Clicker MFL and new National Curriculum requirements

Reposted with permission from Crick Software UK Blog

We have been asked recently by a number of schools if our ‘Powered by Clicker’ MFL resources – Clicker French and Clicker Spanish – meet the new National Curriculum in England requirements for Languages. The answer is – absolutely! In fact, these are excellent primary language resources, whatever curriculum or programme you are currently following. Let’s take a quick look at the Clicker MFL approach to language learning, to give you an idea of how it can support teaching and learning in your own classroom.

Firstly, it’s worth reminding ourselves what Clicker itself is good at and why it’s a great resource for children in the early stages of learning and using any new language. Essentially, Clicker helps children to become effective communicators by building their confidence in speaking, reading and writing, and developing and extending their vocabulary. This makes it an effective tool for addressing the aims of a primary language learning curriculum that includes helping pupils to:

  • understand and respond to spoken and written language;
  • speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, and improve the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation;
  • write for different purposes and audiences, using a variety of grammatical structures.

Clicker French (and Clicker Spanish) consists of 3 CDs. The CDs introduce key vocabulary and language structures – linked to a range of popular, everyday topics (such as colours, numbers, food and animals) in CDs 1 and 2, and based on the context of well-known traditional tales in CD 3. The vocabulary and structures are then reinforced through extensive and varied Clicker activities that involve active listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Clicker French activities


Clicker French writing and reading activities


Children benefit from Clicker’s support features as they work – with a wealth of opportunities to read, write and speak in their new language, and lots of reinforcement along the way through visual models, aural prompts and speech feedback (the CDs use clear recordings by a native speaker and come with a French or Spanish speech engine).

Clicker offers children a non-threatening environment in which to learn French or Spanish – this inspires a positive attitude to language learning and boosts self-esteem, and of course, this lays the foundations for further foreign language learning and enjoyment beyond the primary phase. Using the power of Clicker in these resources makes learning a new language achievable, motivating and (most importantly) fun!

To find out more about these fantastic resources, check out our Clicker French and Clicker Spanish web pages.

Joanne Gibbins

As Content Editor at Crick Software, Jo is involved in creating and editing resources for new and on-going curriculum projects, including those on the Crick Software's free LearningGrids website, as well as keeping up-to-date with the latest curriculum developments.