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Languages

 

NATIONAL CURRICULUM AIMS

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
  • 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
  • can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
  • discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

OUR AIMS

Our curriculum is informed by the National Curriculum. As a school, we have chosen Spanish as our language of study in KS2 as this is the subject taught in many of the secondary schools that our pupils go on to.

We want Wateringbury children to be confident linguists because learning another language provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages’ education fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding and appreciation of the world.

Learning Spanish at Wateringbury will provide opportunities for our children to communicate with others for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read literature in the original language. Our language teaching will provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping them to study or work in other countries.

TEACHING METHODS

In accordance with the National Curriculum guidance, children start learning in Year 3 and continue through to Year 6 with weekly Spanish lessons. At present, we use the Language Angels scheme and supplement it with other resources where necessary. Teachers aim to make their lessons interactive, with children speaking, singing, listening and playing games, as well as completing reading and written activities where appropriate.

Pupils in KS1 are exposed to other languages through songs and in conversation in the classroom, such as answering the register.

 HOW CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGES

Language threshold concepts:

  • Read fluently

    This concept involves recognising key vocabulary and phrases.

  • Write imaginatively

    This concept involves using key vocabulary and phrases to write ideas.

  • Speak confidently

    This concept involves using key vocabulary and phrases to verbally communicate ideas.

  • Understand the culture of the countries in which the language is spoken

    This concept involves the background knowledge and cultural capital needed to infer meaning from interactions.

Essential characteristics of Wateringbury linguists:

  • The confidence to speak with good intonation and pronunciation.

  • Fluency in reading

  • Fluency and imagination in writing.

  • A strong awareness of the culture of the countries where Spanish is spoken

  • A passion for languages and a commitment to the subject.

  • The ability to use language creatively and spontaneously.

  • An independence in their studies and the ability to draw upon a wide range of resources.