How to teach a language K-12?

[garddwr]

I can find nothing in the way of a comprehensive program for teaching a foreign language beginning in the primary years. I would love to have an ordered scope and sequence for teaching French or Spanish or Japanese that would take me from K-12 as good math programs do. I know there are countries where this type of language study is common practice--surely there are resources out there that would help me in teaching?

 

Unfortunately (well, fortunately in most ways, just not particularly helpful now) my own language learning experiences were mostly immersive and organic--not a real option for my own children. I have tried to expose my children to the languages I speak by reading and singing to them, but real learning has been very limited so far. My husband speaks only English, and I'm just not up to creating an immersion environment in the home on my own with a non-native language, even one I speak fluently.

 

Can anyone suggest resources or methods that have worked in your home, especially if you are trying to develop true fluency in a language that is not native to you and in which your children are not immersed (as when living in a country where that language is spoken)? French is my most fluent 2nd language, Spanish and Japanese are also possibilities.

[Arcadia]

For French K-12 scope maybe check if your local Alliance Francais is able to advise you. Their website is http://www.afusa.org/

 

Also if you have a French American School nearby, the schools are usually willing to give you a copy of their scope.

[Briva]

Hello, I am new to this forum. I am a retired homeschooling mom. I was raised bilingual in a home where we spoke English with my dad and Spanish with my mother. I was also taught Spanish phonics and how to read and write it. My husband and I are both bilingual but we spoke only English with our kids. I was successful in teaching my kids Spanish phonics, vocabulary and getting to them read all the bilingual Scholastic books I could find. Then I stepped it up with Rod & Staff Spanish readers. I found an old turn of the century Allyn & Bacon Spanish Grammar book (Castillian) that I used for Spanish I, II, & III levels with my older two kids. They can translate from English to Spanish and vice versa. They can understand anything spoken to them in Spanish (or overhear, lol) but are not fluent in speaking but can get by.

[Briva]

meant to add, I found advice on language learning at Trivium Pursuit, The Bluedorn's website

 

 

http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/three_levels_to_mastering_greek.php

[cloudswinger]

Why K-12? I don't think it takes that long for one language. I think other countries start with one language at K, then add another in a few years. Then the phonics and grammar of the second language can be comparative vs fresh learning. Writing also is easier since you've generally learned the character set, unless you do something with a whole other character set like Japanese. After that it's really just about vocabulary. The hardest is getting speaking fluency, especially if you're not fluent yourself.

[cathmom]

Why K-12? I don't think it takes that long for one language. I think other countries start with one language at K, then add another in a few years.

 

 

But they don't drop the first foreign language. They take it through and develop fluent speakers. US students take English K-12 and that's their native language in which they are immersed!

 

I personally would love to see K-12 articulated programs for the US school market. AFAIK, no such thing exists. Many of my Spanish students tell me that they had Spanish for years but only ever had colors and numbers and basic stuff like that, so now they suffer from "Spanish fatigue" as I've begun calling it, where they are totally sick of Spanish but don't actually know any really, but aren't open to learning. Thanks, previous Spanish teachers. Eye roll.