Progress in Writing Year 3 to Year 6

Just recently colleagues have been sending me examples of  written work from children who are Year 3 beginner language learners, children who are moving on and are mid way through Year 4 or Year 5 (so with one and half to two and half years of target language learning) and from children who are now in their fourth year of learning a foreign language- Year 6.

The DfE MFL POS asks teachers and schools to set as one of their aims that children learning a language can :

Can write at varying length and for different purposes and audiences,using grammatical structures they  have learnt

As a practitioner it is a joy to look at these examples of target language writing.The joy is in the primary approach to target language writing and the fact that all the children are contributing to the writing.As an education consultant it is a marvelous way to reflect on what real teachers in real classrooms across a range of primary schools are achieving with their young learners.(I am preparing for a CPD session with primary language coordinators to look at how we ensure progress across four skills and so this blog post is also a way of creating a visual record of what this progress looks like. We will be sharing,discussing and  assessing such examples at the CPD .You can find out more here if you are interested in attending Ensuring Primary Progress 19 March 2015- it's part of the DFE WTSA/JLN project Language Learning for Everyone). 

Within our network we have been considering for the last two years how to assess the progress of the skills of our young language learners to try and offer secondary education something tangible as data on entry in to Year 7.We are linking our skill descriptors to the CEF (Common European Framework).You may want to consider the descriptors for Writing here as you look at the real examples I am sharing below.I think that the examples give us evidence that demonstrates progression towards and in several instances into B1 in Y6 after 4 years of language learning.(From the examples I am shown teachers are able to achieve A2 with most children by Y6)

Writing (CEF)
A1: I can write a short simple postcard for example sending holiday greetings, gill in a form with personal details.....

A2:I can write a short simple notes and messages....I can write a very simple personal letter.....

B1: I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.I can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions 

As we are also working with the DFE KS2 POS learning objectives I have mentioned the appropriate learning objective too that the children have been exploring ,whilst producing their written work.

Super heroes!
In Year 3 the children create display with personal information about themselves. The children are supported with a template that means they are adding information to a formular:

 and as the children move in to Year 4 we now have evidence that at the start of Year 4, the children can "write phrases from memory" (DFE POS LO) 

Making guessing games

In Year 3 children who have been learning a language for five months are now beginning to write phrases and independently in the target language. The children here have made a guessing game-  to see if you can find the three animals mixed in to one animal. they have been practising using the question "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" in French.They have been "linking spelling and sound" (DFE POS LO) of a challenging phrase to write down.

  

Giving opinions and agreeing adjectives

With the children who are moving on in their target language learning and have been progressing through a learning programme based on or loosely following our JLN SOW, we have evidence of children who can "understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied" (DFE POS LO).In this short piece written as display work to celebrate children's work last half term on fruits and opinions ,w e can see accurate adjectival agreement and the use of a negative first person singular present tense verb.This is a very accurate example but all the pieces I saw demonstrated children working toward a good understanding of the change in spelling of adjectives and the position of adjectives with nouns in French.

Writing  using reference materials

Primary colleagues are keen to use bilingual dictionaries and reference materials with their classes and are trying to introduce the use of these from Y3 onwards. Here is an example of how one child in Year 6 has been adding "uplevelling" in Spanish what he writes so that it is a truthful description of himself.Notice the three phrases he has found an wants to add at the top of his piece of writing.....He is trying to "broaden...vocabulary and develop ability to understand new words ....including through using a dictionary" (DFE POS LO) 

Alice in Wonderland and three levels of writing in Year 6!

I recently wrote a blog post about Alice in Wonderland and one of my colleagues tried out the writing activities in the blog with her advanced learners - a Year 6 Spanish class.She sent me lots of examples of work and I have selected three to share.They demonstrate the natural curve we might expect in these learners- one piece working at A1 , one piece a secure A2 and one child potentially on the cusp/one piece entering into B1 on the CEF. What is wonderful is that all the children are writing in the target language and being creative too! They are all engaged in "describing people,places,things and actions" (DFE POs LO)

Reading and Writing in the Primary Foreign Language

Yesterday I delivered an afternoon of CPD based around reading and writing in primary foreign languages.
The CPD was based around DfE KS2 POS Learning Objectives:

First of all we explored how all four skills (listening,speaking,reading and writing) are interconnected and support the development of each of the other skills.
This was a light bulb moment for some of the delegates and led to group discussion about how much,when,what to introduce in different skill areas.

During the CPD we considered  these objectives from the KS2 POS specifically:

• Explore the patterns and sounds of the language and show understanding by joining in and responding.
• Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.
• Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language.
• Broaden their vocabulary and develop the ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written materials, including using a dictionary
• Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• Understand basic grammar……….how to apply these, for instance  to build sentences.

The highlighted key words and phrases helped us to discuss and explore the links across skills (so for example "show understanding of words"  can be explored,practised and  demonstrated across all four skills). 

Consideration One 
 We considered how the four skills can be interlinked right from an early start using some of the activities here in this blog post Stretchy sound and letter balloon .All linked to this learning objective

• Explore the patterns and sounds of the language and show understanding by joining in and responding.

And we discussed how the development of this skill is always important to the linguist no matter what level of language they may be able to operate with.We looked at how the types of activities here could be adapted for different stages of learning and new content/contexts.

Consideration Two
Our next consideration was the use of bilingual dictionaries and the teachers discussed ways they might introduce dictionaries for the first time to young learners and the suitability of certain types of dictionaries and pictionaries for different children.

• Take some time to look at alphabetical order and play some alphabet sorting games
• Pop a variety of dictionaries from different languages in a basket in the reading area perhaps including home languages of children in the class or school 
• Let the children explore the"mystery" book on their tables with no information or clues.What do they think it is? How does it seem to be organised etc?

We discussed how bilingual dictionaries can play such a key role in  language learning across all types of activities and how children need to see the resource as a valuable language learning tool which they will use and refer to often .

This led to discussion of the use of simple pictionaries with younger children, the use of junior dictionaries with KS2 children and the introduction of more detailed dictionaries with Year 6 UKS2. 

I was really impressed by the way the teachers wanted to explore how the language was presented in the junior dictionaries, the colour -coding and the way that examples supported or could potentially  confuse the young learners.
We decided that 15 bilingual dictionaries could be sufficient for a class activity (pairs for example) and that schools could have a signing in and out process on the staff room so that the dictionaries could be booked in and out. Most of the teachers felt 30 copies would suffice across KS2 (Y3/4 and Y5/6 split).

We considered  the activities here in this blog post as introductory activities or 10 minute revisit activities to familiarise the children with how to use a bilingual dictionary.

Bilingual Dictionary Wizards

And the teachers tried out the sequence of activities that they could take back in to school and link using a bilingual dictionary to the exploration of nouns

I spy nouns

Really importantly we identified that bilingual dictionaries are not just to 

• "broaden ... vocabulary and develop the ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written materials, including using a dictionary".

Bilingual dictionaries could become an integral available resource whatever the language learning taking place and we considered how we may use the dictionaries in any of the objectives being considered in the CPD session.

Consideration Three
Our next step was to explore this learning objective:

• Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing

and to do this we looked at how the learning objective can be a driver for a series of activities that are very "primary" and "age appropriate" linking language learning across the curriculum.

We explored: the activities in this blog post .What is important to understand is that the activities are not just linked to the context and content described in the blog post but that the type of activities and stages of learning can be lifted and used in other contexts and with other content.We were able to identify the progression and deeper learning that potentially is taking place and how all four skills are interlinked and support development in of the other skills.

Consideration Four

We looked  at the learning objective below from the immediately obvious viewpoint of authentic books, rhymes and songs for young children and how they bring " authenticity and colour" in to the language learning classroom.

Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language.

I shared a range of materials that could be used as a  resource to listen to or read for pleasure, maybe because the resource links to the content being practised or also because it allows the teacher  to explore and reinforce another curriculum focus but in a foreign language. We thought about how we could create our own mini versions of books and create written sentences about characters and link our reading in a foreign language to World Book Day for example. Here are three examples we discussed: 

Elmer explorers

Dennis the Menace

World Book Day Long Live Books

We also looked at how poetry could be a resource to support literacy and creating written images ,an example of this is here in the blog post on a French authentic poem which allows us to engage with French poem painting of a Summer's Day.
Familiar nursery rhymes can be used as a listening and reading resource to link all four skills together.Here in this blog post Dame Tartine we are able to link phonics,listening,joining in,speaking,singing, reading writing, APPs and DT!  I felt that this was really important to consider this as some colleagues were uncertain as to how in short limited language learning time all skills and progression could be catered for .Here  in Dame Tartine is just one example of how this can be planned and catered for over a series of lessons and week.

Consideration Five
And finally we were able to bring all our considerations together and look at how if we focus on developing progression in the other four considerations we can work toward Year 6 learners in their fourth formal year of learning becoming competent writers in the target language, who are able to .....

• Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• Understand basic grammar……….how to apply these, for instance  to build sentences.

Perhaps by looking for real writing opportunities that link across the curriculum then the writing has a dynamic purpose ?

Here is one recent topical example that some of my colleagues are working on: 

Alice in Wonderland

Physical sentence prompts and fantastical fireworks

This evening at a Cheshire West twilight CPD we created physical sentences as we considered how we can help children progress with writing in a target language.
This idea can be used across a wide range of language and contexts but it really made me think about how we can help children to improve their target language with physical prompts.
We were focusing upon nouns ( and definite articles) simple present tense common verbs ( in this instance "to be" ) and adjectives ( colours in this case) and how they need to agree with the nouns they describe in French and Spanish.

The sentences we were forming followed this simple sentence structure:

noun verb adjective 

As it is nearly Bonfire Night our focus was upon writing fantastical colour firework sentences!

All you need is 

• a clear sleeve dice with images in the sleeves to represent the adjectives,
• a magic bag 
• drawn outlines of the key nouns
• mini whiteboards and pens for the children or rough paper

Your clear sleeve dice needs to have pictures of the adjectives - one in each sleeve (in this instance adjectives)

You need a magic bag!This is a bag in which you can place the pictures of your objects that you want to describe.Here it's descriptions of fireworks and we have chosen in French three nouns that are either masculine or feminine definite article singular nouns (you could add plural nouns too)

Pop the pictures in the bag.

Ask for a magician's assistant to hold the bag and  to select volunteers to select a card from the bag. 

Check  with the  class the target language noun and its definite article. Invite someone to roll the dice - the clear sleeve that is face up when it lands is the adjective you have to use as a class to create your physical sentence. 

Invite two volunteers up to the front to mime either the  meaning of the noun or the adjective. 

Ask the class to help you spot what is missing to make this a sentence ( you are looking for the suggestion that a verb is missing).

For our activity we need to elicit from the class how they might say "it is..." in the target language. 

Now you need a volunteer to be your verb.The job of the verb will be to bond the noun and the adjective together to make sense and a sentence and pass on a message- so ask the verb to link arms with the noun on their right hand side and the adjective on the left hand side.

Now you have a physical sentence ......however what if the noun taken from the bag has a feminine definite article?

Does the adjective need an extra letter or a change in spelling to agree? 

Discuss this with the class and if you need an extra letter , then you need a volunteer to stand with a cautionary exclamation mark like finger on the left of the adjective! This will be to remind the class to add to or alter the spelling of the adjective!

Can the rest of the class on whiteboards now try to write a correct sentence - using the physical sentence as prompts? 

Ask the children to reveal their sentences, compare their sentences to the physical sentence, write it up on a flipchart and ask the children to cross reference sentences ....then you are ready for a second physical sentence routine!      

Text tracking language learning tools

At the start of this academic year I am looking for more  transferable tools to support language learning and to build bridges between year groups and across Key Stages. 

Thanks to Twitter this morning I saw this tweet from @Primary_Ed “Ideas for students to annotate text as they read”  and it reminded me very much of primary school classroom Literacy and Maths working wall annotations and it got me thinking about how we can adapt this already familiar tool for primary languages and beyond into secondary languages……! First take a look at the picture:

For my purposes I am going to call my applications of the  idea  “Text tracking tools”

1. Modern Day Hieroglyphics

We need to remember that in the first instance we are teaching key language understanding with young primary language learners so  let’s ask the children to annotate the text with their own hieroglyphics to share the meaning of the words visually – so for example the simple text

“Ich sehe eine grüne Katze” (I see a green cat)

could have above the key language the drawings of  an eye (ich sehe) a green cat (eine grüne Katze).

Imagine how creative the children could be with a description of presents in a Christmas sack , a witch’s potion, directions to visit different places in the town ….etc, etc ?

It could very easily be a drag and drop activity on the IWB for a whole class reading activity too!

We could ask the children to add “honesty spots” ! Simple coloured spots above the drawings that denote where the children had to use a bi-lingual dictionary to ascertain meanings etc. A skill we need to encourage not deter so the “ honesty spot” needs to have a positive spin!

2. Running commentaries

With our more advanced primary language learners and certainly in Year 7 and beyond we can use and add to the annotation  “codes” in the Twitter picture at the start of the blog.

It will work in my opinion in KS2 especially with our moving on and advanced Y4,5 and 6 learners to allow them to share with us how much they can not only  decode but also comprehend and appreciate of the texts using and revisiting familiar target language themes  in different text types( stories, songs, menus, postcards, letters, poems, rhymes, instructions, posters, emails).

3. Structure running commentaries

Finally with our more advanced learners why not ask the children to annotate the text to indicate where they find an adjective, a verb , a noun, a pronoun, a definite article etc….All you and the class need are agreed symbols for each structure that they can identify . Send them on structure hunts in the texts you give them as individuals, pairs and groups. 

4.AfL opportunities

Looking at individual children’s annotated texts will also allow us as teachers to see where there are gaps in knowledge or just how much the children understand and also how they can empathise with the text and spot the funny bits (a green cat !!!) etc.

This transferable learning tool can start in Spring Year 3 and run right through a young linguists language learning career. 

For Jo, up in  Year 7, it’s will be a  familiar  learning tool for the children which she can adapt as a series of reading  games and activities and a tool which could allow her as class teacher to see what the children do understand in a target language when they arrive in school. 

Transition between KS2 and KS3 in languages

Transition?

Yesterday evening after the @guardian live chat on how to teach the new languages curriculum it was time to take stock and consider all the points raised and discussed.






What do we have to do?

In the new DfE POS teachers of languages are required

at KS2 
to provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries. 

and at KS3 
should build on the foundations of language learning laid at key stage 2, whether pupils continue with the same language or take up a new one. 

Local solutions and different approaches are being generated it appears. 


Keep ourselves informed!

Maybe some of these links will help to inform help to inform the learning journey

• I found Liz Black's articles on transition and the potential of challenges raised by the new curriculum here both thought provoking and full of common sense.
• Take a look here at Rachel Hawkes PDF document about Primary Languages Transition
• Maybe we can learn from the experiences of SCILT if we take time to reflect on the messages here in the sample approaches documents for Transition Primary to Secondary
• Keep an eye on the Nuffield Foundaton study Primary modern languages and the impact on teaching approaches
• And maybe there are general thoughts and approaches that we can learn from and adapt or adopt from the ongoing Hampshire Teaching Schools Alliance  transition project
• Here is a blog post in which I try to reflect upon the progress that is being made in primary and how this can both impact and enhance the learning of language in the first term in Year 7 in our network.Progress and creativity in primary.Mind the gap!

What is it looking like out there in the real World?

Well I am sure we can all share examples of transition and good primary practice and this all needs sharing too!

Here are two blog posts about two local developments to try to tackle the local challenges of transition.These are not necessarily solutions for everyone but are ways of setting off on the journey and approaching the demands of keeping continuity and building upon prior successful learning.

One high school is able to have a French learning continuum from Y3 to Y7 and is now holding meetings together with their primary colleagues to understand what the children can do.Simple projects that are easy to manage and deliver have been set up and are supporting developing dialogue about language learned and skills being developed.

The second high school has an alternate year French/Spanish Year 7 learning programme and is looking at transferable skills and links between French and Spanish that allow the pupils to access language. 

Who are you? The start of a developing project

KS2 and KS3 making link. A French and Spanish challenge

What we are learning .....

• Share models that you create. 
• Accept that they won't work for everyone
• Be willing to listen, adopt and adapt 
• Be willing to trust and have meaningful dialogue
• It takes time!
• It takes commitment
• It's slowly slowly dripping tap...small steps forward and adjustments are required. 
• Establishing networks both virtual and  face to face keep the dialogue and developments moving forward
• Remember that when the children move to Year 7 it's a gap of six weeks in language learning but on entering secondary school the children will need time to adjust.
• When it works, then the teachers on both the primary and secondary side of the fence feel valued and willing to go forward with the next steps.

My current conclusions?

Should we not accept perhaps many roads that lead to Rome! and maybe too this is at the moment necessary?

In our network we have schools starting off, schools who have children who have been learning to speak a new language from Nursery , schools where the children already have languages they speak well as home languages and schools where other priorities have meant that here have been staff changes etc. 

It's certainly challenging but we can address the demand of effective transition if we go step by step and support each other.