Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
Please be aware that we are in the process of updating the curriculum pages to reflect the content of the WMAT curriculum and so there may be 'gaps' in the published information at this time.
Our Curriculum Intent for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
Learning a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures. Our curriculum intent reflects our belief that a high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. It 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. At the primary level, it should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.
We believe that our curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
Through a curriculum structured around the study of French our pupils are taught to:
Learning a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures. Our curriculum intent reflects our belief that a high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. It 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. At the primary level, it should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.
We believe that our curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to:
- understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of sources, including international links with children in other schools
- speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions
- continually improve the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
- write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
- discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied
- explore the customs and culture of French speaking countries, including France.
Through a curriculum structured around the study of French our pupils are 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
- understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.
Encouraging a love of language learning from a young age is very important to us at Sibford Gower. From our very youngest pupils in Acorn to our oldest Oak children, the children enjoy regular French lessons from specialist, qualified teachers. From day one, the children experience a cross-curricular approach to MFL, always seeking to make connections between the language they are learning and relevant ‘real life’ situations, culminating each year with our highly successful ‘Bastille Day’ where French culture and language is celebrated throughout the whole school. We are also very proud of our links with other Francophone countries. In KS1 the children have a link class in the south of France and in KS2 we have connections with Clermont-Ferrand in France and Ontario in Canada. These links enable the children to apply their newly acquired language skills whilst forging cultural links and understanding.
| mfl-at-foundation-stage-and-ks1-2.pdf |
| mfl___ks2_french_overview.pdf |