French

‘A man who is ignorant of foreign languages is also ignorant of his own language.’ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Intent

When children arrive in Year 3, they love the idea of learning French. It is something that is new to everyone so it puts them all squarely at the same starting point. Sometimes, children who find other areas of the curriculum challenging have a real ear for a foreign language which boosts their confidence enormously. It’s a wonderful thing for all children to realise there’s still something new to learn and that learning is a lifelong process!

At WJS, our aim is to:

• provide a curriculum that is vibrant and challenging, with relevant topics and engaging activities (not just in weekly lessons but as part of our yearly ‘Day of Languages’);

• enable children to leave us still loving being part of that special club that all bilingual learners belong to;

• encourage children to make links between all the language they encounter – that the ‘latte’ that gets ordered in the coffee shop can help them remember that ‘lait’ in French means milk!

• inspire children to be endlessly curious about, and fascinated by, all language.

• encourage children to use their oracy skills to practise new vocabulary with accurate pronunciation and intonation.