Spanish

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart. - Nelson Mandela

Intent

Academy 360 intends to offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes. All pupils will be expected to achieve their full potential by encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning. All content will be continuously updated and reviewed annually, ensuring that the foreign language knowledge of our pupils progresses within each academic year and is extended year upon year throughout key stage two.

The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered in an age-appropriate way across key stage two. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of different contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas. In addition, the children will be taught how to look up and research language they are unsure of and they will have a bank of reference materials to help them with their spoken and written tasks going forward. This bank of reference materials will develop into a reference library to help pupils recall and build on previous knowledge throughout their primary school language learning journey.

The intent is that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. Learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.

 Implementation

Spanish will be taught to all children in key stage two once a week by class teachers. The weekly reinforcement and opportunity to revisit will allow children to build upon their knowledge and skills week on week. The foreign languages online programme ‘Language Angels’ will be used to teach this. Children will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge. Lessons are planned to provide appropriate levels of challenge and stretch.

We will begin teaching using Language Angels’ Early Language units. These are entry level units based on teaching pupils with little or no previous foreign language learning. Lessons in this unit are designed to run for 30 minutes. We will then progress onto Intermediate units. These increase the level of challenge by increasing the amount and complexity of the foreign language presented to pupils. Lessons in this unit are designed to run for 45 minutes. We will then progress onto Progressive and Creative Curriculum units. These are the most challenging units and are suitable for pupils with a good understanding of the basic of Spanish. Lessons in this unit are designed to run for 45 minutes.

Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge. Children will be taught how to listen and read longer pieces of text gradually in Spanish and they will have ample opportunities to speak, listen to, read and write the language being taught with and without scaffolds, frames and varying levels of support.

Each lesson will have clearly defined objectives and aims, incorporate interactive whiteboard materials to include speaking and listening tasks within a lesson and incorporate challenge sections that will be offered three levels of stretch and differentiation. Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units and a grammar concept which will increase in complexity as pupils move from Early Language units, through Intermediate units and into Progressive units. Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learnt language and, by reusing it, will be able to recall it and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks will help to link units together and show that pupils are retaining and recalling the language taught with increased fluency and ease.

Units are progressive within themselves as subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress through the lessons in a unit they will build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. Pupil learning and progression will be assessed at regular intervals.

Impact

Academy 360 will develop the teaching and learning of Spanish across key stage two, preparing children for future opportunities in Spanish speaking countries. Each subsequent lesson within a unit directs, drives and guarantees progressive learning and challenge as the children become more confident and ambitious with Spanish. Early Learning units will start at basic noun and article level and will teach pupils how to formulate short phrases. By the time pupils reach Progressive units they will be exposed to much longer text and will be encouraged to formulate their own, more personalised responses based on a much wider bank of vocabulary, linguistic structures and grammatical knowledge. They will be able to create longer pieces of spoken and written language and are encouraged to use a variety of conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, opinions and justifications. Children will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.