Rob IllingworthAn engaging languages day - building participation and KS4

Hall Park Academy

Building an active and engaging languages day.

For RTSA MFL Teach Meet: 15th July 2015

RationaleSince languages has become optional

at the HPA student uptake has dropped dramatically. Only sixteen students in our Y11 cohort had chosen to take a language.

One of the aims of this day was to raise the profile of languages with students and parents.

To in an engaging way, increase the uptake across the school and include a variety of French cultural links.

Sessions We wanted to make sessions as engaging and

active as possible and decided on the following sessions:

Assembly (with Q+A with Edouard Shoenecker, native French speaker from the Nottingham Forest Academy)

French PE lesson (handball) French fashion French food French music

These were chosen as subject likely to be the most motivational for students.

Assembly The assembly looked at

the importance of learning languages. It included:

1. A Presentation by me about languages

2. Q+A with Edouard Shoenecker (with listening grid for students)

3. Experiences of students of languages at GCSE (which were very powerful)

Sport - HandballDuring this sessions students completed a PE

lesson about handball in French including:

A warm up: This was followed by a task on body parts and intructions (e.g Jetez, sautez etc)

Handball shooting drill: This used the instructions from the drill to practise shooting in handball

Game refereed in French: This allowed students to use the skill practised and Y9 referees were provided with refereeing terms and signals in French which were shared with the students, allowing this to work.

Music This session followed on

from our unit on music. It worked as follows:

Quick on the draw: Key language dictionary race to extend subject specific language to talk about music.

Modelled example Mini-White Board:

Opinions and reasons on music (timed)

Faux Radio Show: students take part in a radio phone in about the new music in the charts they have heard.

Food During this sessions

students:1. Seated in French by

GCSE students2. Matched up pictures to

French menu.3. Ordered food from the

menu in French4. Were given an “amuse

bouche” taster plate of French foods to try.

5. Students asked and answered questions about the food they had tried (using key skill bingo card)

6. Students learned how to complete a cheque in French and paid the bill for their food

FashionThis was set up like a mini

textiles design project, where students?

1. Annotated the key features in the designs of a famous French fashion designer

2. Used this to design an outfit in the style of this designer.

3. Presented their design in French to a panel of GCSE students (Using the support sections of the design sheet)

Feedback from pupils

Outstand-ing

Good Average Poor0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

FoodSportMusicFashionAssemblyOverall

Comments from feedbackWe tried lots of different things and I was surprised how much of the PE

session I understood. I even learned how to call M. Illingworth a cheat in

French!

I enjoyed the fashion session because we learned how to talk about clothes in more detail. It was a bit like doing

Textiles but in French.

Although I quite liked the music

session it is frustrating that

you can’t understand the songs. Some of the music was

very funny.

ImpactFollowing the success of this day:

24 students said this day made them more likely to choose and language.

43 students chose to do a language at GCSE (which means 20/24 were converted in options choices)

4 students have chosen both French and German

This is approaching three times the uptake from previous years.