French

We are all linguists

At St Michael’s, we believe in generating enthusiasm for early language learning, which we hope will lead to a love of language learning as the children grow older.  We encourage children to understand the relevance of learning a new language and the power of communication.  Our curriculum is exciting and it includes a French Christmas Play, a French breakfast, letters to pen-pals, a fashion show and some high-quality children’s literature.

Language learning is divided into 3 key strands of learning: Phonics, Vocabulary and Grammar. These strands contain the knowledge needed to be able to communicate in a language. We begin by teaching the children the sounds that they hear in French words so that they can begin to say, read and write words independently. We then teach them how to use the vocabulary and the grammatical structures that are needed in order to form sentences accurately. We revisit the vocabulary that is learnt (and we build on it) several times over the Key Stage in order to help it stick.

Our approach is immersive as much as possible: language is learnt through songs and stories; through repetition and use of actions, which help the children to remember vocabulary and through games, which help the children to consolidate the vocabulary.

Curriculum documents

How French is taught at St Michael's

How French is taught:    

• Each child participates within a weekly French lesson.   

• Each new French topic is introduced through video clips, songs or stories, where children are given the opportunity to listen to the language being spoken by native speakers.   

• Children are then given opportunities to practise speaking themselves, asking and answering questions through role-play or games.   

• The teaching of Physical French Phonics has now been embedded into our curriculum. Phonics will be taught in Year 3 and revisited and consolidated in other year groups with the aim of children being able to accurately pronounce, read and eventually spell words in French using their knowledge of phonics.  

• Children record their learning through simple written tasks, giving them the opportunity to start writing words, phrases and, eventually, sentences and complex sentences in French.   

• Children are encouraged to draw comparisons between French and English vocabulary, using their knowledge of cognates and near-cognates to decode unfamiliar words and texts.   

• As they progress through the school, children are encouraged to draw comparisons between French and English grammar, syntax and sentence structure.   

• Learning is consolidated through the use of songs and games, which help the children to remember the vocabulary they have learnt.   

• Children are also taught traditional French songs to enhance their vocabulary and to deepen their cultural understanding.

Formative assessment is used during French lessons to ensure progress over time. Children show their understanding in a variety of ways: the use of thumbs up, recording answers on whiteboards, answering questions orally, sharing of role-play conversations and through their written work. Informal quizzes are used for retrieval of previous learning. Language learning is assessed against the National Curriculum targets, which have been broken down for each year group to ensure that children have opportunities to revisit knowledge at varying degrees of complexity at a variety of points throughout the four years of study.   

Examples of French at St Michael's

Books we have read in French

French at St Michael's Academy

Phonics

Physical French Phonics are taught in Year 3 and revisited and consolidated in other year groups with the aim of children being able to accurately pronounce, read and eventually spell words in French using their knowledge of phonics.

Grammar