PENKETH PRIMARY SCHOOL
Modern Foreign Languages Policy
2016/2017
Date of Approval: / November 2016Signed: Chair of Governing Body / Julie Cahill
Signed: Headteacher / Sue Dymond
To be reviewed by: / E. L Hind
Modern Foreign Languages Policy - Penketh Primary School
Target language: Spanish
Purpose of Study: A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching 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. (National Curriculum 2014 – Appendix A)
Aims
§ To foster an interest in learning other languages in a fun and enjoyable manner.
§ To stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language.
§ To help children to develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries.
§ To develop their speaking and listening skills
Objectives
· Children will be provided with opportunities to communicate with each other in the target language.
· Children will be given the opportunity to look at other languages – particularly if children are bi-lingual.
· Children will learn how language skills can be applied to a range of languages and how they can be applied.
· Children will develop their language through development of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
· Children will enrich their language learning by developing an understanding of culture; this will be via our link schools.
Teaching and Learning Styles
Teachers use a variety of the following techniques to encourage children to have an active engagement with Languages:
· Games – in order to develop vocabulary through repetition, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
· Role-play – these should relate to the situations the children may find themselves in the future.
· Action songs and rhymes – to develop phonetic skills, memory skills and to further vocabulary.
· Puppets and toys – to be used to develop communication skills.
· Mime - to associate vocabulary with kinesthetic learning.
· Reading and writing quality materials
· ICT programs and websites; the use of ICT to develop communication skills.
Curriculum Content
Languages are a statutory requirement at KS2 from September 2014; at Penketh, we aim to continue to embed language learning in the Foundation and KS1 curriculum, alongside KS2. A Long term plan (see Appendix B) has been devised by the whole staff, in order to teach relevant vocabulary to all children. This LTP provides opportunity for progression in all 4 skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing - so that the children make substantial progress in the target language (as stated in the 2014 Curriculum.) Key skills are highlighted for KS2 within the long term plan.
Links with our Partner school in Barcelona will continued to be developed through letter writing, cards, emails (using epals). These links will then be developed further via the use of ICT: possible opportunities to Skype, or Facetime pupils for authentic communication. .
Although Spanish is the Target language at Penketh, links with other countries and cultures will also be sought and developed. Using Lingo club and Spanish choir as an outlet for exploring additional languages
Alongside the LTP, pupils should 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 oral and in writing Languages
understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): 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.
Planning
(See Appendix B for the Long term plan)
Teachers will use the LTP to plan lessons for Spanish. Each half term should include each of the four main skills. From the LTP, teachers will develop a series of lessons which identify: the learning objective; the key vocabulary; the skills to be taught and used by the children, which will be used for teacher assessment; differentiation; next steps; any communication to our link schools.
Assessment
Skills lists have been developed to reflect the 2014 Curriculum. These were implemented in September 2014, alongside the revised LTP. As a guideline, the school’s targets are 40% Exceeding and 90% for the Expected level for the Year group; this will be implemented fully across KS 1 and KS 2, in line with all other curriculum areas. The subject leader will detail achievement of this within the End of Year Subject Report each year.
KS1 assessments will follow the assessment grid designed and verified by E. Hind and K. Kennedy, approved by Janet Lloyd.
Entitlement and Organisation - including Team Teaching
The Primary Framework for Languages states that schools should plan for no less than 60 minutes per week of dedicated ‘language time’. This however is aimed at Key Stage 2 and can be achieved in a variety of ways.
The allocation of time should include the time spent with any Language Assistant; the follow-up which is led by the teacher the during the following weeks; discrete opportunities for developing the pupils’ language, such as answering the register in a variety of ways, responding to classroom commands given in Spanish, singing a variety of Spanish songs throughout the week and the use of the resources on the School network and on the Janet Lloyd network – including authentic sound bites and video clips.
Although this is not statutory for Key Stage 1 or the Foundation Stage, a similar model will be followed.
During the year, the school will celebrate languages through a Multi-cultural Week. The main focus of the week will be the target language of the school, but there will also be a range of activities which enable the children to look at the links between different cultures and the languages that they speak. A range of enrichment activities will be developed to stimulate children’s curiosity for language. This week will also be planned in the diary to link with the launch of the Geography Topic Term, in order to make firm cross curricular links.
Differentiation and Inclusion
Within the sessions, there will be differentiation where appropriate. Higher Achievers may be given more challenging, language-rich activities; pupils who find languages more difficult should be given the opportunity to become more confident through simpler activities (maybe with a more limited range of vocabulary), and through consolidation during the week. All children should be encouraged to become confident and given the opportunity to lead the language if they wish to.
The Gifted and Talented provision will be reviewed regularly to ensure the best allocation of this time.
Any child who has a specific educational need, whereby it will hinder their access to Languages will have an IEP in place which will reflect curriculum content and enable them to take an active part within the lesson. See the SEN policy for more information on how lessons may be differentiated to meet the needs of pupils.
Resources
Resources which link to the LTP will be stored in classrooms to be used throughout the year. General Resources will be kept centrally, so that all teachers can access these.
Teachers have access to quality materials, including teacher resources and pupil activities, on our school network. They also have access to extensive, up to date resources as part of our membership of The Janet Lloyd Network.
Each classroom should display the relevant language: this should include some generic vocabulary, but also some vocabulary which links to the current LTP focus.
Action Plan
An action plan is written and developed each year to ensure that action is taken to improve the learning provided through our Languages Programme. This will include reference to: the Languages Assistant; the learning that is taking place; the Curriculum Content that is provided; Assessment procedures and analysis; resources and opportunities available; development of the love of learning languages. This will be reviewed each term and End of Year Report will inform the writing of the Action Plan for the following year.
Appendix A
Languages
/Purpose of study
Learning a foreign language is liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching 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. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.
Aims
The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
§ understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
§ speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
§ can 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.
Attainment targets
By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.
Subject content
Key stage 2: Foreign language
Teaching may be of any modern or ancient foreign language and should focus on enabling pupils to make substantial progress in one language. The teaching should provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.
The focus of study in modern languages will be on practical communication. If an ancient language is chosen the focus will be to provide a linguistic foundation for reading comprehension and an appreciation of classical civilisation. Pupils studying ancient languages may take part in simple oral exchanges, while discussion of what they read will be conducted in English. A linguistic foundation in ancient languages may support the study of modern languages at key stage 3.
Pupils should 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
§ understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): 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.
The starred (*) content above will not be applicable to ancient languages.
-Appendix B
Spanish Long Term Overview – Progression in 4 skills, Culture, Grammar, Celebrations
REC / YEAR 1 / YEAR 2 / YEAR 3 / YEAR 4 / YEAR 5 / YEAR 6HT 1 / Greetings
Names
Praise words / Greetings
Names
How are you? / Where do you live? I live in……
Classroom commands
Praise words / A new Start / My School Your School
Age/days Introducing teacher and friends Classroom objects / My school /your school Subjects Likes and dislikes / My everyday life/ your everyday life a comparison of routines
Time
HT 2 / Colours
Days of Week / Colours – favourite colours.
Me gusta / no me gusta
Classroom commands / Firework poem – link to previous colour work for display.
Weather / The calendar and celebrations Christmas / My local area /your local area Shops Everyday shopping
Christmas Shopping for gifts / Where I live / where you live Buildings and places of interest
Christmas
(Shopping) / Where I live/Where you live
Christmas
(Comic Performance)
HT 3 / Numbers to 10
Months of the Year / Numbers to 20
Age: how old are you? I am….. / Numbers to 30.
Recap age . . .
Birthdays / Epiphany Animals I like/ don’t like / Epiphany
A family tree
Faces / New Year Celebrations Healthy Eating Shopping at the market / New Year Celebrations Playing sport and enjoying sport