If you do two languages, how do you schedule them (x-post)

[Hoggirl]

We have been doing Latin MWF and Spanish TTh, 40 minutes per day. I am trying to figure out what to do next year and am considering whether I want to keep it as is, or up my time to 60 minutes per day and do 30 minutes of each language each day. If I do the latter, should I do them back-to-back or at different times during the day?

 

TIA!

[Michelle in MO]

Well, ideally if you can fit it into your schedule, I think 30 minutes of each language per day would be more beneficial for retention, but I would separate the two language sessions. This is just my "gut" feeling, but I think it would be helpful to have a break in between the two---something not intensely verbal or mathematical, perhaps art or P.E.

 

ETA: One other thought---if you're doing this for high school credit, you may need to move that time up to 45-50 minutes Monday through Friday. Generally speaking, you would want a minimum of about 120 hours for one high school credit, preferably more. Also, I think you'll find that the Latin will be very helpful with learning Spanish.

 

Good luck!

Edited April 25, 2009 by Michelle in MO

[Janice H]

Japanese class is outsourced, Saturdays for 4 hours. Usually less than an extra hour is done for review at home.

 

We do Latin at half speed. So Latin I w/Henle and Lingua Latina for fun/reading is one-half credit per yr. Thus we are budgeting four years of high school to get through Latin I and II. It gets very difficult to do two languages in high school, especially if most of one's classes are autotutorial. There just isn't enough peak brain power around here to read, understand and do math; read and comment on Great Books; read the Classical Writing assignment and analyze "stuff" in the analysis sections, etc.

 

Back to back different languages within a day doesn't sound like the easiest way to go. This is a good question though. I admire your discipline with what you have done so far. I wish we had completed more of our Latin in the middle school years. Unfortunately it was always the first thing to get pushed to the side instead of being the first thing to get done in the day. Latin Centered Curriculum came out a little too late for us.

[Guest Katia]

It is difficult to schedule two foreign languages in one year of study. My dd studied French and Japanese in her 9th and 10th grade years...Japanese won out as the favorite and she dropped the French this year in 11th.

 

Wow~there is such a difference in her ability to concentrate, learn and retain the Japanese now that we've dropped the French!

 

She has always started her day with Math; then she would tackle French; move on to Science, English and History, then tack Japanese on to the end of the academic schedule (but before piano practice!). They needed to be separated by several subjects. Eventually, she moved French out of her day entirely, and studied it one hour before she went to bed at night! This was the best solution we came up with for two foreign languages.

 

I have to tell you, we are both much, much happier with just the Japanese now.

[Michelle in MO]

I tend to agree with Katia, overall; I think for many students it's difficult to study two foreign languages at once and make time for it in your schedule---it's possible, but difficult. You may try both for a while and see how it goes, and then see which language your dc has a preference for, and then continue on with that one language. I took both German and French for my first two years of college, and it did get a little confusing at times; I remember having dreams which were in German, French, and English---all mixed up together!

[Karenciavo]

We did Greek right after Latin. Sometimes we would get a little confused for a moment, otherwise it was good. I facilitated both of these classes and if we had split them we may not have gotten back to it later in the day.

[Kareni]

My teen is studying two languages. They are both out of the home classes that meet once a week. She is doing 5th year Latin which meets for 3 hours and first year Greek which meets for two hours. The two classes are separated by a two hour block of time in which she has another class. She's doing well with both. (Which is doubtless a good thing since, as she's planning on majoring in the Classics at College, she'll continue doing at least two languages ... and might well add in a third at some point.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Hoggirl]

That has worked well so far. Ds is going to be in grade 7, so it isn't for high school credit. I prefer going at the slower speed and doing two languages. Eventually, I imagine that the Latin will get dropped though I really love doing. I might try them both on all five days just to see how it goes. I do agree that retention might be better...at least with the Spanish. It hasn't been an issue with Latin.