“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” Chinese Proverb

Purpose

At Etruscan Primary School we value studying a foreign language (in our case, Spanish) because of its increasing importance in both personal development and in the global society. Our goal is for children to be passionate and curious about learning another language and finding out about other countries and cultures. 

Etruscan’s MFL curriculum is vibrant, inclusive and systematic. We aim to ensure children of all abilities develop solid foundations in key language learning skills, preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey in Year 7. We develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. Children extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the similarities and differences between Spanish and English. We will also help develop children’s understanding of the world through learning about different cultures and countries and making comparisons to our own.

Rationale

We aim to to develop children’s confidence and competence in learning Spanish using the Language Angel programme of study. Learning a foreign language is important in order to

• Develop enthusiasm for language learning
• Enable children to understand and communicate in another language
• Develop language skills and language learning skills
• Give children confidence when interacting with others
• Increase the children’s global awareness
• Awaken an interest in different cultures and life-styles
• Develop children’s understanding of themselves and their own culture
• Encourage tolerance and a willingness to work co-operatively
• Prepare children for future learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond

Characteristics

A good linguist is able to use the five core skills which are developed throughout the school. 

• Speaking - Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.
• Listening - Listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.
• Reading - Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.
• Writing - Write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.
• Grammar- Understand basic grammar appropriate to the Spanish language, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter 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.

Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1

It is not statutory to teach MFL in EYFS and KS1. However, at Etruscan we feel it is important to introduce learning another language at this early stage in order to lay the foundations and to instil curiosity and enthusiasm for language learning in Key Stage 2.

In EYFS and KS1 we teach Spanish through

• Songs and rhymes
• Greetings (displays, assemblies, register)
• Numbers
• Colours
• Links to topics

Applying language learning within other subjects

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. At Etruscan we encourage children to find out about their own and other cultures and languages through cross curricular activities and topics.  Spanish language will also be used continuously throughout the curriculum including daily routines and activities.   

Inclusion

Teachers set high expectations for every pupil. They plan challenging work to enable all pupils to make good progress regardless of their academic ability or background. We expect all children to make good progress albeit from different starting points

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