Bitterne CE Primary School

Modern Foreign Language at Bitterne C of E Primary

From September 2014, language learning has become a compulsory element of the national curriculum for children at Key Stage 2. At Bitterne C of E Primary, children start to learn French in year 3. They learn in their classrooms with their own teacher. We follow the suggested topics in the widely acclaimed Catherine Cheater scheme and other online resources, such as Twinkl and the BBC website.

The skills that the children will learn focus on listening, speaking, writing, reading and grammar. The children also look at the culture in France, for example looking at how Easter and Christmas are celebrated in France and the different types of foods commonly eaten in France.

Examples of vocabulary taught over the course of an academic year:

Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Numbers to 20	Simple questions and answers	French Food	Numbers to 100
Greetings	French Culture research	Telling the time	Descriptive sentences
Colours	Months of the year	Numbers to 60	Expressions to show time
Days of the week	Numbers to 40	Asking and answering questions	Conversation in a French cafe
Classroom equipment	Celebratory phrases	Expressions to show emotions	French Culture
Parts of the body	Simple songs	Animals	Tourism in France