Why have we chosen Latin?
At Redhill Primary School, we know that Latin is fundamental to improving literacy and the understanding of language development. It paves the way for learning other foreign languages whilst building their analytical skills. We believe that through our teaching of Latin, we will be providing an opportunity for our children to understand the foundations of western culture and the English language. The study of Latin links the richness of our curriculum with the ancient worlds we study in history to the multi-cultural society which we live, which will provide the strong foundations needed to explore the study of languages beyond Redhill.
Latin will be planned to build on prior learning and supplement the teaching of reading and writing. Upon initial implementation of teaching of Latin at Redhill, Years 3-6 will have the same starting point on the programme of study. After the first year of implementation, Year 3 will have the same starting point (Unit 1) and Years 4-6 will continue to progress where the left off in the previous year group.
This will continue until a full Year by Year group scheme of work can be applied.
Intent
We use Minimus as a programme of delivery for the teaching of Latin. It will provide children with the opportunity to explore the roots of our language. It will also provide the grammatical concepts within Latin so that knowledge builds on knowledge. Over the course of the programme, children will begin to understand the etymology and morphology of our language and become confident when decoding. Latin will ensure that our children are well-spoken and excited by language after being exposed to a rich bank of vocabulary.
Implementation
As a school, we recognise that Latin is a complex subject that is underpinned by many elements. However, we have identified key concepts that our curriculum is based upon. These concepts come from the National Curriculum.
- Phonology
- Grammatical Structures
- Vocabulary
- Cultural Awareness
We make use of the Minimus scheme of work to support the delivery of Latin lessons effectively. These are well established resources which follow a familiar sequence:
- Retrieve
- New scenario
- Translate
- Review
The learning delivered by teachers allows children to learn key skills that are linked to four main skills of language teaching: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
We draw upon children’s language knowledge alongside inferences of an image to allow children to retrieve knowledge of language in English and relate this to Latin. Regular retrieval of previous learning is vital to the success of developing a rich Latin understanding.
Latin lessons involve a range of activities including games, simple drama activities and songs. This allows ample opportunity for children to learn through a variety of strategies and to embed key concepts into children’s long-term memory through repetition.
The Minimus cartoon presentation will be used to develop children’s language as it builds from previous language and provides regular repetition of key words, phrases along with masculine and feminine verbs and adjectives. Latin has been chosen to allow for exploration of etymology and morphology alongside a stronger focus on developing children’s language and vocabulary acquirement.
Impact
Children will be able to use Latin to make cross-curricular link across the curriculum offer improving their understanding of the English language. They will also be able to explain grammatical changes across tense and gender. Confidence to explore the etymology and morphology of language will increase. Redhill children will be confident speakers of Latin.