How do you teach a foreign language?

[Based on Faith Academy]

Good evening Hive!!

 

I have been teaching my dc sign language because it is important around

where we live and because my daughter wanted to learn. My daughter and

son have both asked to learn Spanish but my concern is that I won't know

how to teach it to them. How do you who have never taken spanish in school

teach a child a language that you don't know how to pronounce? I know there

are websites that pronounce the words for you, but does this work?

I would love everyones insight into this.

 

Thank you!!!

[Heidi]

I think it would be doubly important to find a book/curriculum series that includes an audio CD to go along with the lessons. You could find just a book and then try to find websites/youtube videos that may correspond, but 1) way too much work 2) you might not get every word you need to know.

I also think you might want to take a few months (at least) and start learning Spanish on your own so you are at least a step ahead.

 

Yep, this. You need a really good curriculum. I don't know Latin, I never took Latin, but we are using Memoria Press's very thorough Latin curriculum that comes with teacher/student books, a pronunciation CD, and a teacher on DVD if I want it. I'm learning right along with them. I don't know of a Spanish curriculum like that though. I'm sure someone does...

[Julie Smith]

I'll be reading the various replies, and add my own.... Tomorrow.

[Lori D.]

How we did foreign language (Spanish = older DS, and American Sign Language = younger DS) was by outsourcing as dual enrollment classes at the local Community College. :D

 

While I had taken Spanish myself many years ago, and knew the basic finger spelling alphabet for ASL, I realized that foreign language was NOT going to happen adequately here at home -- MUCH better to outsource to competent teachers who were fluent in the languages. They required more of my students than I would have; they could teach proper grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and variations; they could correct my students' mistakes; and my students could get real conversational practice in both the class and in the required language labs.

 

If you have any ability to:

- hire a tutor

- work out a barter or trade with someone who is fluent with the language to come regularly

- send your students to a co-op class

- enroll your students in a local school for that one class

- online video conversation class with an authentic speaker

- or other option that involves a native speaker / qualified teacher...

...I highly recommend going that route! :)

 

Then supplement at home with a DVD or CD language program and textbook with grammar instruction to support learning how to write the language, practice sentence structure, practice hearing the language, etc.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[IrishMum]

We hired a native tutor for french. Thought I have college level french, I didn't feel able to teach it past the basics. I wanted my boys to get a good accent, not my brogue french combination. We also back up our once a week lessons with watching movies in french, Brain Pop in French, and lots french songs. I am also in the middle of arranging Skype calls for them with native French kids.

I am attempting Latin on my own. I don't care what their accents are like ;)

[rieshy]

Pimsleur audio is a good program, especially for pronunciation. A lot of libraries carry it. I don't think you can teach a foreign language that you don't know. But I think you can Learn a foreign language that you don't know alongside your children very successfully! Make it a family project and plan on eventually hiring a tutor or joining a little co-op group.

[Midway]

I think Rosetta Stone is a great, incremental way to learn a language. It forces you to be "in" the foreign language. They say the item in Spanish, then you have to select which of the pictures they're talking about. After a little while with this program, I would schedule time for them to watch one 30-minute cartoon or age-appropriate show in Spanish per day. There are several TV channels in Spanish. So many immigrants claim they learned English just by watching TV. I think it works the other way around too. I took several years of Spanish in high school and college, but ever feel like I could understand a rapid conversation of Spanish-speakers. However, I started watching a cheesy Spanish soap opera and was pretty lost the first few weeks, but now I'm totally following the drama & my comprehension has significantly improved in the last month.

[Hunter]

For non-audio resources that help with pronunciation I like

 

Say It Right in ...

 

The Berlitz Self-Teacher series from the 1940s

 

I never tried to teach/learn a language with just one curriculum. I don't teach/learn English that way! And also we have access to native speakers and SO many other enrichment activities. To learn a foreign language with just one curriculum is ludicrous in my opinion.

 

I try and model foreign language after how a baby learns to speak. Start off with lots of nouns and how to pronounce them correctly. Have the student draw and label a lot.

 

Then move into a few present tense verbs. Again draw and label a lot. Do not teach tenses at this point!!!!!!

 

Add some adjective and buy a new set of crayons or other art media, when you teach colors.

 

Now just a VERY few phrases.

 

Days of the week, seasons, months, time, weather. Draw, draw, draw.

 

Now just a few more phrases.

 

Stay in present tense. Focus on words and phrases the student can draw. The first few chapters of the Berlitz book and the Say it Right book provide help for a student to be able to create ludicrous and snarky dialogue that they can draw comic strips for.

 

At this point look around for some pre-school resources. Often DVDs come with foreign language tracks. Look for real books. Look for websites.

 

Layer, layer, layer resources. Focus on things that can be drawn and NOT grammar tables.

 

See it and Say it ... is another cheap paperback with simple line drawings that you can add at this point. It doesn't have the pronunciation helps, but you can consult the other 2 books for that, and many of the words will have been learned at this point. Skip or gloss over the grammar, and focus on vocabulary.

 

Your library should have some audio resources that you can use. Often they move right into advanced grammar though, so often you will only want to use the first few lessons of each.

 

You don't need to spend lots of money on the "right" curriculum. Just use these cheap trade paperbacks and focus on what you can draw. THEN, if the student has still stuck with the subject, see if you want to invest in further study. Often the new curriculum will be lots of review. That's good! How much review does a baby get with English?

 

Take it slow! Do not worry about finishing a complete grammar book in a year for a "credit". Just DON'T!!!!!!

[Based on Faith Academy]

How we did foreign language (Spanish = older DS, and American Sign Language = younger DS) was by outsourcing as dual enrollment classes at the local Community College. :D

 

While I had taken Spanish myself many years ago, and knew the basic finger spelling alphabet for ASL, I realized that foreign language was NOT going to happen adequately here at home -- MUCH better to outsource to competent teachers who were fluent in the languages. They required more of my students than I would have; they could teach proper grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and variations; they could correct my students' mistakes; and my students could get real conversational practice in both the class and in the required language labs.

 

If you have any ability to:

- hire a tutor

- work out a barter or trade with someone who is fluent with the language to come regularly

- send your students to a co-op class

- enroll your students in a local school for that one class

- online video conversation class with an authentic speaker

- or other option that involves a native speaker / qualified teacher...

...I highly recommend going that route! :)

 

Then supplement at home with a DVD or CD language program and textbook with grammar instruction to support learning how to write the language, practice sentence structure, practice hearing the language, etc.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Thank you for these reminders!!

I do know people in my church who might be willing to teach my son Spanish and

my daughter sign language.

[Based on Faith Academy]

For non-audio resources that help with pronunciation I like

 

Say It Right in ...

 

The Berlitz Self-Teacher series from the 1940s

 

I never tried to teach/learn a language with just one curriculum. I don't teach/learn English that way! And also we have access to native speakers and SO many other enrichment activities. To learn a foreign language with just one curriculum is ludicrous in my opinion.

 

I try and model foreign language after how a baby learns to speak. Start off with lots of nouns and how to pronounce them correctly. Have the student draw and label a lot.

 

Then move into a few present tense verbs. Again draw and label a lot. Do not teach tenses at this point!!!!!!

 

Add some adjective and buy a new set of crayons or other art media, when you teach colors.

 

Now just a VERY few phrases.

 

Days of the week, seasons, months, time, weather. Draw, draw, draw.

 

Now just a few more phrases.

 

Stay in present tense. Focus on words and phrases the student can draw. The first few chapters of the Berlitz book and the Say it Right book provide help for a student to be able to create ludicrous and snarky dialogue that they can draw comic strips for.

 

At this point look around for some pre-school resources. Often DVDs come with foreign language tracks. Look for real books. Look for websites.

 

Layer, layer, layer resources. Focus on things that can be drawn and NOT grammar tables.

 

See it and Say it ... is another cheap paperback with simple line drawings that you can add at this point. It doesn't have the pronunciation helps, but you can consult the other 2 books for that, and many of the words will have been learned at this point. Skip or gloss over the grammar, and focus on vocabulary.

 

Your library should have some audio resources that you can use. Often they move right into advanced grammar though, so often you will only want to use the first few lessons of each.

 

You don't need to spend lots of money on the "right" curriculum. Just use these cheap trade paperbacks and focus on what you can draw. THEN, if the student has still stuck with the subject, see if you want to invest in further study. Often the new curriculum will be lots of review. That's good! How much review does a baby get with English?

 

Take it slow! Do not worry about finishing a complete grammar book in a year for a "credit". Just DON'T!!!!!!

 

Well, my son decided to learn German. My parents speak it fluently because Germany is where they

met. At least I know they will be able to help with the pronounciation. Now if I can just find a decent curriculm.

Thanks for the wonderful advice and ideas!

 

 

[lllll]

..

[duckens]

Extra resources (not a substitute for an actual curriculum):

 

SpanishDict.com -- Spanish Dictionary, with a verbal player for any words you look up.

 

See what youtube has to offer if you get stuck on a specific concept.  Again, not a substitute for an actual  curriculum, but a good help in a limited situation.

 

 

[Embassy]

Ideally, you will have access to a native speaker.  If not I would:

 

Begin with a couple years of exposure to the connected speech of the language through DVDs.

Focus on learning pronunciation (and alphabet, if different) first through audio materials or pronunciation focused programs

Use solid curriculum with audio that teaches reading, writing, listening, speaking

Learn along with your child