Foreign language study in the Fifth Grade at East Woods offers the students an introductory program in French and a Spanish program commensurate with their skill level from previous years’ experiences. Each language course covers one-half year, and classes meet three days per week.
The content of the program is specifically written for this age group. Students are first given an introduction to the history, development and structure of language in general. Then, they begin the study of French or Spanish. The vocabulary and expressions of the two languages coincide so that in recognizing the similarity of words, the students can explore the romance languages’ common origin in Latin. Students are asked to talk about subjects relevant to their interests based on their level of oral/aural proficiency. The game-like nature of some of the activities is motivating to the students. Language is used in real situations from the beginning.
The four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are integrated into the program, but emphasis is placed on listening and speaking. The students are responsible for word recognition, for aural comprehension and for making an effort to pronounce words correctly. The lessons are short, interesting and have real-life speaking tasks to accomplish. The listening and speaking skills developed at this level give them a firm foundation on which to base future, more intensive practice in reading and writing.