Ideally children will be given opportunities every day which allow them to explore and practise their growing skills in the new language they are learning. This could be listening and joining in with a familiar song, rhyme, poem, following classroom instructions and carrying out daily routines in the new language and using the context of other areas of the curriculum when opportunities arise.This needs to be planned for and can be included in the weekly plan for discrete language lesson(s).

A well planned lesson will give teachers the confidence to build on their generic primary teaching skills and engage the children with motivating tasks. There is increasingly more support available for non-specialists teachers. The Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages provides the objectives for each year group in over the four years and suggests activities to achieve these as well as suggestions for adapting year 3 objectives for use in Key Stage 1. In addition, a short term plan should include a list of the core language to be used by the teacher and the children as well as resources and opportunities for differentiation and assessment.

Questions

- Which activities work well as warm-ups or starters in the language lesson?

- In which ways can teachers ensure that the language they use in their primary language lessons is accurate?

- Should all five strands of the Key Stage 2 Framework be included in all primary language lessons?

Activity

Think of a good primary language lesson you have taught or observed. What features of this lesson did you find most valuable? List them on a piece of paper. Now consider the planning format used by your school.

Does your school have generic planning format for all subjects in your school?

Does a primary language lesson as you currently plan fit with this format?