MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

At Melbourne we strive to give the children a broad and balanced curriculum, including Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). We believe the teaching of MFL allows the children to gain a better understanding of the wider world, as well as other cultures and gives them the first steps to gain language knowledge that may later assist them in their future careers.

The National Curriculum

Children in Key Stage 2 should cover at least one Modern Foreign Language from Year 3 through to 6. The National Curriculum states: teaching should provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at Key Stage 3. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. 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.

Aims

Through the teaching of MFL at Melbourne Primary School we aim to:

• Develop an enthusiastic and positive attitude to other languages and language learning;
• Develop language skills and language learning skills;
• Raise awareness of aspects of their own language and make comparisons with the foreign language, thereby enriching their understanding of both;
• Become aware that language has a structure, and that this structure differs from one language to another;
• Become increasingly familiar with the sounds and written form of a modern foreign language;
• Use their knowledge with growing confidence and competence to understand what they hear and read, and to express themselves in speech and in writing as well as ask questions;
• Increase cultural understanding by learning about different countries and their people, communicating with children from other countries and working with written materials from those countries and communities;
• Form a sound basis for further language learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.