MFL Web-based information and resources
General information
Developed by CILT http://www.primarylanguages.org.uk/
Developed by CILT http://www.nacell.org.uk/
DfES National Languages Strategy http://www.dfes.gov.uk/
BBC languages on-line www.bbc.co.uk
Regional Support Groups www.cilt.org.uk/primary/rsg.htm
Comenius Resources Centres www.cilt.org.uk/comenius/east
CILT Publications http://www.cilt.org.uk/
Association for Language Learning http://www.all-languages.org.uk/
From Cilt and ALL http://www.languages-ict.org.uk/
Cultural Institutes and Embassies sites
The Ultimate Site
http://www.nacell.org.uk/
The official early language learning website sponsored by the DfES, containing links to other sites, downloadable information sheets on everything- resources, publishers, projects, e-mail links and networking. You can also join the online ELL discussion forum from this site. I highly recommend this as you can post your questions and have them answered by all the other members of the forum.
Sources of support for curriculum planning
ELL Curricular Models (CILT)www.nacell.org.uk/bestpractice/models.htm.
QCA general guidance (designing and timetabling the primary curriculum), QCA Schemes of Work and QCA non-statutory guidance
http://www.qca.org.uk/.
The “Framework” for Key Stage 2, which has been published nationally in October 2005, supports the introduction of a flexible programme over timewww.nacell.org.uk/profdev/KS2_framework_summary.htm#info
Assessment
The “European Language Portfolio”, based on the Common European Framework, allows pupils to record their progress in languages – useful transfer of information in KS2-3 transition.
www.nacell.org.uk/resources
The Languages Ladder is a voluntary recognition scheme which will be linked to a European languages framework (the Common European Framework) and to the existing qualification system.
This will enable learners to assess their own language competence, eventually in a wide range of languages, and in different language skills (Sept. 2005).
www.dfes.gov.uk/languages/DSP_languagesladder.cfm
Networking
http://www.globalgateway.org.uk/This site is sponsored by the DfES and hosted and managed by the British Council. It contains details on finding e-mail partners, funding for projects and other international activities.
The Nacell website above also has an e-mail partners section.
Sites to be used on-line
A subscription site for French, German, Spanish, Italian but contains numerous free previews of the games under the linguamate tab. It can be used independently by pupils, which makes it ideal for KS2 learners. Good for basic writing, word/picture matching, noughts and crosses, basic writing, wordsearch, hangman, space invaders, printable worksheets. If you click on the ‘preview’ button on the website’s homepage, there is a whole group of activities and games on the topic ‘In the town’ in all four languages. There is also a feature which allows you to create your own MFL games for the computer / interactive whiteboard, although this requires a subscription.
http://www.atantot.com/
This site includes comprehensive topic based presentations for KS2 in French, German, Spanish and Italian. Unfortunately, the site now requires a subscription and these can no longer be accessed free of charge but it is only £40 a year. Lyrics for some songs in French can be accessed without a subscription, although there are no sound files to accompany these.
http://www.chez-merlin.com/
This is a French Maths site. To enter, click on the large red button on the left hand side. I have used this site extensively in Numeracy lessons, but the 6/7 Numeration section is very good for MFL. Y5/6 can practise matching written numbers with numerals and Y1 – Y4 can practise putting numbers in sequence. The language in the 7/8 section is more advanced, but still useable for MFL with supervision. In the ages above that, the language gets too complicated for young users.
http://www.teachnet.ie/clane/index.html
Songs, recipes, well known stories and other resources
http://chezlorry.ca/
You need to be a French speaker to use this site but has stories and other useful resources.
http://www.ecole-plus.com/
This is suitable for fluent French speakers – it has a great collection of photos.
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/mfle/c4modernlanguages/
French – Chez Mimi excellent online games including Guess Who.
German – Henning’s Haus
http://www.sitespourenfants.com/
French site for children, parents and teachers. Contain educational and recreational activities. You need to be a fluent French speaker to make the most of this site. (includes links to other French sites)
www.zut.org.uk
This site is designed for secondary pupils but the Year 7 section is very clear and can be used with younger pupils. I have found the Numbers section to be particularly useful. In Les Nombres there is a listening exercise where numbers are missed out and pupils have to identify them and a speed test where pupils have to write the numbers 1 – 10 using the letter tiles provided (this is timed and can become very competitive!). There are sections on all basic topics, Pets is also another good one. In the Pets section, the Qu’est-ce que c’est? games are good for young learners, but do involve having to recognise the written form of the pet vocabulary.
As a general rule, any of the exercises with accompanying sound files are usually suitable for younger learners along with the match the pictures style exercises.
http://www.gridclub.com/
There are games in French, Spanish and English. It is a subscription site but worth looking at. You can apply for a free 14 day trial to try this.
http://www.takatrouver.net/:
This is a French government sponsored website. You need to be a fluent French speaker to use this site.
Sites with downloadable materials
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryfrench/
This is a very good site and is very similar to the Pilote CD-ROM in its content and style. It has detailed teacher’s notes and off-line and on-line lesson plans that can be accessed by clicking on the teacher button before entering the 10 – 11 primary French section or by clicking on the open book icon next to each exercise. There are also printable worksheets and a good song section with very simple raps. Children seem to enjoy the video clips ofFrench children with simple dialogue to follow. It is best to view this site using Flash (version 6.0 or above) but there is a non-animated HTML version.
This site is easily navigated and all the content is suitable for whole class teaching or individual work.
www.frenchteacher.net
This is a secondary site but has some good resources for children in the primary school
http://www.primaryfrench.net
This site is the brainchild of Connie Hurd, a full time primary French teacher in Lincoln. All the activities and puzzles are free. The site also has some free printable worksheets for teachers. A good selection of photos from France are also online and can be downloaded.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/
This is a good site with printable books on basic vocabulary, plus printable labels and activities. All for very young learners and very user friendly.
www.primaryresources.co.uk/mfl/mfl.htm
This is a great site where primary teachers can upload and download any displays, labels, worksheets in French, German and Spanish. All perfect for KS2 because all the resources are created by teachers themselves.
http://www.mgfl.northumberland.gov.uk/languages/Fables/default.htm
Interactive French stories with accompanying resources. Stories are read online by a French speaker and has animations.
www.teachingideas.co.uk/foreignlanguages/contents.htm
A website with some great teaching ideas for modern foreign languages. Also includes some worksheets in French, German and Spanish and photographs of MFL displays.
http://www.momes.net/
Click on the “comptines” section for hundreds of nursery rhymes and poems about any topic imaginable. Just lyrics, no sound files so you may need to be imaginative with the tunes!
http://www.readinga-z.com/.
A site where you can download printable books in French and Spanish. All are levelled for ease of use. You have to subscribe to get the full range but there are a few freebies in the sample section. Not as good as enchantedlearning.com but worth a look.
http://www.paroles.net/
A site with lyrics and sound files for French pop songs.
http://www.henrides.net/
The official site for Henri Des with songs, games etc. You must subscribe for some parts but most of it is free.
http://www.pilotelanguages.com/
Site to accompany the Pilote CD roms and videos. Lots of good cultural information and very user friendly for non-specialist teachers. Numerous links to relevant websites. More suitable for teachers or older pupils, as there is lots of information with few pictures.
Teachers only
http://www.languageguide.org/
This site has sound files of basic vocabulary in many languages. It is extremely user friendly and great if you want to check pronunciation before a lesson!
http://bbc.co.uk/languagesThis site has basic vocabulary with sound files in a huge number of languages. Look in the holiday section for operational words such as please, thank you, hello, goodbye etc.
Resource catalogues/Resources
Stickers and posters etc
www.senlac.com
www.cartescochons.com
www.puppetsbypost.com
www.little-linguists.co.uk
http://www.younglinguists.com/ - young learners part of European Schoolbooks.
http://www.avp.co.uk/ - includes some ICT resources.
http://www.earlystart.co.uk/ you can order the early start videos and DVDs from this site but they also have a great section for bilingual books and euro coins etc.
www.skoldo.comResources for sale for teaching French from 4 years of age. Suitable for home and school and linked to QCA units Teachers book, Pupil book, CD, stickers.
http://www.taskmagic.co.uk/ Contains masses of Jpeg images all cut to squares and all chosen to represent key vocabulary and all free. Taskmagic software is cheap, easy to use and really effective. They are making ready made primary activities in the coming months.
http://www.posterpals.ca/ – Spanish and French resources for sale including posters, flashcards, borders and games.
Cost: over £100 per year group
Suitable for teachers with very little or NO knowledge of French!
Y 3/4 available together Y5/6 not yet written
Combines cartoon IWB stories and games with big books, songs and puppets
Very clear teachers’ book with lesson plans
Downloadable coloured flashcards
Downloadable differentiated worksheets and assessment
Includes a ‘virtual teacher’ tool (head and shoulder film of a native speaker giving commands, vocabulary words etc)
Includes big books and puppets
A resource that will stimulate lots of role-play and drama
Pilote: www.ketv.co.uk:
Cost: under £100 per year group
Suitable for teachers with low language expertise
Could be used on its own as a complete course
Many Norfolk schools already using this resource
Very good video/DVD resource with native speaker children in their own homes and schools
Vocabulary introduced slowly and clearly
Interactive CD Rom with games to practise the language introduced on video
Teachers’ guidance with framework links available on Kent web-site
Covers main areas of existing QCA scheme of work
A good ‘ mix and match’ with Early Start for mixed age classes
Petit Pont: www.petitpont.co.uk:
Cost: under £100 per year group
Best for teachers with some knowledge of French as teachers’ book is a little complex for complete non-specialists
Could be used as a stand-alone resource but no video of native speaker children
Quality visuals and catchy tunes
Very good IWB resource
Has a non essential children's course book
Part 2 in production and also German and Spanish ‘on the way’
Little Tails of the Unexpected: www.beelingua.com
Cost: under £100 per year group
Best for teachers with some knowledge of French
A novel approach to language learning combining very structured acquisition of vocabulary with stories
Good IWB resource
No video of native speaker children
Tout-le-monde: www.tout-le-monde.co.uk
Cost: over £100 per year group
Written for non-specialist teachers
Hot off the press resource from Heinemann
Can be bought in CD format or as an on-line subscription
Best to use with IWB
Y3 available now: Y4 soon :Y 5 and Y6 may be more cross-curricular
Units with varied formats: big books, cartoons, songs etc
Strong links to framework objectives
Clear teachers’ book with lesson plans
Very full of content: could take longer to cover content than suggested
Some native speaker film for IU coverage
Self-assessment sheets
Catherine Cheater Scheme of Work: www.tlpubs.org.uk/schemeofwork.html
Cost: over £100 per year group
Teacher needs reasonable language confidence
Sound files of stories available for help and PowerPoints to support may be available in the future
Y3 currently available;Y4 coming soon
A very clearly written SOW: 30 detailed lesson plans
‘Practice parcels’: a novel idea to reinforce language learned throughout the week
VERY framework friendly (Catherine was one of the Framework authors)
Strong emphasis on phonics and story-telling and age appropriate methodology
Suggestions for web-based coverage of IU strand
LCP: www.LCP.co.uk
Cost: £129.97 (incl VAT) – covers years 3 and 4
Teacher needs reasonable command of French
Teachers’ folder with many ideas for activities
Clear links with framework and clear medium term planning
Very full of content for a Y3 course
Flip chart, songs, pronunciation help and big books to support
La Jolie Ronde: www.lajolieronde.co.uk
Cost: £175 + VAT – for both year 3 and 4
The package includes:
Detailed lesson notes
Links with the MFL Framework
4 CDs:
A CD of sound files for language support (87 tracks)
A CD of resources with over 135 files to support lessons
A CD of resources for use with the Interactive Whiteboard
A CD of songs and poems recorded by native French speakers (36 tracks)
Flashcards,texts of stories and poems, transcripts of songs and PowerPoint presentations.
The scheme has been written in accordance with the Key Stage 2 Framework. The lessons are generally divided into 4x15 minute sessions to give maximum flexibility.
Talking Big Books: www.earlystart.co.uk
This series has several titles eg. “Puppy Finds a Friend” with strong links to framework literacy objectives and general literacy skills
Most suitable for use in the 2nd or subsequent years of language learning
Comptines à chanter www.editionsmilan.com
Three volumes
Individual voices: particular appeal to Y 3/4
Chantez plus fort: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
Tuneful children’s choir and individual voices: particular appeal to Y 3/4
Lively songs on most QCA topic areas with 2 CDs (1. native children singing 2. Instrumental)
Book and CD pack with: sheet music, words , illustrations and clear teachers’ notes
Singing French: www.acblack.com/developingfrench
Covers most QCA topic areas Book and CD pack with sheet music, words, illustrations and clear teachers’ notes.
Lively songs, some raps.
Le rhythme, la musique et les raps de Monsieur X: www.monsieurx.co.uk
Snappy songs and rhythmic beats
CD and words included
Allez hop ! Chantez : http://www.cartescochons.com/
(Cartes Cochons – Tel.: 01623 411496)
Thirty French songs
Flashcards
www.eriding.net/mfl/teaching_learning_resources.shtml#ks2 – an excellent site that features a huge range of flashcards and some schemes of work for KS2. Mainly French but some German and Spanish too.
Primary schools
The Snaith primary school site. Several stories in Italian, German and Welsh, Catalan, Greek, Welsh and Finnish.
http://www.downs.kent.sch.uk/default.shtmlThe Downs school site includes links to other websites
www.primaryfrench.co.uk
This site is run from Barnard Grove Primary School in Hartlepool. It is specifically designed to help primary aged pupils learn French. At the beginning of each section there is a question or key word.
Map – shows France and gives facts about the country in English - very good for topic work.
Colours – click on pallet to hear colours
Numbers – numerals and words (written phonetically in brackets)
Animals – click on animals to hear them.
Weather – click on pictures to hear the phrase il fait …
Clothes – click on clothes to hear the phrase Je porte ….. (with colours)
Food and Drink – Pictures and words (written phonetically in brackets)
The Quiz section can be used to test learning, but it is not interactive so it needs teacher feedback. The free resources section contains downloadable flashcards and worksheets in word format.
LEA sites
www.slamnet.org.uk
Links to other areas and pages with resources.
www.sunderlandschools.org/mfl-sunderland/resources.htm
Clipart
http://www.sla.purdue.edu/fll/JapanProj/FLClipart/
Animated Clipart
http://www.camsoftpartners.co.uk/websites.htm
Have a look at the "Favourite Websites" page under the heading "Clipart"
http://www.camsoftpartners.co.uk/lspinset.htm
For training materials on incorporating clipart and sound files into
PowerPoint.
http://www.ict4lt.org/
Look under the heading "Multimedia training tasks for MFL teachers"
This will also link you to relevant modules at the ICT4LT site.
Foreign Language Assistants
www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants.htm
Making Links Abroad
http://www.globalgateway.org.uk
http://www.etwinning.net
For researching
http://www.theotherside.co.uk/ Lots of information about cultural understanding.
http://www.language-investigator.co.uk/index.htm Lots about languages in general.
http://www.libres.org/ French website
Festivals and Celebrations: (most of this sites are more suitable for adult-based research
Christmas in France:
http://www.santas.net/frenchchristmas.htm
http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm
http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/french_christmas.php
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/christmas/
http://www.perenoel.com/village/
Joyeux Noël: http://www.lajolieronde.co.uk/
§ Suitable for teachers with medium to low language expertise
§ Photocopiable book and CD with Christmas related stories, activities and songs
www.christmas.com/worldview/
This site contains details of Christmas traditions. It also contains sound files of Christmas songs. It covers most of the world and is very good for cultural awareness. I have used it to gather information for international assemblies and for topic work.
New Year in France:
http://www.newyearfestival.com/new-year-in-france.html
Websites for festivals and celebrations
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_holidays.shtml- general information for teachers about festivals in France.
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/bastilleday.htm- A website suitable for upper KS2 with information about Bastille Day.
http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/?cat=356– This website explains how the ‘Fete de Rois’ is celebrated in France. Includes a recipe for the galette and explains the traditions. Also includes songs in French and English.
http://www.easterbunnys.net/easteraroundtheworld.htm- describes traditions for celebrating Easter around the world. User friendly and suitable for KS2 children.
http://www.gospain.org/fiestas/ - information on Spanish festivals and celebrations. Good for subject knowledge for teachers but not really suitable for children.
http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/index.htm- describes traditions for celebrating Christmas around the world. Lots of information but very wordy, suitable for teachers and upper KS2.
http://www.ashcombe.surrey.sch.uk/Curriculum/modlang/xmas.htm- an excellent website with many links to websites for information and activities on the topic of Christmas in France, Germany and Spanish.
Tara Deevoy/Marina Dixon
November 2005
Updated by Zoe Murton, Chris Ambrose and Sally Mullins
January 2008
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