Modern Foreign Languages

Teaching Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) focuses on enabling pupils in Key Stage 2 to make substantial progress in one language.  At Kimbolton Primary Academy, we have been learning French in Oak and Rowan classes since September 2014. 

We follow the Twinkl curriculum for French and teach each KS2 year group separately. We believe that the scheme helps our children to access high quality resources which places them at the same base knowledge level as their year group peers across the country. The course provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and is aimed to lay the foundations for further MFL learning at Key Stage 3 as pupils move on to secondary education.  Pupils are enabled to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar routine topics, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.  

Pupils are 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 and things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine and masculine 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  

We have also offered enrichment opportunities to our KS2 children by hosting a French Cafe Club twice in recent years which allows children to develop their understanding of French in a fun and engaging way.