged wherever possible to involve the children in learning about culture.
Impact:
In French, we assess the impact of the curriculum on our learners in a number of ways. Children’s progress is assessed informally and continuously during the lessons by the teacher. We consider it important that progression is measured and ensured through skill levels, not by endlessly growing lists of vocabulary. Ultimately, the Impact of Tower Hill’s French curriculum will be measured in the children’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of the language. Our curriculum should foster a love of learning modern foreign languages and lay the foundations for further foreign language study at Key Stage 3.
