French

FRENCH AT ALL SAINTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Subject Teacher Madame Delyfer

BIENVENUE À TOUS!

 

10 REASONS WHY LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT!

Learning a language…
1. Improves your grasp of English.
2. Enhances your confidence.
3. Gives you a wider understanding of world affairs.
4. Widens your career / job options.
5. Improves international relations.
6. Makes travelling easier and more enjoyable.
7. Connects the world and promotes peace.
8. Helps you make friends in new countries.
9. Shows you are open minded and tolerant.
10.Boosts brain power.

 

Don't they all speak English?

Spanish and Chinese are also fast-growing world languages - and "International-English" is not the same as UK-English. In most Western European countries, a majority of people still do not speak English - and if you want to communicate with them effectively, it's better to know something of their own language. Remember the saying, "you can buy from foreigners with English, and if you want to sell to them, you need to speak their language."

Links across the curriculum

Learning something of any language and culture offers many cross-curricular opportunities in the primary classroom for work in geography, history, art, music - a European dimension, and often a world dimension too.
Spanish and Portuguese are widely spoken in Latin America.
German is spoken in Austria and Switzerland - and is a common second language in Eastern Europe.
French is spoken in many Africa countries, Canada, Polynesia and some West Indian islands.

Holiday & leisure opportunities to speak and listen to other languages?
France, Germany and Spain are less than two hours flying time away, and many of your class will spend family holidays in Europe. Many towns in UK have links with European towns through twinning and exchange programmes. You may have access to satellite and cable TVs that carry French-, German- or Spanish-speaking channels.

Your class may well know the names of several European football teams - there could be a French-, German, or Spanish-speaking player in your local team...

 

Business links with your local community?

Businesses in your area may have links with French-, German- or Spanish-speaking countries. So there are likely to be native-speakers in your community who might be persuaded to give your children a chance to practice speaking and listening to their language.

Check out your local supermarkets and shopping centres for goods from Europe....

 

NATIONAL CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

Within the 4 attainment skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing, pupils should be 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 the 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, things and actions orally and in writing.
• Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including: feminine, masculine and neuter forms; conjugation of high-frequency verbs in different tenses when applicable; 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.

 

Development plans for French

There are key areas for the development of French throughout the school. Some of the current initiatives taking place this year include:

• Ensuring that there is  extention and challenge during each lesson to make sure that children’s learning is being extended.
• Ensuring that there is a Big Write session for each topic or cartoon covered providing the children a chance to sum up their learning.
• Keeping the 'Stars of the week' UKS2 and LKS2/KS1 display boards updated on a weekly basis.
• Planning for the end of year Boulogne trip as a final reward for the year 6 children.

 

At the end of each lesson (RAG assessment)

• Most children will understand and reply to questions, recognise, read and pronounce sounds, words and phrases, say and write short phrases from memory and with some visual and spoken support WITH CONFIDENCE.

 

• Some children will not have made so much progress and will only respond to simple questions WITH SUPPORT from a spoken model or visual clue; discriminate sound and identify meanings when items are repeated several times.

 

• Some children will have progressed further and will say and write short phrases FROM MEMORY WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, have clear pronunciation; initiate conversations when working with partners; take part in speaking tasks of two or three exchanges; show understanding of a short written text containing familiar language.

 

PLANNING IN LIGHT OF THE KEY CHANGES IN THE FRAMEWORK FOR LANGUAGES

• Will show progression over 6 years in listening, speaking, reading and writing, with a specific focus on grammar and pronunciation.

 

 

The specificity of All Saints teaching of a foreign language is the inclusion of French lessons beyond the required KS2 initiative [a foreign language became a statutory subject for KS2 from September 2014].

French at All Saints is timetabled from FS all the way up to end of KS2.  This provides ampler flexibility within the programme to tailor it to the needs of each phase and more opportunities to cover the required themes suggested in the Foreign Language Curriculum.

 

FOUNDATION STAGE

At All Saints Primary School, both reception classes are currently being taught French through songs and games thanks to a singing scheme called ‘CHANTEZ PLUS FORT’ and ‘SINGING FRENCH’.

Chantez Plus Fort! Is a scheme of work containing 20 easy-to-learn French songs written specifically to help children to learn French. They are linked to some of the KS2 Programmes of Study for modern foreign languages but are also relevant for pupils in KS1 and KS2, especially those with special needs.

The songs introduce and reinforce key vocabulary for popular topics, such as:

• greetings
• names and ages
• time, days of the week, and months
• shapes, colours and sizes
• family and pets
• food and drink
• classroom items
• weather

Whilst enjoying the songs children will broaden their vocabulary and hone their listening skills and pronunciation.

‘Chantez plus fort’ contains 20 songs sung by French children and mini-dialogues which can be used for listening comprehension and role-plays.

Singing French! is collection of fun songs and chants for practising vocabulary and phrases when learning French. Its catchy songs and chants help pupils memorise the words, and the upbeat backing tracks will appeal to FS as well as KS1 and 2. ‘Singing French’ makes learning easy and achievable through a clever use of repetition, rhythm and melody.

Singing French topics list:

1. Bonjour : Greetings
2. Comment t'appelles-tu?: Greetings
3. Un deux trois: numbers and pets
4. A douze: numbers from 1 to 12
5. Ma trousse: stationary
6. La semaine: days of the week
7. Onze à vingt: numbers from 11 to 20
8. L'alphabet; alphabet
9. Ma famille: family members
10. Mon monstre: adjectives
11. Zéro à cent: numbers up to 100
12. Joyeyx anniversaire; birthdays and months
13. Où habites-tu?: where do you live
14. Où est-il?: prepositions
15. J'ai soif, j'ai faim: food and drinks
16. A la boulangerie: bakery goods
17. La météo: weather
18. Les vacances: holidays
19. Aller à l'école: transports
20. Le football: sports
21. Quelle heure est-il?: time
22. La machine à laver: items of clothing

 

 

KS1 and LKS2

At All Saints Primary School, we are currently using ‘EARLY START 1 SALUT’ for all KS1 and LKS2 pupils.

This scheme of work and its films will help young beginners enjoy their first steps in Primary French and finding out about everyday life in France.  The videos bring authentic French voices right into the classroom and provide ample opportunities to converse. 

 

TOPICS COVERED IN EARLY START 1 ‘SALUT’

• Saying hello and goodbye
• How are you?
• My family
• Colours
• What's your name?
• Numbers: 0 to 39
• How old are you?
• What's the weather like today?
• Days of the week
• Months
• When is your birthday?
• What's the date today?
• Do you have a pet?
• How many brothers and sisters?
• Celebrating Christmas

            

 

UKS2

Then UKS2 children move up to the EARLY START pack 2

‘OÙ HABITES-TU?

 EARLY START 2 ‘Où habites-tu?’ is a continuation scheme of work building on the language children have previously learned. EARLY START 2 helps stretch and extend young learners.  They will find out more about everyday life and culture in France.

 

 

TOPICS COVERED IN PACK 2

 

 

KS1, LKS2 and UKS2

In addition to their topic approach to French through EARLY START lessons, All Saints children are taught French through a narrative approach using the unique resource of HOCUS AND LOTUS.

 

HOCUS ET LOTUS is a resource designed for young language learners. It consists of a series of stories based on the life of experience of children aged between 4 and 12 years.  The stories are presented through a series of cartoons inviting the children to enter the make-believe world of Hocus and Lotus, two adorable Dinocrocs.

 

• Hocus and Lotus cartoons are based on a teaching and learning method known as the ‘narrative format’.  French is learned through a context in which we speak, live and act exclusively in the new language.  Hocus and Lotus experience fantastic and exciting adventures together with the children. 
• Each animated cartoon lasts 5 minutes and consists of a mini musical whose main teaching content is repeated in the refrain.  In this way, children will learn the songs and vocabulary proposed in the story.  It is designed to appeal to children’s desire to hear the same story repeatedly. 
• At first glance, Hocus and Lotus is a more complex and language rich teaching method, but the moment the teacher starts acting out the story, the narration becomes clearer.  The children will be encouraged to learn the actions associated to each phrase learned. 

Children will join in at various levels:

• Some mostly listen and copy the gestures
• Some say singly words
• Some are quickly ready to repeat whole sentences
• FS children are only introduced to the cartoons to join in the songs, no writing will follow.

 

 

THE INTRODUCTION OF A CURRICULUM CHALLENGE FOR FRENCH

• In term 5, All Saints children will be encouraged to participate to a curriculum challenge activity designed to push children to achieve in different ways.  The activities will vary from one year to the next and will be primarily designed to encourage the children to be creative and to think outside the box.
• In Term 6 2017, FS had do sing a French song and record it, KS1 children had to draw different objects, colour them in the colours of the flag and label them correctly.  LKS2 children had to create a model of a French landmark building.  UKS2 had to design in any shape or form a leaflet describing the town of Boulogne-Sur-Mer.

The challenge each year will be introduced during a French assembly and a prize will be organised for each phase winner.