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Guidance on implementation of the KS2 Framework for languages

Progression in literacy

Literacy
Access to and use of written language - is supported by and in turn reinforces the development of oracy. The introduction of children to reading and writing in the new language has been a controversial issue in the past. Some teachers have felt instinctively, based perhaps on their own experiences as learners, that this could be too demanding for young learners. However, the careful introduction of literacy skills as part of a rich learning environment, stimulating communication and understanding in speech and writing can only be beneficial.

From an early age children become familiar with the relationship between sounds and letters/characters in the new language and apply this in their reading and spelling. There is of course no expectation that children's levels of literacy in a new language will immediately equate with their levels of literacy in English or another first language. However, the Key Stage 2 Framework for languages is specifically linked to the National Literacy Strategy, and the learning of the new language will be helped by children's previous understanding of their own language, and will in turn develop their general literacy skills. It is useful therefore for all teachers of primary languages to be familiar with the ways in which key stage 1 pupils have been taught literacy in order to be able to use some of these same concepts (in for example the area of phonics) in their teaching of the new language.

This is especially important in relation to the development of writing skills, where the Framework outlines a careful development from supported to independent writing, related at every stage to other language learning skills. This planned progression in writing can be summarised as follows:

Y3 write familiar words using a model; write some familiar words from memory Y4 write simple words and phrases from a model and some from memory Y5 write short texts with support Y6 write sentences from memory and develop short texts using a model.

As the example of emergent writing through play quoted in guidance section 3, suggests, many children seek opportunities to write, regarding writing as no less 'fun' than singing or role-play. The Framework will help teachers to guide pupils as they develop their written language skills over four years or more.

Children's ability to read in their first language(s) will also have a significant bearing on their progress in a new language, although the levels of performance will inevitably be different. Children will develop from 'recognising some familiar words' in Year 3 to 'identifying different text types and reading short, authentic texts for enjoyment or information (such as an email message)' in Year 6 for example. Pupils should be encouraged to exploit to the full all the reading skills they have acquired in both key stage 1 and key stage 2 in trying to make sense of new language words, sentences and texts.

Spotlight: Cross curricular work on evacuees This project brought together work in English, drama, history and languages. The children read and studied a novel, about wartime evacuation. They gained first hand experience of evacuation through dramatic re-enactment, handling historical artefacts, and interviewing older people in their community. Through such direct personal and kinaesthetic experience, through writing in role and learning in a meaningful context they developed understanding of, and empathy with, the situation of evacuees. Combining these insights with reading skills acquired through literacy teaching in both key stage 1 and key stage 2 they were able to make sense of short texts in a new language, in this case French. They were, for instance, able to interpret a postcard written in French from a child being evacuated. They recognised common letter strings, they detected pattern, they knew some key words, they draw analogies, they used the pictures to provide contextual background. They interpreted meaning from both context and prior knowledge of language (for example cognates) L6.1 Read and Understand the main points and some detail from a short written passage; L6.2 Identify different text types and read short, authentic texts for enjoyment or information.