Spanish
Our MFL Curriculum
Covid-19 gave us time to discuss our MFL offer and think about which langauge we should teach our chidlren in order for them to be "Ready for the Future". We asked parents and staff which langauge they thought would be the most beneficial for our children to learn, Spanish was the overwhelming choice.
All children in KS2 will begin to learn Spanish from September 2022. Spanish will be taught on a weekly basis, with a grat emphasis on speaking and listening skills. We will use Language Angels to support our teaching as children can listen to authentic Spanish being spoken and can learn Spanish songs. All the language scheme is progressive, and build on prior knowledge, all children in KS2 will start learning Spanish together, moving up through the scheme year on year. By the time children are in Year 6, they will be able to hold conversations, read sentences and some will be able to write their own short sentences.
Spanish at St James
Teachers will use Language Angels to deliver Spanish lessons. The emphasis will be on speaking and listening. Repetition through songs and rhymes will be used to help chldren remember vocabulary taught, as children's confidence develops, they will join in with and hold converstaions with their peers, asking simple questions and answering in simple sentences. As chidlren's language learning develops, they will be able to recognise and read vocabulary taught and simple sentences and write simple sentences about themselves. We talk about the basic grammar of the language (e.g. feminine/masculine and plural), how this differs from English, and then use this to help the children build sentences both orally and in writing.
Values Across the Curriculum
As well as learning how to speak Spanish, children will learn as much as possible about the culture of Spain. We see this as a perfect opportunity to look at similarities and differences between Spain and the United Kingdom. Our partnership with Tanzania also offers the children the chance to experience different languages and different cultures through our discussions in worship. Often the children are amazed to find so many first languages which are not English when given the chance to look beyond their immediate Crigglestone community. Language can be a barrier, we not only aim to teach a language but to teach the children about languages and how we must respect, recognise and understand difference so we can be part of a multi-cultural Wakefield.
The long-term plan is recommended by Language Angels for those with limited or no Spanish prior knowledge. As we are starting Spanish as a new subject, we are following this plan. Children's language learning will build up and make sure that language skills are revisited and then built upon. The letters in brackets, next to each 'topic' show how children's learning build over the 2 year rolling programme:
E - Early language
I- Intermediate language
P - Progressive language
Further information about the curriculum can be found on the Language Angels website: https://www.languageangels.com/schools/index.php/curriculum-guidance
