Introduction  

Welcome to Starters and Plenaries for MFL.

This resource supports the Key Stage 3 National Strategy and the Framework for teaching modern foreign languages: Years 7, 8 and 9 (hereafter referred to as the MFL Framework). For each teaching objective in the MFL Framework, there is at least one activity included here.

If your school opted in at the first available opportunity, at a time just prior to the full details of the MFL Framework being brought to light, funding will have been provided for a single person to be trained and your school will have received free preliminary training materials. Those who hesitated, however, are not lost. All the training materials are freely available on the Internet and you have, in fact, missed nothing but the issue of a rather large and cumbersome folder containing the glossy version of the same materials.

Despite the mind-boggling speed with which this scheme was launched, local authorities have provided introductory INSET to participating departments and explained the use of the training materials. Because there was such a short time-lapse between producing the details of the MFL Framework and calling for its introduction, much of this INSET will have consisted of little more than reading through the folder together, and pointing out the training teachers might require.

The intention of this resource is to support the MFL teacher in delivering the MFL Framework. It is best used after careful reading of the KS3 National Strategy, which can be downloaded from http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/ (click on the hyperlinks for ‘Foundation subjects’ and ‘MFL Framework’). An understanding of the MFL Framework’s key concepts is an essential prerequisite to delivering the principles of the MFL Framework and effective training should precede the use of this resource.