Intent

 

At Christ Church we teach French to all children as part of the National Curriculum statutory requirement to teach a modern foreign language.

​

We believe that that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired. It is vital that the quality of that teaching is accurate and engaging so that children’s interest in language and culture are

heightened. Learning a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures and should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.

 

The teaching will over time 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 will 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 in their adult lives.

 

Implementation

 

We provide French teaching to children in all years for one hour a week. This is provided by a Junior Jam specialist teacher who is a native speaker.

 

The curriculum that we deliver is based on the guidance given in the revised National Curriculum. We teach the children to know and understand how 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 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.​

​​

Teaching and learning style

 

We use a variety of techniques to encourage the children to have an active engagement in the modern foreign language: these include games, role-play and songs (particularly action songs). We emphasise the listening and speaking skills over the reading and writing skills. We also use a multi-sensory and kinaesthetic approach to teaching, i.e. we try to introduce a physical element into some of the games, as we believe that this serves to reinforce memory. We make the lessons as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, as we realise that this approach serves to develop a positive attitude in the children to the learning of modern foreign languages. We build children’s confidence through constant praise for any contribution they make in the foreign language, however tentative.

 

The Junior Jam scheme of work was introduced in September 2020 and is organised into four levels of difficulty intended for each year within KS2. All children at Christ Church are taught as follows until the scheme is embedded and progression is in place for each cohort: 

 

• 2021/2022 Academic Year: Year 3 - level 1, Year 4,5 and 6 will be taught at level 2. 

• 2022/2023 Academic Year: Year 3 - Level 1, Year 4 - Level 2, Year 5 and 6 - Level 3 

• 2023/2024 Academic Year and all subsequent years: Year 3 - level1, Year 4 - level 2, Year 5 - level 3 and year 6- level 4. 

 

Each level consists of six units each with a minimum of six lesson, additional weeks are used to embed and reinforce vocabulary and assess the children’s knowledge and understanding.

 

Level 1 Syllabus

 

Unit 1 – Greetings and Numbers

Unit 2 – Colours and Animals

Unit 3 – Days of the Week, Seasons and Fruit

Unit 4 – Food, Drink and Giving Preferences

Unit 5 – Family, Stories and Conversation

Unit 6 – Cultural Diversity

 

Level 2 Syllabus

 

Unit 1 - Revising Numbers and telling the time

Unit 2 - Parts of the body and feeling unwell

Unit 3 - New food and drink

Unit 4 - Likes and dislikes

Unit 5 - Weather and transport

Unit 6 - Clothing and shops

 

Level 3 Syllabus

 

Unit 1- Verbs including tenses and questions

Unit 2 –TV, music and movies

Unit 3 – Around the house and at school

Unit 4 – Food and eating out

Unit 5 - Leisure and Sport

Unit 6 – Friendship and personalities- familiar conjugating verbs in the present tense

 

Level 4 Syllabus

 

Unit 1 – Friends and family. Gender, adjectives and wider vocabulary

Unit 2 – Descriptions, adjectives, placement prepositions

Unit 3 - Familiar places. Conjugate the verb ‘to go’ in the present tense

Unit 4 – Our World – culture of France and vocabulary about the environment

Unit 5 – Special Occasions including French celebrations

Unit 6 – Daily routines

 

Impact

 

Our languages curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression and build on and embed skills. It focuses on progression of knowledge and skills in the different language components. Children’s knowledge and understanding are monitored consistently and lessons adapted to meet their needs.

 

At the end of Key stage two children who have attended Christ Church throughout the Key Stage will be able to meet the National Curriculum expectations and have a secure foundation for further language acquisition.