Primary Languages New developments At BSM
French
At BSM we have been teaching French in Primary for over 20 years, regardless of the waxing and waning of foreign language provision in the UK, so we have a firmly established curriculum giving progression in the one language from Year 3 through to Year 6. The teaching of one language throughout KS2 is one of the cornerstones of the government's overhaul of Primary languages.
Arabic
We have even gone one step further and offer Arabic in addition to French as an enrichment language, as befits our local context. So every child in Year 3 to 6 learns French, and from Year 4 they also learn Arabic. This is very similar to Scotland's 1 + 2 Languages Curriculum, which offers pupils in Scotland the opportunity to learn two languages in Primary.
Grammar
Another cornerstone of the new curriculum is a more explicit focus on grammar, recognising that to be able to construct sentences and express oneself independently from a scheme of work or from learned phrases gives real linguistic freedom.
VERB PASSPORT
A brand new initiative - the Verb Passport, based on the highly successful Maths Passport - will steadily guide the pupils through the conjugation of common verbs that they encounter, to help them use the verbs in new contexts and understand the different endings. Coupled with applied follow-up activities to use the verbs in sentences, the children will learn how to manipulate the right parts of the verb to help them to communicate accurately.
iPads
iPads lend themselves particularly well to language learning, and they are becoming an intrinsic part of many classrooms across the world. Primary French has a class set and these are used regularly for a wide variety of purposes:
Expressing yourself in the target language
Many iPad apps are used by the pupils to create highly motivating platforms for dialogues to practise the target phrases, both in pairs and for independent projects. Other apps offer opportunities to express themselves in writing, creating a professional-looking digital project as the medium to showcase their learning.
Year 6 also learn how to talk about daily routine, such as getting up, having breakfast, going to school and so on, coupled with clock times to say when they do these things. They each created an e-book using Book Creator with text and sound files of themselves saying the phrases, allowing them to showcase their speaking and writing skills in one project and developing an awareness of design skills along the way!
Assessment
IPads are also a valuable tool in assessing the children's progress and attainment. A number of engaging apps can be used to tailor-make quizzes on a specific topic or grammar point, collating results for later analysis.
Formative assessment:
assessing where the pupils are at and how that information can be used to move them forward with their learning
Summative Assessment:
assessing how well the children have learned the success criteria of the unit through a variety of tests.
Digital Portfolios
Using the multi-platform tool, Showbie, pupils begin to build up a digital portfolio of e-projects demonstrating their skills in French. They receive feedback on their work in a variety of ways, including verbal messages within the app, which feels much more personal and the children love to get feedback in this format! Many of these projects can be viewed by parents at home, particularly on an iPad, but certain projects are also compatible with PCs and Android tablets
Phonics
We introduced the formal teaching of French phonics a few years ago and the fun and memorable physical phonic system, (based on the work of UK MFL specialists Sue Cave and Jean Haig) is well-embedded, giving pupils a mechanism by which to approach the pronunciation of difficult or new vocabulary. Phonics is another area that has been highlighted as an essential component of the new MFL curriculum.
Tutorials
Truly individualised learning means that pupils can go back and review a teaching point if they aren't yet sure of it, or perhaps missed it due to absence. In Primary French we are gradually building a bank of teaching tutorials which are available to the pupils via the VLE to work through a learning point at their own pace or watch it again if they haven't quite got to grips with it the first time.
Pupils in action in the classroom!
Collaborating to sort and order a dialogue
Overall...
the Primary French program is aiming to create linguistically and digitally proficient pupils who are ready to embark on the Secondary phase of their ongoing education and ultimately become global citizens of tomorrow.
