French

A good return on ‘The Returned’

17th Mar 2014

I like using a variety of completely authentic materials in the classroom to show learners that the language they are acquiring is also used in the real world! One of my sources is film trailers – or bandes-annonces. They have the advantage of being short and snappy so the viewing… Read More

On a level without NC Levels – Freefall or Freestyle?

13th Jan 2014

National Curriculum levels will no longer apply to the new programmes of study at KS3 and there are mixed views about this in MFL teaching. On one hand there are valid concerns about demonstrating progress in a way that is recognisable to pupils, parents and stakeholders, and on the other… Read More

Lots in translation!

5th Dec 2013

Much has been said and written about whether or not translation has a place in the language classroom. I believe it’s a skill worth developing in our young language learners. It’s a practical skill for the real world. And, of course, it’s also now part of the Key Stage 3… Read More

Longer MFL Texts in a Bite-Sized World

8th Oct 2013

The new draft criteria for GCSE and the PoS for KS3 place a renewed emphasis on longer pieces of reading material and literary texts. But how do we engage pupils in longer texts in a world where everything has become bite-sized, where book pages look like magazines, where everything is… Read More

Turning the tide

4th Sep 2013

The news that GCSE entries for languages have risen significantly this year after almost a decade of steady decline is welcome, not least in the light in the continued drop of pupils in Key Stage 5 studying languages at A level.   However, behind the headline statistics lies the fact that… Read More