Foreign Language goals for the logic stage

[kirstenhill]

I'm trying to figure out what direction to go for the next couple years with foreign language study for DD.   She has never had any interest in studying Latin...so as much as i would like to start there with language study, I don't think I can persuade her to try it.

 

She has been telling me for over a year that she wants to learn German, and that Spanish is her second choice.   We are not planning any foreign travel in the next few years, so "usefulness" of the language is not a top concern. 

 

If we started studying German or Spanish next year (when DD is in 5th) could I expect that possibly she would be able to test out of a high school level first year class? or progress even further than that? (Aka, would she be able to take a German 2 or German 3 class at a local high school in 9th grade?).  Or would language study in 5th-8th grade more likely be "for fun" or for general enrichment, and she would still essentially be a beginner in terms of a formal high school level class?

 

I am sure what materials we use would make a difference, but I am not sure I want to invest big bucks or a lot of time into language study if it's unlikely she can progress far enough to even be able to skip one year of high school language. 

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Is your only goal with language study to test out of high school level requirements or for her to achieve proficiency in a foreign language?  What are her desires in this?  Does she just want to test out of a high school level requirement or is she genuinely interested in learning a second language and willing to put in the work necessary to become proficient?  The goal may play a very strong part in how advanced she becomes by high school.

 

Also, the earlier studies in a foreign language begin, usually the greater the chance that a student will achieve proficiency, but without consistent use these skills won't usually get past a certain level.  Is there any access to a native speaker in either of those languages?  Being able to converse with a native speaker and hopefully write to them, too, would certainly increase the likelihood that she would be able to test out of a high school level language requirement but more importantly, IMHO, it would increase the likelihood that she could get truly proficient at the foreign language (though probably not fluent without significant additional study and exposure as she gets older).  

 

Honestly, though, even with access to a native speaker, strong desire to learn, etc. there is no way to predict what level of proficiency your child will achieve until she starts trying to learn.  Some are naturally gifted at learning languages, others have to work very hard but can achieve some level of proficiency and for others it may never be possible to truly do well in a foreign language.  Maybe start with some simple lessons in both languages and see which one she is more comfortable with...

[kirstenhill]

Those are some good things to think about...When I asked her the other day why she wanted to learn a language, her response was something like, "I don't know, it just sounds like fun."    She has no clue about high school/college requirements, and I am not sure she really knows what her goals are.   I am more trying to decide between just letting her do Duolingo when she feels like it and calling it good until high school...and actually buying a curriculum and spending 20-30 minutes a day on it as a school subject (or maybe something in between).  I don't want to spend 20 minutes a day for the next 3 or 4 years and have it not go anywhere in terms of meeting requirements.    Maybe I am too much of a pragmatist, but DD only has so much patience for formal school subjects, and I want to put it to use in the most useful way possible.

 

We have the most potential access to a native speaker in German -- neighbors across the street are a bilingual family, and the kids are in German immersion school.  We hear their family speaking German all the time, which is I think what gave her the idea to want to learn it herself.  I don't think they are interested in any formal "tutoring" with her as their family is quite busy, but she would have some opportunity to practice, at least at the moment.  Based on our potential plans and what I know of their plans as well, I can't say that it is likely we will be living right across the street from them for all of her 4 years between now and high school though. 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Just what OneStepAtATime said. All I can share is our experience. My son began learning Latin three years ago. He is into languages and very much holds this as a major facet of our homeschooling. This year we finally merged over to a high school text, but we are not going at the high school rate. No where close. Each single level high school course will take us two years. That will put him at about third year high school Latin when he starts 9th grade. So we started at the age of six to get to skipping the first two years of high school. This is not guaranteed; we all know how wonderful homeschool schedule planning goes!

 

With Spanish, he started five years ago and we are slowly moving through high school materials there as well. This one he is stronger in verbally as well as reading and writing. He would be able to pass a beginning high school Spanish one class now, after five years, and we have a Native speaking friend whom he did immersion with last year one day a week. By 9th grade, he would most likely test into third or fourth year Spanish. The reason it is basically the same level as Latin is the conversational component. I can do a bit, but not what would be necessary by third year Spanish. Without outside tutoring, he will stagnate in his learning.

 

That said, he is very comfortable with the languages. Starting early means he really *gets* it. He has none of the language nervousness or jitters I did about writing or translating when I was in high school. He still has to think, the words do not just tumble out of him, but he is very much at ease. I would not undo the years we have spent at all. However, foreign language is a long haul subject. I do not think early years add up to high school years without killing the joy and losing quite a bit of the flow which is so important. There just isn't the stamina in the beginning. The foundational work takes forever and then somehow the pieces begin to really fall together intuitively.

[madteaparty]

My goal for the logic stage is to keep language study as a daily, essential part of our routine, much like Math and English (albeit in smaller time increments). I also provide as many immersion/native speaker/class experiences as I can manage/afford. Where we end up by high school, who knows. I am finding out that with foreign language one really needs to trust the process, that there is no great prize to keep your eye on (no "ready for Algebra!" type milestone, etc). We would study the language whether we get to any level of fluency or not. At a minimum, I hope he is able to take the AP in 8th grade for one language and continue to study a second through high school, but these are only my hopes and dreams so should be discounted accordingly.

 

DS is getting more confident as he learns more words (I say it's dinner time, and he will ask me "what's for dinner" in French and then insist that I respond in French and then corrects me ;)). This new facility he is finding is a nice bonus. He has to study the language anyway, much like has to learn math ;) It;s a good thing it's turning out to be fun, after all.

[Arcadia]

 

If we started studying German or Spanish next year (when DD is in 5th) could I expect that possibly she would be able to test out of a high school level first year class? or progress even further than that? (Aka, would she be able to take a German 2 or German 3 class at a local high school in 9th grade?).  Or would language study in 5th-8th grade more likely be "for fun" or for general enrichment, and she would still essentially be a beginner in terms of a formal high school level class?

 

 

It depends on your child's progress.  I did ask my local high schools and my kids could test out of German 1 or Chinese 1 and Chinese 2 if they are good enough.  They would need to get a very good score in the placement test. 

 

The thing is 2 years of foreign language is required for high school here.  So if they test out of German 1 or Chinese 1 & 2, that would mean a lighter 12th grade load.  Or my kids could do two years of Chinese and two years of German.

 

I'll be ramping up Chinese this coming summer holidays for my boys.  The goal for middle school is to be getting them as fluent as natives (and we are Chinese).  We are doing German through Saturday school so they are suppose to reach at least German 1 proficiency in 4 years if my kids put in consistent effort.  I do expect them to take AP German or AP Chinese for the sake of the A-G foreign language requirements for California's state universities.  I hope they take both though but its their call.

[Pen]

I'd have her start Duolingo German and whatever she can do informally with the people across the street.

 

If she also wanted to start Duolingo Spanish, I'd let her do that. (My son started every Duolingo language he found available except Spanish--which I am working on.)

 

My persoal goal with language at logic stage is exposure to learning a foreign language. I am not looking at credits for high school at this point, but I think any language in high school will be easier with prior experience in learning any language.