At Danetree we believe that learning a foreign language enhances cognitive skills, fosters an appreciation for diverse cultures and improves overall communication skills. Early exposure sets the foundation for language learning, making it easier for children to become fluent in the future. We aim to spark and nurture children's curiosity about language while fostering their understanding of cultural differences in other countries.
Our intention is that pupils will develop communication skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in French and Spanish; two of the most widely spoken languages in the world. In addition, children’s knowledge of how language works will be developed, leading to better literacy skills in English.
In KS1, pupils will be exposed to a range of French vocabulary such as greetings, colours, numbers and animals. They will also take part in lessons covering French traditions and holidays in order to gain an appreciation for French culture.
In lower KS2, pupils will develop their understanding of how the French language works. They will learn key grammar rules such as adjectival agreement along with some basic verb conjugations in order to begin to manipulate the language they have learnt to suit different situations.
In upper KS2, pupils will be introduced to Spanish while consolidating the French they have learnt. Using their existing language skills, they will learn basic conversational language with an aim to improve their fluency and become confident communicators.
By the time they leave KS2 we aim for pupils to be able to:
- 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.
- write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.
- discover and develop an appreciation for the languages and cultures studied.
