Supporting Primary Languages

KS1/2 MFL: Sharing Skills is the latest set of programmes on Primary MFL from Teachers TV. They portray different and successful ways of integrating a modern language into the primary curriculum. In the first programme Sharing Skills - Secondary with Primary we see AST MFL teacher Dave Gilwhite from Manor Secondary School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire sharing ideas with Nicola Blount, a teacher at feeder school Peafield Lane Primary on how to introduce French to her Yr 3 pupils.

Sharing Skills- Primary with Primary looks at the benefits of 'team teaching' and in particular how Nicola Guy, a primary trained teacher with a B.Ed in modern languages supports and encourages colleagues in Forest Town Primary School and Samuel Barlow Primary School also in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire to deliver their own MFL lessons.

Primary MFL 1 showcases the following PMFL resources:

• Investigating Languages: Level 1-2 - A workbook and CD for the teaching of many different languages
• Le Rythme, la Musique et les Raps de Monsieur X - A CD of French songs and music for young learners
• La chenille qui fait des trous - The classic children's book, The Hungry Caterpillar, in French

To find out the next broadcast dates for these programmes, download the weekly schedule from the Teachers TV website or watch them online. If you subscribe, you can download the wmv files to your computer and see them when you want.

Watch out for the next batch of programmes for KS3/4 Modern Foreign Languages which will be available to view soon on the web.

Comments

[Lynne Horn]

Thanks for these Joe. Although we already have primary French from primary 6, more of my local schools are teaching it further down the school. In Tobermory next year we are hoping to introduce both French and Gaelic to our 5 year olds as these are the two languages taught in the secondary department.

[Joe Dale]

Cheers Lynne,

I found both Sharing Skills programmes to be very positive and encouraging. I would imagine there are a lot of Primary teachers worried about the expectation on them of having to offer a modern language as part of their teaching repertoire by 2010. This type of programme should help to alleviate some of their concerns though by showing good examples where primary languages are working very well.

I suppose the problem will be for those primaries not fortunate enough to be near a language college with an outreach programme in place or have a suitably qualified member of staff that can mentor others.

Working in a middle school, I've seen the benefits of starting French in Yr 5 at first hand. Our pupils love it at that age and that bodes well for when they get a bit older. They still remember all the songs we did and still like to sing them in class.