Resource Portal

Resource Portal transition page

Explore our open, searchable database of materials supporting language learning and teaching. All our resources are evidence-based and underpinned by peer-reviewed research. We especially draw on the recommendations of the ‘Review of MFL Pedagogy’ when creating materials.

Visit our resource portal

The NCELP Resource Portal was launched at the end of May. Whilst we continue to make improvements to the portal, the resource collections below will remain on this page.

New resources

Phonics

• Is a particular phonics approach better for teaching reading? (OASIS page) OASIS Summary of Goswami (2005)
• To what extent does pupils’ ability to sound out words affect their motivation to continue with the study of the language? (OASIS page) OASIS Summary of Erler & Macaro (2011). 
• Tracking progress in beginner language learners’ ability to sound out new words (OASIS page). OASIS Summary of Woore (2009). 
• The effects of phonics instruction on primary school learners’ French reading aloud (OASIS page). OASIS Summary of Porter (2014). 
• Teaching reading to beginner learners of French in secondary school (OASIS page). OASIS Summary of Woore et al. (2018).
• Rationale for teaching phonics (link to Resource Portal)
• Suggested ideas for teaching phonics (link to Resource Portal)

RESOURCES FOR TEACHING PHONICS

Presenting new SSC

French:

• French SSC Phonics Poster (link to Resource Portal)
• French SSC (Symbol-sound correspondence) and phonics source words (link to Resource Portal)
• French SSC (Symbol-sound correspondence) and phonics cluster words (link to Resource Portal)
• French SSC phonics teaching sequence: SFC (Silent Final Consonant) (link to Resource Portal)
• French SSC phonics teaching sequence: SFC (Silent Final Consonant) [2] (link to Resource Portal)

Applying SSC knowledge

• French phonics pelmanism with four SSC (symbol-sound correspondence) (link to Resource Portal
• French Reading activities [FLEUR] (link to Resource Portal search)
• Speaking Homework (link to Resource Portal)

Assessing SSC knowledge

• Phonics teaching discussion / Phonics teaching discussion with VEO tags (link to Resource Portal)

French:

• French diagnostic read aloud test 1 (link to Resource Portal)
• French phonological decoding (individual words) 1-1 and class Scoring spreadsheet (link to Resource Portal)
• French decoding test (reading) Time 1 [FLEUR] (link to Resource Portal)
• French decoding test (written) Time 2 [FLEUR] (link to Resource Portal)

Spanish:

• Spanish diagnotistic read aloud test 1 (link to Resource Portal)
• Spanish phonological decoding (individual words) 1-1 Class scoring spreadsheet (link to Resource Portal)

Vocabulary

Residential 1 resources

• How vocabulary knowledge contributes to proficiency in the four skills. OASIS Summary of Milton (2013).
• A review of current research on second language vocabulary learning. OASIS Summary of Schmitt (2008). 
• Which methods of vocabulary learning are most effective with beginner learners? OASIS Summary of Sagarra & Alba (2006)

Vocabulary teaching resources

AQA GCSE Frequency Word lists

Vocabulary lists, rationale and uses (link to Resource Portal)

French:

• Vocabulary frequency lists – French full list by topic, by part of speech, A-Z (link to Resource Portal)

German:

• Vocabulary frequency lists – German full list by topic, by part of speech, A-Z (link to Resource Portal)

Spanish:

• Vocabulary frequency lists – Spanish full list by topic, by part of speech, A-Z (link to Resource Portal)

• Vocabulary frequency lists – Spanish words in top 2000 but not on AQA vocabulary list (link to Resource Portal)

Verb presentation resources

Focusing on the verb lexicon: Why and how to teach a verb vocabulary (link to Resource Portal)

French:

• French – Overview of language in ‘first encounter’ 25 and 15 verb resources (link to Resource Portal)
• French 25 most common verbs – resources (link to Resource Portal search)

• French 15 high-frequency prototype verbs – resources (link to Resource Portal search)

German:

• German – Overview of language in ‘first encounter’ 25 and 15 verb resources (link to Resource Portal)
• German 25 most common verbs – resources (link to Resource Portal search)

• German 25 high-frequency prototype verbs – resources (link to Resource Portal search)

Spanish:

• Spanish – Overview of language in ‘first encounter’ 25 and 15 verb resources (link to Resource Portal)
• Spanish 25 most common verbs – resources  (link to Resource Portal search)
• Spanish 15 high-frequency prototype verbs – resources (link to Resource Portal search)

Vocabulary learning sequences

Vocabulary learning sequences: teacher notes (link to Resource Portal)

Spanish:

• Spanish – Sentence builder – En la ciudad (link to Resource Portal)

Information gap tasks

French:

• Avoir-Etre Spot the Difference – French (link to Resource Portal)
• Jigsaw task: Names and ages – French (link to Resource Portal)
• Classroom Spot the Difference – French (link to Resource Portal)
• French postcard decision-making activity (link to Resource Portal)

German:

• Spot the difference 15 verbs – German (link to Resource Portal)
• Jigsaw task: names and ages – German (link to Resource Portal)
• Guess Where?  – German (link to Resource Portal)
• SEIN / HABEN spot the difference (link to Resource Portal)
• German postcard decision-making activity (link to Resource Portal)

Spanish:

• Classroom Spot the Difference – Spanish (link to Resource Portal)
• Jigsaw task: names and ages – Spanish (link to Resource Portal)

• Planet Spot the Difference – Spanish (link to Resource Portal)
• SER / TENER spot the difference – Spanish (link to Resource Portal)
• Spanish postcard decision-making activity – holiday (link to Resource Portal)

Assessment

• Pupil self-assessment checklist template (link to Resource Portal)Pupil self-assessment checklist vocabulary learning: L’école – French (link to Resource Portal)

Grammar

Residential 1 resources

• What do 49 studies tell us about the effectiveness of grammar teaching? OASIS Summary of Norris & Ortega (2001). 
• Second language grammar learning: what is difficult and why? OASIS Summary of DeKeyser (2005).
• How do age and learning conditions influence second language learning? OASIS Summary of Lichtman (2016). 
• The impact of different input activities on grammar learning for beginning language learners. OASIS Summary of Marsden (2006). 
• Teaching grammar through different types of input activities. OASIS Summary of Kasprowicz & Marsden (2017). 

Grammar CPD Resources

• NCELP Grammar CPD half-day (link to Resource Portal)
  • What determines the difficulty of grammar
  • Principles for teaching grammar in a foreign language

French NCELP Grammar resources

• Questions versus Statements  – 2nd person singular ONLY (link to Resource Portal)
• Questions versus Statements – 2nd person plural ONLY (link to Resource Portal)
• Talking to others: tu and vous – 2nd person singular versus 2nd person plural (link to Resource Portal)
• Present versus perfect tense (avoir) – 1st person singular (link to Resource Portal)
• The perfect tense (avoir) – 3rd person singular and plural (link to Resource Portal)
• The perfect tense: avoir versus etre – 3rd person singular (link to Resource Portal)

• French present irregular verbs 3rd person singular vs plural (link to Resource Portal)
• French present -RE verbs 3rd person singular vs plural (link to Resource Portal)
• French present -IR verbs 3rd person singular vs plural (link to Resource Portal)
• French present -ER verbs 3rd person singular vs plural (link to Resource Portal) 
• French question words introduction (link to Resource Portal)
• French question words practice (link to Resource Portal)

German NCELP Grammar resources

• Present tense – 3rd person singular versus plural (link to Resource Portal)
• Perfect tense – 1st person singular (link to Resource Portal)
• Question words introduction (link to Resource Portal)
• Question words practice (link to Resource Portal)

Spanish NCELP Grammar resources

• Present tense -AR verbs – 1st person singular and plural (link to Resource Portal)
• Present tense – AR verbs affirmative versus negative (link to Resource Portal)
• Present tense -AR verbs – 2nd person singular and plural (link to Resource Portal)
• Present reflexive ‘me’ versus non-reflexive (link to Resource Portal)

• Question words introduction (link to Resource Portal)
• Question words practice (link to Resource Portal)

Meaningful Practice

Meaningful Practice (link to Resource Portal search)