ALL Primary Languages Conference Online 2021

Making assessment ambitious and achievable by Marie Allen

She asked herself: should we be assessing learners? Assessment helps improve, we need to know what they know to ajust our teaching; used expert subject advisory group MFL January 2015 https://www.all-languages.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ESAGMFLGroupAssessmentStatement.pdf

• What might summative assessment look like? Looked at Sue Cave’s KS2 progressive attaintment targets, Rachel Hawkes’s 10 steps framework, the language ladder
• Adapted those and came up with: for each skill, 4 steps, I can statements, Email marie.allen@portsmouthcc.gov.uk for templates of those
• Assessments need to look familiar, not scary, like what they have done before, and to look the same throughout Y3-Y6
• Recorded for the children to access, the staff and for transition purposes; once per term; focussing on what the children can do, a positive experience

Other useful links:

https://www.all-languages.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Languages-Progression-and-Assessment.pdf

Marie’s article on deep dive in guest blogs https://www.all-languages.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/My-experience-of-an-MFL-Deep-Dive-in-Primary-UPDATED.pdf includes broken down skills

My takeaways on “Subject Coordination for Success” with Katie Percival:

• there is so much in a rhyme like “chocolat chaud”!
• confident subject knowledge – it does not mean necessarily being confident in the language (staff can learn with the children too, it means knowledge of the programme of study, the 4 different skills)
• having key documentation in a file, possibly using the ALL Coordinator’s Handbook (click here to access it)
• supporting colleagues
• ensuring we get our own CPD, through the PLN, ALL (Phorum)
• planning (medium and long term)
• overseeing tracking and assessment
• preparing for inspection / deep dive

Extra documents: knowledge organisers, school policies, report statement, transition material, an action plan (with specific targets)

Teaching and learning: consistency of teaching, pedagogy (how to teach langauges, including the willingness for everyone to take risks), metacognition, pillars of progression (vocabulary, grammar and phonics with cultural understanding), assessment (AfL and summative), cross curricular opportunities, book work/evidence of work (click here for Clare Seccombe’s blog about writing and what ), pupil voice

Celebration languages in school: assemblies, certificates of acchievement, language ambassadors, home languages, display (example of children’s work important), accreditation, special days

School wide ethos and vision: staff engagement, whole staff CPD, SLT vision

Community reach: website, partner schools, parents, governors, transition

Other useful link:

ASCL https://www.ascl.org.uk/Help-and-Advice/Primary-education/KS2-KS3-Language-Learning-Transition-Toolkit

My takeaways on “Bringing order to chaos” by Vicky Cooke:

• planning needed: long-term, medium-term and short-term; keep reminding ourselves of the programme of study https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-languages-progammes-of-study​ ; long-term choosing your scheme carefully; addapt to your needs
• mid-term planning: 4 skills as a foundation; then the 3 pillars and main points from PoS
• key questions: what do they already know, what is the new learning, what are they mastering, where are their weaknesses etc
• cross-curricular learning, eg check Y3 PoS live cycle of a plant
• QCA archive units https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20090608173756/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/primary_mff/?view=get​
• authentic resources – search for school resources, eg google France exploitation pedagogique
• stories, songs https://dessinemoiunehistoire.net/
• what do they already know? Whst is their new learning? Where are their weaknesses? What is the next step going to be? How long have we got? Why am I teaching it?
• Great practical ideas like story bag to go with dix petites graines inc le bazar de Marie website http://lebazardemarie.e-monsite.com/pages/outils-pour-le-cycle-1/les-projets-en-maternelle/plantes-et-plantations.html, tasting things that grow as they will feel strongly about it and feel involved (opinions)
• questions and answers in English are fine as it will be in GCSE exam
• book toujours rien ? Savez-vous planter les choux https://youtu.be/uZZPhjAKN5A​

Not another worksheet, Miss! With Lisa Stevens

My takeaways from Lisa to encourage our learners to be ambitious:

• spotting patterns: cognates, identifying gender, discuss English French, false friends, reinforcing English vocabulary, do children know words that are borrowed, making connection
• introducing vocabulary has to be repetitive: squishy ball, recalling vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson, something nobody remembers, words shapes, quiz quiz trade (cards with picture on one side, question and answer on the other card, learn, swap cards, keep walking around the room)
• put on your French glasses/hat on, French listening ears
• revision and recall: last lesson/last month/last topic/last year ideas from Lightbulb languages ; using diagrams, sorting by gender, phoneme, using a hoop so also physical
• numbers: using books, rhymes, songs, count by miss a number on the way, children to spot, counting down to Christmas, football scores, playing with Elmer
• phonics: 21 fun songs to teach French phonics https://www.little-linguist.co.uk/21-fun-songs-to-teach-french-phonics.html , physical French phonics https://www.little-linguist.co.uk/physical-french-phonics-brilliant-publications.html ; fill in the missing letter or sound; sort by sound; all the words you can think of that has a … in it (letter or sound); papepipopu ; Madame Birtwistle’s and Marie-Odile Guillou’s resources
• poetry and songs; remembering to ask questions; tongue twisters
• grammar: capitalise (sentence all in lower case, have to capitalise), words groups, word order, string it (put sentence on a washing line)
• comparing other languages, dictionary of words of foreign origin where is it?
• word mat, language organisers, scaffolds, trap door, challenge of having a unique sentence using a mat (last one standing) for independence DO
• writing: air spelling, slow fade, secret sentence; consider space to write (post it notes), size of paper, littel bits then put it all together (LOVE THIS!), sentence stacking in English, mini books
• prosody: getting children to read with you, rhymes, poetry – see Lisa’s blogs
• context: take something, use it in multiple ways