Reply to What DCPS ESs have foreign language as part of their core curriculum?

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Reply to "What DCPS ESs have foreign language as part of their core curriculum?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Many DCPS ESs have FL as a special. Ours does. It rotates with the other specials so is offered only a few times per week for less than an hour per class. It only succeeds in providing limited exposure to the particular FL and to FL in general. The students learn very little of the actual FL.

I think it’s mainly a marketing thing and the resources could be better spent elsewhere. YMMV[/quote]

Since most students will take a foreign language in MS and HS, I don't view it as just a "marketing thing." If schools are trying to tell parents their kids are going to gain fluency of any kind in a once a week special, that's obviously BS. But as a way to ensure your kid isn't showing up to their Spanish 1 class in 6th grade with zero exposure to a foreign language, it's a good deal.

I took Spanish in MS and HS, took the AP exam, and went on to  study it in college. I didn't have any exposure before 6th and I think it would have been useful. You learn basic vocabulary and grammar, and younger kids generally have a better ear for accents and mimicry than older students, which means it's a good time to learn things like how to roll your 'r's or to distinguish between the different vowel sounds in another language, which are things that really trip up older learners.

Obviously it shouldn't take the place of foundational skills like math or reading, but yes there is value in getting essentially a taste of a foreign language in elementary. This is how English-language learning starts in most foreign countries as well -- they aren't doing full English immersion in France for 1st graders. It's an occasional class learning basic vocabulary and how to introduce yourself or say what you like, maybe a few songs. Most French students do not get more serious English language instruction until 11 or 12 when they enters their version of middle school. This is a widely accepted way for students to begin learning a second language, including in countries were additional language skills are highly valued.[/quote]

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