Our Spanish Curriculum
Article 29: Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full
The Modern Foreign Language that we teach at Bangabandhu is Spanish.
Our goal is for our children to become Spanish speakers. Spanish speakers must:
- Speak with increasing confidence; with good intonation and pronunciation
- Have the tools to develop their fluency in reading using their phonetic knowledge and understanding of word patterns.
- Have an ability to use the tools of grammar and understanding of vocabulary to begin to write independently.
- Have a strong awareness of the culture of the countries where the language is spoken
- Have a passion and enthusiasm to learn languages.
- Have the ability to use languages spontaneously and to communicate for practical purposes.
Fundamental Foundations
We believe that for children to secure greater depth, it is important that they first have solid fundamental foundations. Fundamental foundations should not be rushed and so the notion of ‘rapid progress’ must be dismissed. Instead the goal of repetition should be seen as both useful and necessary. This is why you will see us returning regularly to Spanish knowledge and concepts.
- Cognitive Domains – Degrees of Understanding
- We refer to three degrees of understanding and thinking ‘Basic’, ‘Advancing’ and ‘Deep’.
- BASIC – Low level cognitive demand. Involves acquisition of fundamental foundations.
- ADVANCING – Higher level cognitive demands beyond recall. Requires application involving some degree of decision making in how to apply fundamental foundations.
- DEEP – Cognitive demand involves non-standard, non-routine, inter-connected, multi-step thinking in problems with more than one possible solution. Requires reasoning and justification for the inventive application of fundamental foundations.
Time Scales for Progression Through the Cognitive Domains
- Milestone 2 – Y3 & Y4
- Milestone 3 – Y5 & Y6
- Each milestone should be seen as containing two phases. In the first phase, pupils should repeat the content a sufficient number of times to secure fundamental foundations; in the second phase, they should apply the foundations in order to reach the ‘expected’ standard. If they reach this before the end of the second phase, they should move on to tasks that will secure greater depth. Thus, progress through the cognitive domains take two years.
- It is expected that by the end of Year 1, pupils should be able to complete the BASIC tasks to secure fundamental foundations and by the end of Year 2, the ADVANCING tasks. It is also reasonable that a number of children may move on to the DEEP activities if they secure an early understanding of advancing.
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Milestone 1 Y1 & Y2 |
Milestone 2 Y3 & Y4 |
Milestone 3 Y5 & Y6 |
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Beginning Y1 |
Advancing Y2 |
Deep Y2 |
Beginning Y3 |
Advancing Y4 |
Deep Y4 |
Beginning Y5 |
Advancing Y6 |
Deep Y6 |
- Page 144 of the Primary National Curriculum 2014 states:
‘While it is important that pupils make progress, it is also vitally important that they develop secure understanding of each key block of knowledge and concepts in order to progress to the next stage. Insecure, superficial understanding will not allow genuine progress: pupils may struggle at key points of transition (such as between primary and secondary school), build up serious misconceptions, and/or have significant difficulties in understanding higher-order content.’
- We believe that it is therefore extremely important to secure the fundamental foundations before trying to secure greater depth.
Curriculum Content
Breadth of study
By the end of Key Stage 2 our goal is for children to use the Spanish language confidently, having a sound understanding of the language and culture. We follow the National Curriculum programme of study. This can be accessed here.
There are four skills taught in Key Stage 2:
- Speaking
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
Building a Spanish Schema at Bangabandhu
Our pupils will form a Spanish schema* by:
- using concepts as the basis for schema. We call these threshold concepts; these are the ideas which form the basis for the subject schema. In Spanish there are four threshold concepts: read fluently, write imaginatively, speak confidently and understand the culture of countries where Spanish is spoken .
- strengthening the schema with knowledge. The knowledge comes from our topics.
- Further deepening connections through tasks. This is what is developed though our planning.
Big Ideas
At Bangabandhu we will teach the three Big Ideas - we focus on the three pillars of language learning:
Phonics
Grammar
Vocabulary
*Schema – A subject schema is a way of organising knowledge in a meaningful way; it is an appreciation of how facts are connected and they ways in which they are connected. A schema is distinct from information, which is just isolated facts that have no organisational basis or links.
Curriculum Breadth, Depth & Progression Principles
We have carefully planned our curriculum to ensure progression as well as breadth and depth. These are the principles we have adhered to.
We have devised a curriculum that has been adapted to reflect the hiatus in language learning during the pandemic. It is therefore arranged by year of study rather than year group. with The curriculum is planned to carefully to ensure National Curriculum attainment targets are incorporated into termly plans. There is a clear pathway of progression in each of the four strands: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing in order that pupils build upon their knowledge and develop these skills over time. In Year 3 and Year 4, there is a focus upon Listening and Speaking as pupils begin to recognise familiar words, use short phrases within context and identify key phonemes that differ to English. In year 5 and Year 6, there is a greater emphasis upon reading and writing skills and pupils develop greater understanding of language patterns and grammatical features.
Following the recent Ofsted subject survey for Languages, the curriculum is being adapted to incorporate the recommendations around the ‘Three Pillars of Learning’. This involves planning for explicit teaching of phonics, progressive teaching of vocabulary and grammar to ensure the building blocks of language are secure.
Inclusion
We are a fully inclusive school and as such, all pupils participate in Spanish lessons regardless of ability or additional need.
Equally, we are committed to ensuring that pupils with English as an additional language and new arrivals are given the opportunity to learn Spanish, regardless of their level of understanding of the English language.
Assessment
Assessment for learning is a key aspect of every lesson and pupils are encouraged to review their learning at the outset.
Reporting to Parents
We report Spanish progress to parents in annual report to parents as well as through the termly parent meetings.
Spanish Speaking Pupils
At Bangabandhu there are a small number of Spanish-speaking families and pupils who have an understanding of the language have been identified. These pupils are spoken to solely in Spanish during lessons. More confident pupils are expected to model language and lead activities in class.
Curriculum Breadth Maps
Milestone 2 Curriculum Breadth Map
Milestone 3 Curriculum Breadth Map
How we Implement our Curriculum
Spanish is taught weekly for 30 minutes by a specialist Spanish teacher in Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6. We do not block our subjects as we want children to return regularly to the subject knowledge and concepts in order that they are regularly retrieving the taught knowledge and concepts, embedding these in their long term memory. This enables them to make progress - know more and remember more.
The three pillars of language are Phonics, Grammar and Vocabulary. Learning these tools enables pupils to speak with confidence and read and write French with increasing accuracy and independence.
An example of a Milestone 2 lesson
An example of a Milestone 3 lesson
Speaking Spanish
Here are some of our children practicing their Spanish.
/Learning/Our-Spanish-Curriculum/Spoken_Spanish/Yr3_Spanish_A1A.mp4
Year 3 Group A
/Learning/Our-Spanish-Curriculum/Spoken_Spanish/Yr3_Spanish_A1B.mp4
Year 3 Group A
/Learning/Our-Spanish-Curriculum/Spoken_Spanish/Yr5_Spanish_A1.mp4
Year 5
/Learning/Our-Spanish-Curriculum/Spoken_Spanish/Yr6_Spanish_A1.mp4
Year 6
Subject Specific Vocabulary
We teach children a rich and broad vocabulary in order that they develop a deep understanding of the subjects they study. We carefully select this vocabulary, teaching it in context. Here is some of the most common vocabulary taught.
Beyond the National Curriculum - Cultural Capital Experiences
Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. We want to ensure that children at Bangabandhu have a wide and varied range of experiences as they progress through our school. We want them to know about their world; to build a schema of knowledge and to do this through first hand experiences. We intend to provide our children with opportunities to develop not just their knowledge but their interests and talents. Our aim is to prepare them for a successful future.
Our school is in an area of high socio-economic deprivation. We are focused on addressing this disadvantage. Our curriculum is the main provider of cultural capital however there are other aspects of school life which provide essential cultural capital and should not be overlooked. We have planned the cultural provision that goes beyond the curriculum and this plan can be found below. This plan is to capture, illustrate and to strategically plan for the breadth and range of cultural capital experiences we will provide for our children as they move through the school. We are not leaving such an essential element of our school’s provision to chance or individual teacher interest. When a child leaves Bangabandhu in Year 6, we will be certain of what they have learnt and experienced and know that they will be prepared for the next step in their learning and personal development.
Bangabandhu's Whole School Cultural Capital, Trips and Experiences Plan
We celebrate Spanish Day at Globe which is a valuable enrichment opportunity. Pupils immerse themselves in culture and traditions from Spanish speaking countries, singing Spanish songs, enjoying Spanish food and learning all about different parts of the world where Spanish is spoken, We believe that at Bangabandhu we motivate and engage pupils whilst providing the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.
Curriculum and Expectation Booklets for Parents
These booklets give an overview of our Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum. They explain what is taught in each subject area as well as outlining some of the expectations we have for children. Parents are given these booklets at the start of each year and they are sent electronically with each term's newsletter.
Year 1 Curriculum and Expectations Booklet for Parents
Year 2 Curriculum and Expectations Booklet for Parents
Year 3 Curriculum and Expectations Booklet for Parents
Year 4 Curriculum and Expectations Booklet for Parents