MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES (MFL) AT FAIRLIGHT

MFL - Intent, Implementation & Impact

Learning a foreign language is a 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 Learning a foreign language is a 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. – National Curriculum – Languages Programmes of Study

Intent:

At Fairlight Primary and Nursery School, we celebrate diversity and foreign languages and the richness knowing another language can bring to our lives. Our learning of a foreign language offers a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils so they feel willing and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.

The intent for learning a foreign language is that pupils will develop a genuine interest and sense of curiosity and understanding of languages and the wider world. Learning a second language also allows 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. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners, using their skills in a variety of ways.

Implementation:

Fairlight Primary and Nursery School uses a high-quality foreign languages scheme of work, Language Angels. Embedded in the scheme are the skills progression of all the key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as grammar through well-planned lessons that that include games, songs, interactive activities and stories. The children’s skills are developed through weekly teaching in Key Stage 1 and 2 with optional accompanying audio from a native speaker to support with pronunciation. Children build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language.

All of the lessons have clearly defined objectives and aims, they incorporate interactive activities to allow for speaking and listening, have challenge sections to stretch their learning, as well as independent activities for reading and writing of various difficulty to support each child’s learning needs.

The lessons are underpinned by our school’s Learning Superheroes, giving children opportunities to be creative, kind, take risks, show independence, curiosity and perseverance in their learning.

The school also offers an after-school Spanish club run by a native Spanish speaking staff member, allowing children to continue to develop their Spanish language skills for those that choose to.

Impact:

The outcome of teaching Spanish as a foreign language at Fairlight Primary and Nursery School is that pupils increase their level of challenge, stretch and linguistic and grammatical complexity, moving from Early Learning units through Intermediate units and into the most challenging Progressive units when suitable. This will enable them to feel more confident in speaking, reading and writing in Spanish. By developing these skills, pupils will be able 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. pupils will continuously build on their cognitive ability, using their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey. Overtime their confidence, fluency and enthusiasm for Spanish and the learning of languages will grow, allowing them to use their skills to communicate with people from all around the world, to travel around the world and to feel confident and work in settings where their language skills are an asset

          ¡Hola amigos! = Hello friends.

          Mi nombre es José Luis = My name is José Luis.

          Por favor, canten conmigo = Please, sing with me. 

          Buenos días = Good morning.

          ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?

          Muy bien, gracias = Very well, thank you.

          ¿Y usted? = And you?

To show plural (more than one) in Spanish the noun gets an added "-s" if the word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). If the noun ends in a consonante (any other letter) the noun gets "-es" added at the end. However, if the noun was to end in a" z", the "z" changes to a "c" before you add the "-es" ending. 

        ¿Cómo te llamas? What is your name? Me llamo....My name is......

        ¿Y tú? And you? The Spanish "ll" is pronounced as "y" as in yellow. 

        Sentimientos - Feelings

Here are some feelings you can learn in Spanish.

        La oruga comió......                     The catapillar ate......

        Tengo doscientos años - I am 200 years old. Tengo......años.

         The Spanish "ñ" is pronounced as "ny" as in canyon. 

        Los números de 11 a 1000 - The numbers from 11 to 1000.

        Las partes del cuerpo - Parts of the body / La cara - The face.

         el pelo                       the hair                    las rodillas                     the knees