Being Linguists


Linguists understand the world through different languages. They love learning about faith, community and culture through understanding how people communicate in different places around the world. If we understand someone else’s language, we not only can communicate with them, but understand how things might be different.

How do we teach Languages at Nova?

A MFL language is introduced at Year 3 following the Language Angels programme. The children follow a curriculum which allows them to learn through ‘being linguists’. Children are encouraged to develop their oracy skills with a partner and in front of the class, through role play and games so that they gain confidence speaking another language in front of others. Children are encouraged to learn rhymes and to join in with songs.

Children are also taught discretely about French phonetics and pronunciation to ensure they can decode new French words and improve their oracy skills.

Teachers identify core vocabulary and children encounter and use this multiple times in different contexts. Online games and quizzes are also used to allow children to hear French being spoken by a native speaker.

Grammar is prioritised and children have the opportunity to rehearse sentences using their topic vocabulary and key verbs such as ‘to be, to have, to go’. Grammar is taught frequently in key chunks to help children remember.

Leadership:

Kelly Clarke is our Lead Linguist who you can speak to if you would like to find out more about how we teach Languages at Nova.

Our priorities:

To implement a clear and sequential languages curriculum across KS2 (Language Angels).

To develop children’s vocabulary and oracy skills.

To develop teacher confidence and expertise in teaching our languages curriculum.

To raise the profile of ‘being a linguist’ at Nova.