French at Culgaith

In our school we teach a foreign language to all children as part of the normal school curriculum. We do this for several reasons. Firstly, we believe that many children really enjoy learning to speak another language. Secondly, we also believe that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired. We also believe that it is a good idea to introduce a new language to children when they are at primary school, as they tend to be less self-conscious about speaking aloud at this stage of their development. It is widely believed that the early acquisition of a foreign language facilitates the learning of other foreign languages later in life.

Aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of learning a modern foreign language in primary school are:

• to foster an interest in learning other languages;
• to introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun;
• to make young children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
• to help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries;
• to develop their speaking and listening skills;
• to lay the foundations for future study.