Modern Foreign Languages
How do we teach Spanish at Underwood West Academy?
Learning Spanish at Underwood West Academy aims to provide the pupils with an opening to other cultures and to deepen their understanding of the world. As part of the language programme, the pupils locate Spanish speaking countries to give them an understanding of how widely spoken the language is.
Through teaching Spanish, pupils will be taught to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to respond to speakers via written and verbal methods. The programme focuses on teaching the pupils basic practical language, such as greetings, colours, animals and how to present themselves.
Teaching Spanish provides the foundation for learning further languages and equips the pupils to study and work in other countries.
Our aim is to develop the confidence and competence of each child in Spanish. Our goal is for them to be passionate, curious and confident about their own foreign language learning abilities when they finish the primary school phase of their education.
We will help them develop and demonstrate substantial progress in these key language skills necessary for learning Spanish:
- Speaking
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Grammar
- Phonics
- Vocabulary
We aim to ensure that pupils of all abilities develop solid foundations in these key language learning skills - properly preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey. These skills will develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. We will extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the similarities and differences between Spanish and English. We will also help strengthen their sense of identity through learning about culture in other countries and comparing it with their own.
Language Angels:
Pupils in Key Stage Two use the platform Language Angels to facilitate their language learning. Please see the full curriculum map and progression documents below. Every pupil in Years 3-6 will have their own login details for the Language Angels platform to further their language learning at home.
Language Angels is a multi-sensory, digital language learning platform which ensures that all members of staff teaching Spanish can deliver it with confidence and ensure that they are meeting the needs of all pupils. All lessons are accompanied with songs, interactive games and a range of differentiated activities so lessons are engaging, fun and meet the variety of needs of the children in the classroom. All phonics sounds and key vocabulary are professionally recorded within the lesson PowerPoints to ensure that the correct pronunciations are taught and high-quality Spanish learning is maintained throughout Key Stage Two.
See below for the key learning that your pupil will be completing during the different stages of their Spanish journey. Click on the year group tabs below to find the knowledge organisers which will support your child with their Spanish learning.
(E) emerging language learning
(I) Intermediate language learning
Our Spanish Curriculum
The knowledge that the pupils develop during their Year 3 scheme follows them through KS2. The phonics sounds that they learn feature heavilly in their furture units which ensures that they have a secure understanding by the end of Year 6. The pupils learn high frequency verbs early in their learning and revisit these thoroughout their Spanish jounrney. Revisiting these phonics sounds and grammatical points at various times thorughout KS2 ensures that the pupils leave primary school with a solid, basic understanding which they can use to adapt to language learning in secondary school.
