Curriculum Intent for Modern Foreign Languages 

Our core purpose in MFL is to deliver an engaging and challenging curriculum through outstanding teaching and learning, allowing pupils to become confident in their language skills and be responsible members of the school and wider community. The sequencing of the curriculum enables students to build on their knowledge and skills towards agreed end points.

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. 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. 

Teaching may be of any modern foreign language and should build on the foundations of language learning laid at key stage 2, whether pupils continue with the same language or take up a new one. Teaching should focus on developing the breadth and depth of pupils’ competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on a sound foundation of core grammar and vocabulary. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate personal and factual information that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, developing and justifying points of view in speech and writing, with increased spontaneity, independence and accuracy. It should provide suitable preparation for further study.

As a Department, we feel very strongly about developing pupils love for the subject and creating a deeper understanding of the processes involved. Languages lessons at KS3 will give students a real opportunity to think about their own language, understand grammar concepts, work in groups, develop their oracy skills and challenge their way of thinking. There will be a real “buzz” in the air as you walk into a language lesson and pupils will be given every opportunity to develop their resourcefulness, resilience, reciprocity and reflectiveness.

National Curriculum coverage – KS3

The curriculum for languages at Meopham aims to develop character by ensuring that all pupils:

Grammar and vocabulary

• identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past, and future as appropriate to the language being studied

• use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods, as appropriate

• develop and use a wide-ranging and deepening vocabulary that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, allowing them to give and justify opinions and take part in discussion about wider issues

• use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Linguistic competence

• listen to a variety of forms of spoken language to obtain information and respond appropriately

• transcribe words and short sentences that they hear with increasing accuracy

• initiate and develop conversations, coping with unfamiliar language and unexpected responses, making use of important social conventions such as formal modes of address

• express and develop ideas clearly and with increasing accuracy, both orally and in writing

• speak coherently and confidently, with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation

• read and show comprehension of original and adapted materials from a range of different sources, understanding the purpose, important ideas and details, and provide an accurate English translation of short, suitable material

• read literary texts in the language [such as stories, songs, poems and letters], to stimulate ideas, develop creative expression and expand understanding of the language and culture

• write prose using an increasingly wide range of grammar and vocabulary, write creatively to express their own ideas and opinions, and translate short written text accurately into the foreign language

Scope of study – KS4

GCSE specifications in modern foreign languages must require students to:

Listening: understand and respond to spoken language

• demonstrate general and specific understanding of different types of spoken language follow and understand clear standard speech using familiar language across a range of specified contexts

• identify the overall message, key points, details and opinions in a variety of short and longer spoken passages, involving some more complex language, recognising the relationship between past, present and future events

• deduce meaning from a variety of short and longer spoken texts, involving some complex language, including short narratives and authentic material addressing a wide range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes

• recognise and respond to key information, important themes and ideas in more extended spoken text, including authentic sources, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, by being able to answer questions, extract information, evaluate and draw conclusions.

Speaking: communicate and interact in speech

• communicate and interact effectively in speech for a variety of purposes across a range of specified contexts

• take part in a short conversation, asking and answering questions, and exchanging opinions

• convey information and narrate events coherently and confidently, using and adapting language for new purposes

• speak spontaneously, responding to unexpected questions, points of view or situations, sustaining communication by using rephrasing or repair strategies, as appropriate

• initiate and develop conversations and discussion, producing extended sequences of speech

• make appropriate and accurate use of a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures, including some more complex forms, with reference to past, present and future events

• make creative and more complex use of the language, as appropriate, to express and justify their own thoughts and points of view

• use accurate pronunciation and intonation such as to be understood by a native speaker

Reading: understand and respond to written language

• understand and respond to different types of written language

• understand general and specific details within texts using high frequency familiar language across a range of contexts

• identify the overall message, key points, details and opinions in a variety of short and longer written passages, involving some more complex language, recognising the relationship between past, present and future events

• deduce meaning from a variety of short and longer written texts from a range of specified contexts, including authentic sources involving some complex language, as well as short narratives and authentic material addressing a wide range of relevant contemporary and cultural themes

• recognise and respond to key information, important themes and ideas in more extended written text and authentic sources, including some extracts from relevant abridged or adapted literary texts

• demonstrate understanding by being able to scan for particular information, organise and present relevant details, draw inferences in context and recognise implicit meaning where appropriate

• translate a short passage from the assessed language into English

 

Writing: communicate in writing

• communicate effectively in writing for a variety of purposes across a range of specified contexts

• write short texts, using simple sentences and familiar language accurately to convey meaning and exchange information

• produce clear and coherent text of extended length to present facts and express ideas and opinions appropriately for different purposes and in different settings

• make accurate use of a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures, including some more complex forms, to describe and narrate with reference to past, present and future events

• manipulate the language, using and adapting a variety of structures and vocabulary with increasing accuracy and fluency for new purposes, including

• using appropriate style and register

• make independent, creative and more complex use of the language, as appropriate, to note down key points, express and justify individual thoughts and points of view, in order to interest, inform or convince

• translate sentences and short texts from English into the assessed language to convey key messages  accurately and to apply grammatical knowledge of language and structures in context.