Teach Primary Issue 18.5

I am a staunch supporter of the teaching of languages in primary schools. My problem is that, despite the willingness of my spirit, the flesh is shockingly weak. Indeed, even though I achieved a decent grade in French at 16, my practical ability was so woeful that I could make even the most stereotypically surly Parisian speak English to me rather than suffer my assault on their language for more than 30 seconds. This painful dearth of linguistic ability, plus the resultant lack of confidence, made me shudder at the very thought of teaching any language at primary level. If only I had had Kapow, I think things would have been very different. Kapow Primary Spanish is carefully designed to instil confidence in even the most linguistically timid teacher. That means the pupils will have every chance of gaining a strong foundation in the language and, most importantly, enjoy the experience. This truly impressive scheme is carefully sequenced to ease pupils along their learning journey. As you would expect, there is a clear focus on phonics, vocabulary and grammar. I particularly liked the pupil phoneme videos featuring charismatic native Spanish speakers modelling the correct way to iterate words and individual phonemes. They call this Mouth Mechanics®, and with good reason because they clearly demonstrate not only what each phoneme should sound like but also how the mouth should move and take shape in order to say it properly. Teachers will love the way everything is handed to them on a plate. Detailed, easy-to-follow lesson plans are backed by appealing visual resources and printable activities. There are also extensive CPD resources including numerous bite-sized videos – enough to develop a detailed subject knowledge in anyone, no matter how sketchy their familiarity with Spanish might be. Furthermore, there are a host of planning and information documents, from curriculummapping guides to parent communications that will really make the subject leader’s day. As for the pupils, I can see them being thoroughly engaged in these lessons. The input is clear and sensibly sequenced; the activities are enjoyable and well-pitched. There is also a firm emphasis on building cultural awareness, not least through the high-quality videos illustrating Spanish traditions and everyday life. In short, everything about this scheme is designed not just to get pupils speaking the language, but feeling confident to engage in its practical applications in purposeful activities. The scheme of work features some beautiful pupil videos to introduce the wider Spanish- speaking world. It also offers some excellent cross-curricular opportunities for Geography, in particular (exploring countries and conservation in South America), but also history, science and music. Kapow Primary Spanish is innovative, creative, modern and still evolving. It is currently available for Years 3–6, with mixed-age planning coming soon. This is a product that oozes quality and high production values. Everything you could possibly want from a language scheme is here, neatly provided in a slick, professional package. Wave goodbye to nervous teachers and say ¡Hola! to fun, effective Spanish lessons. From £215 | kapowprimary.com/subjects/spanish | Contact enquiries@kapowprimary.com Appealing and engaging for pupils Slick and professionally produced Thoughtful and thorough Builds teacher confidence Reduces teacher and subject-leader workload …you want to implement a high-quality Spanish language scheme that really delivers for pupils and teachers alike. VERD I CT UPGRADE I F . . . A complete package of quality resources for teaching primary level Spanish AT A GLANCE MFL Everything you need to teach Spanish to KS2 pupils. Accessible to all primary school teachers, regardless of linguistic skills. Consistent with national curriculum guidance. Fully resourced lesson plans with clear progression. Extensive CPDmaterials. REVIEWED BY: MIKE DAVIES KapowPrimary Spanish 80 | www.teachwire.net RE V I EWS