MFL
Subject Leader: Miss Boulton
Intent
At Our Lady of Compassion, we use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that uses a wide variety of topics and themes to inspire and excite our pupils All pupils are encouraged to achieve their full potential by establishing high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning - the ultimate aim being that pupils will feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.
All content taught is updated and reviewed annually, creating a dynamic programme of study that is clearly outlined in both long-term and short-term planning. This ensures that the foreign language knowledge of our pupils progresses within each academic year.
The four key language learning skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught and all necessary grammar is covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This enables pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas.
We endeavour to develop a genuine interest and curiosity about foreign language that leads towards our children becoming life-long language learners. Learning a second language offers pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences.
Implementation
All KS2 classes have access to a high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources which progressively develops pupil skills in foreign languages through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in Key Stage 2.
Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language.
Annual planning of which units to teach at each stage and appropriate levels of challenge will be addressed dynamically and reviewed in detail annually as units are updated and added to the scheme. Lessons offering appropriate levels of challenge and stretch will be taught at all times to ensure pupils learn effectively, continuously building their knowledge of and enthusiasm for the language they are learning.
Our long term plan serves as an overall ‘teaching map’ outlining for all teachers within the school what each year group will be taught and when it will be taught. Each year groups units of work ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved.
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Each teaching unit is divided into 6 fully planned lessons.
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Each unit and lesson has clearly defined objectives and aims.Each lesson incorporates interactive whiteboard materials to include ample speaking and listening tasks within a lesson.
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Lessons incorporate challenge sections and desk-based activities that offer three levels of stretch and differentiation. These may be sent home as homework if not completed in class.
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Reading and writing activities are offered in all units.
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Every unit includes a grammar concept which increases in complexity as pupils move from Early Language units, through Intermediate units and into Progressive units.
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Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learnt language and, by reusing it, are able to recall and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks 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 through the lessons in a unit they 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 scholastic year to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.
Impact
As well as each subsequent lesson within a unit being progressive, the teaching type organisation of Language Angels units also directs, drives and guarantees progressive learning and challenge. Units increase in level of challenge, stretch and linguistic and grammatical complexity as pupils move from Early Learning units through Intermediate units and into the most challenging Progressive units. Units in each subsequent level of the teaching type categories require more knowledge and application of skills than the previous teaching type. Activities contain progressively more text (both in English and the foreign language being studied) and lessons have more content as the children become more confident and ambitious with the foreign language they are learning.
Pupils continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language is recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.
Pupils are 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 know 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.
Children’s learning and progression in the key language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) is assessed at the end of each 6-week teaching unit.This information is recorded and monitored by the Foreign Language Subject Leader who uses this data to ensure teaching is targeted and appropriate for each pupil and year group.
If pupils are not progressing in line with expectations, this will be identified in the End of Unit Skills Assessments which enables teachers to put in place an early intervention programme to address any areas that require attention in any of the language learning skills.