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Curwen Primary School

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Languages

At Curwen Primary, our vision for Languages is to prepare our children for life in a diverse and multi-cultural modern world. We want pupils to develop communication and literacy skills based on phonics, vocabulary and grammar so pupils become independent language learners. Learning another language will help our children to grow up and to be more accepting and tolerant adults.

Intent

  • Give all learners the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
  • Set the foundations of future language learning.
  • Children learn well with a coherently planned and sequenced.
  • Prior knowledge is revisited; we continually revisit what pupils have learnt before, allowing pupils to know more and to remember more.
  • Allow pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing
  • Clear progression of phonics, vocabulary and grammar.
  • Phonics, vocabulary and grammar are intertwined and allow practice of all 4 skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
  • Promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures, showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity.

Language facts

  • There are 6,912 languages in the world.
  • 94% of the world’s population does not speak English as their first language.
  • 75% do not speak English at all.
  • Studying a foreign language develops your oral and written skills – even in your native language!!
  • The number of careers requiring a qualification in a modern foreign language is increasing.
  • More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the Continent of Africa.
  • Starting salaries for students graduating with ability in one or more modern foreign languages are at least 20% higher than for students who speak English only.
  • Over 300 different languages are spoken in London.
  • Young people who speak at least two languages do better at school than those who speak only one.
  • Learning and using a second language helps to protect the brain from the effects of ageing.
  • Learning a language will make you competitive in the job market. Learning 2 even more so. Many European young people now learn 2 foreign languages as well as their own.

Spanish Clubs

During the school year, Curwen offers Spanish clubs to those children who are enthusiastic and eager to broaden their language skills. The clubs provide the children with the opportunity to develop their Spanish beyond the classroom.

Languages Curriculum

In Early Years and KS1 children develop their understanding and knowledge of different languages through learning our 'Language of the Month' vocabulary each month. 

This Autumn Term, Year 3 children are learning that Spanish is spoken not only in Spain but in different countries.      It was introduced by colonists who came from Spain while they were looking for gold, silver, slaves and spices; and they forced the local population to learn Spanish.

Children will be also introduced to Spanish vowels –las vocales-

 

Yr 4 children will be able to count to 50 and identify numbers in Spanish.

Yr 5 are writing their own introduction on a short letter. We will send them to our school link in Spain. We are looking forward to receiving their replies!!

Watch out for the next update, we are planning to add a few videos with our presentation

Yr 6 children will start the year recapping numbers and practising them in context while shopping.

SUMMER TERM 2022-2023

 

During summer term, Yr3 children have learnt days of the week and talking about their likes and dislikes in Spanish. Children took part in a simple role-play activity answering a few simple question using the days of the week. With support child was able to copy language modelled by adult.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdiBJ8BqcpY

Think-Translate-Speak

 

Yr4 children, have learnt about body parts reading a fantastic story “El Monstruo” and the adjectives come after the noun in Spanish. We used song to learnt about weather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot4cJMeIXr4 Children can communicate answering and asking a wide range of questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yr5 children have use all the previous learning to perform a short role-play activity talking about ¿Qué te gusta hacer cuando ……?

It was a fantastic opportunity to see how children have developed accuracy in pronunciation and intonation and can use a clear audible voice in their role-play activities. It was a very competitive activity and children surprised adults with their knowledge.

The highlight of the summer term has been the visit of our linked school in Spain, Colegio Santa Clara. Curwen’s pupils welcomed the Spanish children and hosted different activities in then local area and London.

Children from both schools had the opportunity to develop the use of English and Spanish into daily school practice; achieve language acquisition through practical immersion; develop a sense of achievement through children’s interaction with Spanish pupils; drive pupils towards acceptance and understanding of different cultural communities; enhance pupils’ awareness and interactions with diversity to support mutual respect and help our children to grow up and to be more accepting and tolerant adults.