MFL

Language Spoken at Pippins
At Pippins, we take a verbal approach to the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages. During Spanish lessons, we like to get children talking in the chosen language from the very first session of a unit. We start by giving children the basic words and information they need to know, before allowing them to use this knowledge and apply it to a conversational setting.

We believe this progression makes the learning of the language much more manageable for the children. It is also important to us that we consistently say key phrases in these languages inside and outside of specified language lessons. For example, when reading a number out loud during a maths lesson, or when greeting the children in the morning.

To ensure this progression takes place, we use video units from the Espresso Education schemes of work. These short clips show the children how the language is pronounced, in addition to the correct spelling of key vocabulary.

The National Curriculum for languages states that children must be able to:

• Listen to spoken language and show understanding by joining in
• Explore language patterns through songs and rhymes
• Ask and answer questions through conversation
• Speak in sentences using familiar vocabulary
• Describe people, places, objects and actions orally and in writing
• Begin to understand feminine, masculine and neuter forms of words

To this end, we ensure the children have a strong oral understanding of the language before we begin to write. As language structures can be difficult in new languages, we prefer that the children are able to converse and write what they can say.