Spanish
Languages Coordinator: Mr Kinnair
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.” - Flora Lewis
The Strands of the Spanish National Curriculum
Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
Our Vision for Spanish at Eaves
At Eaves, our vision for Spanish is to develop confident, curious and enthusiastic language learners who enjoy communicating in another language and are interested in the cultures and communities connected to it. We want children to understand that learning a language is about much more than remembering vocabulary; it is about communicating, listening, making connections and opening a window onto the wider world.
Our Spanish curriculum reflects our wider Eaves Curriculum Model. Children's strong roots in their own language, identity and community provide a foundation from which they can explore another language and culture. Spanish provides an important window into different places, traditions and ways of life and opens doors to future language learning, travel, relationships, study and employment.
Our Spanish Curriculum Offer
Our Spanish curriculum is carefully sequenced so that children build their vocabulary, grammatical understanding and confidence progressively as they move through Key Stage 2. New language is introduced in manageable steps and previously taught vocabulary and structures are deliberately revisited so that children can increasingly retrieve and use their learning independently.
Children develop the interconnected skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. They learn vocabulary and useful phrases before progressing towards constructing sentences, asking and answering questions, reading increasingly complex texts and communicating their own ideas in Spanish.
We want children to understand some of the patterns and structures of language, including pronunciation and grammar, rather than simply memorising isolated words. Making connections between Spanish and English also encourages children to think carefully about how languages work and provides strong foundations for further language learning at secondary school.
Communication, Confidence & The Eaves Way
Language learning naturally reflects our EAVES values of Exploration, Authenticity, Vision, Encouragement and Synergy. Children explore a different language and culture, use Spanish for meaningful communication and work together to practise and refine their language.
We particularly want our classrooms to be places where children are willing to have a go. Learning another language requires confidence, resilience and an acceptance that making mistakes is an important part of learning. Through encouragement, repetition and regular opportunities to practise, children become increasingly willing to speak Spanish independently.
Spanish, Culture & the Wider World
Learning Spanish provides children with an important opportunity to look beyond their immediate experiences. Alongside language, children encounter aspects of the culture, traditions and everyday life of Spanish-speaking communities, helping them understand that languages connect people across countries and continents.
This contributes to children's cultural capital and Personal Development, encouraging curiosity about people and places beyond their own community. It supports our Curriculum Model particularly strongly: children retain pride in their own roots, while Spanish provides new windows through which to understand the wider world and doors to experiences and opportunities in their future.
Spanish Beyond the Classroom – Experiences & Cultural Capital
We want children's experience of languages and cultures to extend beyond the formal Spanish lesson. Cultural celebrations, themed experiences, visitors, food, music, stories and authentic Spanish resources can help bring language learning to life and allow children to experience aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures in meaningful contexts.
As our enrichment offer develops, we want to create further opportunities for children to encounter Spanish in authentic situations, helping them recognise that the language they learn in school is spoken and used by real people around the world. These experiences broaden children's horizons and help ensure that every child develops a richer understanding of the world beyond their immediate community.
Oracy Through Spanish
Oracy is at the heart of Spanish at Eaves. Children learn a language by hearing it, rehearsing it and having frequent opportunities to use it. From repeating new sounds and vocabulary to asking questions and holding short conversations, children progressively develop the confidence to communicate for a real purpose.
Partner talk, songs, rhymes, games, questioning and conversational exchanges provide regular opportunities to practise pronunciation, intonation, fluency and active listening. Children learn to listen carefully, respond appropriately and use familiar language increasingly independently.
Spanish also strengthens children's wider understanding of oracy by encouraging them to think about how meaning is communicated through vocabulary, voice, expression and gesture. It helps develop children who are willing to communicate, listen carefully and appreciate languages beyond their own.
Ultimately, we want children to leave Eaves believing “I can learn another language.” They should have strong foundations in Spanish, an enthusiasm for communicating and the curiosity and confidence to continue learning languages as they move into secondary school and the wider world.
Listen. Speak. Practise. Communicate. Explore. Connect. Discover. – Spanish The Eaves Way.
Spanish - Gallery
