Curriculum focus: French
Children at Sprowston Junior School are taught French through a curriculum which is designed to help them not only learn how to speak, read and write a foreign language, but also has cross curricular links with geography and literacy. In class, children are often discussing the origins of words or phrases and learning French supports a lot of our spelling punctuation and grammar curriculum. French is delivered through comic animated clips, there are also opportunities for drama and games to help them consolidate their new language skills. There is also a cross curricular link with PSHE, as children are taught about different cultures and lifestyles. We follow a scheme called Rigolo which encompasses all the basic phrases and vocabulary to start them on their journey of language learning., This is currently being rolled out throughout all year groups. You may hear your children talking about the characters such as a little dragon called Boff, Madame Molin, Jake, and Polly. Children will work on understanding, and speaking, listening reading and writing and learn basic grammar structures and rules in French. They’re given a vocabulary book in Year 3 that they will keep with them until Year 6. Children can look back at vocabulary and phrases and use this is a reference for what they have learnt throughout their time with us. The language structures and vocabulary are revisited throughout the scheme, giving children the opportunity to practice and embed their knowledge which is a great basis for starting secondary
As Sprowston Junior is a vocabulary rich environment, other languages are often referred to in our classes. We celebrate the different languages, dialects and cultures of pupils within the school and children make links to their understanding of diversity throughout the curriculum. At Sprowston Junior, we develop a lifelong love of learning and the foreign language skills that we teach them during their French sessions, will help secure them with the knowledge they need, if they want to study other modern foreign languages in the future.
For some children it is their first time experiencing any foreign language learning and children often really enjoy learning new words and different ways of speaking. At Christmas time, children asked for French greetings to put in their cards and we sang a carol or two in French. We celebrate all languages and those who can speak them. We have Bengali, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian and German speakers in year 4 alone! The corridors and displays in the classrooms help support the children with their learning of French. It is encouraging to see how some of our quieter children, under the cloak of another language, are transformed into confident animated foreign language speakers. We aim to build the confidence of those who are a little unsure.
In Y3, children are taught to recognise and respond to a range of songs and rhymes, understand simple instructions and locate the country where languages are spoken. During year 3 we cover topics such as Bonjour, (Greetings), En Classe, (In Class) Mon Corps (My body) Les Animax (Ma famille) Bon Anniversairre (Happy Birthday). Year 3 children are taught to introduce themselves, describe themselves and members of their family and give their opinions about food and ask for snacks and continue to develop an understanding spoken and written instructions in French.
In Year 4 we build on the previous year by revisiting a number of the structures studied so far. Encore! This revisits adjectives and how to describe people. Quelle heure-est-il? (What time is it?), Les Fetes, Ou vas-tu? (Where are you going?), On Mange! (Let’s eat). Children are taught to tell the time, give direction, talk about places and simple actions. We also learn to ask and answer questions on a familiar topic, read about a familiar topic, learn about festivals and listen to specific words and phrases.
In Year 5 we consolidate knowledge in the following topics Salut (Hi), A L’ecole (School), La Noritourre (Food), En Ville (Town), En Vaccances (Holidays), Chez Moi (My home). We learn to talk about our brothers and sisters using the verb to be and ask for food, talk about likes and dislikes and our school subjects and food. We also learn how to give directions and say where we are going. This consolidates all that we have learnt in Year 3 and 4 as we continue to gain confidence in our speaking, listening, reading and writing. We learn how to prepare and practice conversations and listen attentively to understand more complex phrases. We also learn to write short phrases and read short texts.
In Year 6 our topics are how Le Week-end (The Weekend), Les vetements (Clothes), Ma journee (My Les transportes (Transport), Le Sport(Sport). On va faire le fete! We learn to give opinions about clothes, sport and talk about journey plans, our day and how to buy tickets and order food. A strong focus is on speaking to convey information and interacting with others, talking about activities, feelings, opinions and experiences. We also focus on reading to find information and how to write to exchange information and be able to entertain– all in French!
These French lessons include lots of cooperative learning opportunities, our aim is to encourage skills of listening reading and speaking and writing in French. We hope the children build an enjoyment of, and interest in French, which continues to develop in the next stage of their education.
