When to add more foreign languages?

[happypamama]

We started with the Nallenart French program this past spring. DD (4th grade) loves it and wants to do more, so I think we'll continue it. I'd like her to go through the whole program, in hopes of becoming very proficient in French, at least for reading/writing.

 

We also started Latin in the spring (both were DD's strong requests). We want to continue that as well.

 

I want to know when we can add another foreign language. Maybe "Hey Andrew, Teach Me Some Greek." Maybe Spanish. DD wants to learn Italian too. I personally love foreign languages, and DD seems to as well, and she is picking them up quickly. I think I would rather them have more proficiency in a couple of languages (one classical, one modern) than a smattering of several, but I don't know. I want to capitalize on the interest and ability, but I don't want to overwhelm them.

 

So, intending that you'd be studying both French and Latin from now through at least eighth grade, would you make it a point to add a third or fourth foreign language anytime in there? Would you add one or two more, but wait until high school, and if so, would you drop one of the other two, or do more concurrently? Am I crazy for even asking? :)

 

(DH's answer, when I asked him when he thought we should add another, was "whenever they've finished the first two." I didn't think that was very helpful. What is "finished?" Maybe study formally until eighth grade and switch to something else for high school, but continuing to read in the earlier language(s) to keep up/develop proficency?)

[acurtis75]

I'm not sure about when you'll be finished. I always love when dh gives me answers like that. Usually he can tell from my confused look it didn't make sense so he'll say "why don't you check on that online homeschool board thing".

 

I think you should capitalize on the interest as long as it doesn't interfere with other subjects. By interfere I just mean as long as you have time to get the basics done. We started with Latin 2 years ago. DD wanted to add Greek but I waited until this year. We use the Classical Academic Press materials and she saw the Greek advertisement in her Latin book. She's picking it up so quickly that I realize we could probably have started sooner. I realized her little brain is a lot better at remembering things than mine so I shouldn't hold her back just because I can't always keep up. I have no shame during Greek time saying "what's this letter again:tongue_smilie:". I think she gets a kick out of knowing the answer when I don't. I'm working on my own to learn the Greek to get ahead of her but I'm not sure it will happen.

 

She's expressed an interest in Spanish so I'm planning to let her add that after she get's her own ipad. I'm going to download the app someone mentioned her yesterday iStart Spanish and let it be a fun supplement for her.

 

I think with the Romance languages especially it is fine to tackle more than one at a time as long as they seem to be progressing well. I think dd wanted to learn something totally different, like Chinese or Japanese, I might wait a few years to get more of the Greek and Latin & English grammar down but other than that I say go for it. I think if you wait until Middle School or High School they might lose their enthusiasm for the idea.

[happypamama]

I think you should capitalize on the interest as long as it doesn't interfere with other subjects. By interfere I just mean as long as you have time to get the basics done.

This is pretty much my thought as well. We usually alternate days, one day French, one day Latin. Right now, the Latin is all oral (we use Getting Started With Latin), so it's only a few minutes; the French varies but isn't usually more than about 10 minutes. The GSWL people have a GSW Spanish book, so that might be a good compromise -- no writing, but still the exposure to the language in a slightly structured way. None of us (DH and I included) know more than a handful of words in Spanish, so maybe it would be a good round-the-dinner table sort of exercise.

 

I think with the Romance languages especially it is fine to tackle more than one at a time as long as they seem to be progressing well. I think dd wanted to learn something totally different, like Chinese or Japanese, I might wait a few years to get more of the Greek and Latin & English grammar down but other than that I say go for it. I think if you wait until Middle School or High School they might lose their enthusiasm for the idea.

 

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of as well. Strike while the iron is hot, and I think a basic understanding of a language in elementary school would make it easier for them to teach it to themselves later. I'm vaguely concerned that they'll confuse the Romance languages, but maybe they won't. (I'm basing that on my own study of French for several years in high school and then Italian in college; French was so ingrained in my head that occasionally I'd automatically put the French word on an Italian test.)

 

Thank you for the thoughts! I wish they could learn a lot of languages (and tbh, I am really enjoying learning Latin alongside of them), but I suppose if they know two (plus English) very well upon graduation, that will be good, and any more are a bonus. :)

[beaners]

 

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of as well. Strike while the iron is hot, and I think a basic understanding of a language in elementary school would make it easier for them to teach it to themselves later. I'm vaguely concerned that they'll confuse the Romance languages, but maybe they won't. (I'm basing that on my own study of French for several years in high school and then Italian in college; French was so ingrained in my head that occasionally I'd automatically put the French word on an Italian test.)

 

 

I took Spanish from middle school through high school, and I also took French in high school. I switched to Latin in college. Occasionally I would mix up a word, but it happened less frequently as time went on. For me, it was most likely to happen if I couldn't think of the word in the proper language. If I hadn't used the wrong language, I probably would have just drawn a blank.

 

We have already started French informally before K, and we plan to add in Latin around 3rd or 4th. I'd also like to cover a language with a different writing system (Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, etc) starting in or after middle school. I'd also like to cover a conversational level of Spanish, enough to understand and speak a bit, but not nearly as in-depth as the other subjects.

 

In the interest of streamlining things, by the end of middle school I'd like to be reading some history and literature in French and Latin instead of working on the languages themselves. I'm not sure how to work that out because PA only allows required courses to be taught in English. (So I'm also not sure how foreign language magnets work here.)

 

It's all plans based on my own language study for now. We will see what happens.

[Ester Maria]

by the end of middle school I'd like to be reading some history and literature in French and Latin instead of working on the languages themselves. I'm not sure how to work that out because PA only allows required courses to be taught in English.

It's called "enrichment". :D

You do it by getting "proper" anglophone materials that you go through, but more in a pro forma way - on the other hand, you get "supplements" for "enrichment" that are in French, but actually, you turn them into the bulk of your learning.

You request some written work in English (pro forma, simply so that you may have something to grade / keep in a portfolio / whatever), and some in French (which you then count as French assignments). Whatever you formally base your grade on (i.e. written exam), you have it in English, so your children will have passed their exams in English... but effectively, during all that time, your instruction may as well be 70% French and mostly orally French. And you have not broken the law because they DID go through the obligatory anglophone materials and because you DO have the official things to show in English - but you have also got what you wanted, i.e. a French subject. :tongue_smilie: