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issue 1 october 2008 welcome welcome to the first mfl sunderland primary newsletter the aim of the newsletter is to keep all primary school mfl teachers and their secondary colleagues informed of the latest developments in primary language teaching nationally regionally and within the local authority if you have any news articles or resources that you would like to share via subsequent issues of the newsletter please email them to clare.seccombe@gmail.com who s who primary languages personnel chris campbell clare seccombe lynn langford janet mayes ruth moreland school improvement officer with responsibility for mfl coalfields co-ordinator mfl sunderland website primary assistants washington co-ordinator sunderland south co-ordinator st aidan s language college manager primary languages co-ordinator at st aidan s language college resources the free sunderland scheme of work and resources for teaching primary french are still available on the vle all primary schools will recently have received an interactive whiteboard pack to support and enhance the scheme of work sound files of the core vocabulary can be found on the website www.sunderlandschools.org/mfl-sunderland resources-sound-files.htm ruth moreland primary languages co-ordinator at st aidan s is currently revising and updating the sunderland primary mfl scheme of work lesson plans and resources to reflect the revised ks2 qca scheme of work and the ks2 framework the first year s materials which are aimed at year 3 but can be used with any year group starting french will be on the vle soon year 4 second year of french materials are being piloted this year in due course this will provide a full four year scheme for ks3 you will find an exclusive free resource at the end of this newsletter french in reception ks1 an independent state school partnership group comprising castletown newbottle holley park and rickleton primary schools sunderland high school and st aidan s catholic school and language college has been working for the past eighteen months to produce a simple scheme of work and supporting resources to introduce french from reception and throughout ks1 class teachers and specialist language teachers have worked together to develop a scheme which reflects other key elements of the curriculum for these year groups and which can be delivered by non-specialist class teachers in short sessions and integrated with other activities the completed resource consists of a scheme of work a vocabulary list and pronunciation cd a full set of flashcards and a box and list of commercially produced resources to support the activities the materials will be formally launched on 15th october and information will follow on how other interested schools can access them.

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festival of languages following the many positive responses to our previous two festivals we should again like to invite you and your students to participate in a festival of languages and cultures this will take place on monday 17th november starting at 1.45 pm at st aidan s you are invited to bring a group large or small of students of any age to perform something in another language or from another culture ­ a song short drama or roleplay chant dance poem or anything else they can share with others as well as offering an opportunity to share work from your own curriculum this could be an occasion when bilingual students can share something from their home culture all participants will spend part of the afternoon performing and watching performers from other schools there will also be the opportunity to try taster sessions in new languages most of these activities are suitable for students of all ages and abilities if you are interested please contact janet mayes on 0191 553 6073 or email janet.mayes@schools.sunderland.gov.uk useful websites www.primarylanguages.org.uk the primary languages website has been developed by cilt and supports the introduction and development of primary languages in key stage 2 by providing access to online training www.nacell.org.uk nacell is the national advisory centre on early language learning it promotes and develops the provision and quality of early language learning in primary and early years education www.cilt.org.uk cilt is the national centre for languages the website provides information about all stages of languages useful links and information about publications their mission is to promote a greater capability in languages amongst all sectors of the uk population www.qca.org.uk/qca_11752.aspx the new ks2 qca schemes of work www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary publications/languages/framework the ks2 framework for languages la-funded foreign language assistants a warm welcome to our three la-funded primary foreign language assistants who will be working in sunderland from the beginning of october until may half term julien mignon pierre-edouard illy and marion vassard will each be working in several primary schools across the city as well as developing new teaching materials and resources some dates for your diary 12th october 17th november 6th january 26th january 20th march 9th may 14th july día de la hispanidad international education week www.teachernet.gov.uk/iew día de los reyes www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/lj/cultural_notes/gifts.shtml chinese new year international day of francophonie french.about.com/library/weekly/aa032000.htm europe day europa.eu/abc/symbols/9-may/euday_en.htm bastille day french.about.com/library/weekly/aa071400.htm international partnerships sunderland city council has a friendship agreement with washington dc in the usa active long-standing twinning relationships with saint-nazaire in france and essen in germany and is currently developing a partnership with the city of harbin in china these relationships are co-ordinated by the city council s international team based at the civic centre if you are interested in finding out more about the opportunities these international partnerships can offer or would like a copy of the latest edition of worldwide the city s international bulletin please contact jane simmons senior international officer on international.team@sunderland.gov.uk or phone 0191 561 2858 2

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regional support groups nacell regional support groups rsgs aim to promote and develop language learning in the primary sector through local level support the groups run free information training and networking sessions for anyone involved in teaching languages in foundation ks1 and ks2 sessions offer a national and regional information update a presentation by a trainer or practising teacher and opportunities to share ideas and resources with fellow participants in the north-east region there are 4 rsgs in north tyneside durham darlington and redcar cleveland rsg sessions for the academic year 20082009 have recently been announced and you can find the details and contact information on the nacell website at www.nacell.org.uk regional/northeast/index.htm you may be interested in attending one of the first sessions of the year 21st october durham using ict and the moving picture in primary languages presented by wendy adeniji 23rd october darlington here s one i made earlier presented by practitioners from darlington your free resource this issue s free resource is a triangle puzzle to practise in the classroom vocabulary and to introduce or consolidate the notions of gender and number it works best if you photocopy or print it onto card and give it to pupils individually or in pairs ready cut up to piece together there are other examples of this kind of resource in the primary resources section of the mfl sunderland website here s how it fits in sunderland primary materials units 11 and 12 ks2 qca scheme of work unit 1 section 5 unit 2 section 2 ks2 framework for mfl literacy 3.1 3.2 4.1 language learning strategies play games to aid memorisation knowledge about language notice spelling of familiar words recognise how sounds are represented in written form international school award the international school award is an accreditation scheme which acknowledges and celebrates schools curriculum-based international work the award has three tiers to suit those schools which are just starting out with international work as well as those where a global dimension is embedded in the life of the school at the moment ten schools in sunderland have the foundation tier of the award and some of them have worked up to intermediate tier or even the full award it is the dcsf s intention that by 2010 all schools should have at least the foundation award we would like to invite you to an event at the sandhill centre on monday october 20th at 4.00 coffee from 3.30 which will enable you to complete an application for the foundation award for your school you will also hear from colleagues from schools that have one of the tiers of the award who will tell you about the benefits that international work has brought to their school to reserve your place please email or phone helen scott at the sandhill centre helen.scott@sunderland.gov.uk 0191 553 5689 newsletter produced by clare seccombe ©mfl sunderland 2008 october 2008 http www.sunderlandschools.org/mfl-sunderland 3

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