Photo Gallery
Faculty Login
Foreign Language Instruction at The Carey School
In 2006-2007, The Carey School’s Foreign Language program underwent extensive review in order to document the strengths of the program and to formulate the strategic direction for future years. This page summarizes the work of the department and the school, outlines the expectation for students, and explains the overarching philosophy of Foreign Language instruction at The Carey School. By compiling feedback from a parent survey, a report from the Foreign Language visiting committee, and ongoing curriculum review, we have forged a vision based on data from leading experts in the field, our faculty, and our constituents. Should you have any classroom specific questions regarding the Foreign Language curriculum at The Carey School, please contact the appropriate teacher. If you have any general questions about the Foreign Language curriculum or wish to learn more about the curriculum review process, please contact John Loeser, Assistant Head of School, at .
Philosophy
The Carey School believes that foreign language instruction is vital to a child’s overall academic and cultural education. In a world economy students must develop the skills necessary to negotiate and appreciate a multi-lingual and multi-cultural world. The principal goal of the program is to develop a joy and interest in studying a foreign language and to promote understanding of French and Spanish speaking cultures. By the time a student leaves The Carey School at the end of fifth grade, it is our goal that he or she will have achieved a mid-intermediate performance level according to the standards published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). These skills are broken into six categories:
- Comprehensibility: How well are they understood?
- Comprehension: How well do they understand?
- Language Control: How accurate is their language?
- Vocabulary Use: How extensive and applicable is their vocabulary?
- Communication Strategies: How do they maintain communication?
- Cultural Awareness: How is their cultural understanding reflected in their communication?
This page includes extensive information about the specific skills associated with these standards and how the skill acquisition progresses through the grade levels. In addition to the specific skills students learn, there is a content area curriculum map that displays the information students learn at each grade level. Together, these two documents articulate a program rich in content and comprehensive in skills.
Click HERE to view the Foreign Language Curriculum Map
Click HERE to view the Foreign Language Skills Map
Texts in Foreign Language:
In 2007, the Foreign Language department adopted the use of texts to create appropriate scope and sequence across the grade levels. These texts help guide instruction and they engage students in meaningful study. Teachers often supplement the texts with additional material from multiple sources. These texts are:
| Spanish Texts | French Text |
|---|---|
| Viva El Espanol, text and workbook; Mcgraw Hill, Wright Group, 2005 System A – 1st grade |
Vive Le Français System A – 1st grade |
| Hola – 4th grade Mcgraw Hill, Wright Group; 2005 |
Alex et Zoé, text and workbook Alex et Zoé 1 – 2nd grade |
| Que Tal – 5th grade McGraw Hill, Wright Group; 2005 |
Bravo 1, R. Mérieux, C. Bergeron, Bravo 1 text and workbook – 5th grade |
One copy of each of the texts is available in the library for parents to see.
Supplemental Materials:
The foreign language teachers use various materials in addition to the text to create an authentic language learning environment. Primary reading and picture books, videos, songs and games are integrated daily into the lesson to enhance comprehension and oral proficiency.
Instruction in the Target Language:
As part of the departmental review, the faculty has embraced the use of immersion classrooms for the teaching of foreign language. Thus each Spanish or French class will be conducted only in the target language. While occasionally instruction for specific tasks may be in English, it is the goal of the department to immerse the students in the target language and thereby help develop their speaking, listening, and cultural proficiency. At times, your student may experience some frustration when he or she does not understand what the teacher is saying. Know that students do catch on to the language and an immersion classroom is a proven method that greatly benefits the child’s learning.
Class Time for Foreign Language Instruction:
Students in Pre-Kindergarten have foreign language instruction two out of six days for half an hour each session. Students are exposed to French for half the year and Spanish for half the year. Kindergarten students have the same schedule, except their sessions are forty minutes two out of six days. In first grade, students pick which language (either French or Spanish) they would like to study. Students in first through fifth grades have foreign language instruction five out of six days for forty minutes each session.
Choosing a Foreign Language in First Grade:
We are often asked which language a student should study in elementary school. The choice of language is dependent on a student’s interest level and a family’s personal preference. We encourage students who speak either French or Spanish at home to learn the language not spoken at home. Current brain research points to the importance of building linguistic flexibility at an early age, and thus it matters less what specific second language a child learns. It is the joy of learning a foreign language and the development of these linguistic synapses that are more important than the specific language learned. Other research shows that learning another language, and another Latinate Romance language in particular, is much easier once a student has been exposed to a similar language.
Cultural Celebrations:
The inclusion of a cultural component is essential in our foreign language program. Both Spanish and French highlight the geography, history and significant cultural customs which make up a large number of Hispanic and francophone countries. Seasonal celebrations and holidays are studied including a school wide celebration of both Cinco de Mayo and Mardi Gras.
Homework:
Foreign Language study requires practice in order to meet the goals of the program. As such, students will occasionally have homework in their Spanish or French class in grades 1 -3, while older students in grades 4 and 5 will have more consistent weekly homework. Additionally, students may be expected to work on long-term projects for Foreign Language classes. All assignments and projects are coordinated through the homeroom teachers so as to limit overloading a student. Though a student does not receive nightly homework in foreign language class, we encourage parents to practice the target language with their child by labeling objects in the home, playing games in the target language, and exposing students to television, radio, CDs, and other media resources. The more often a student uses a language, the more he or she learns. However, importantly, try to keep the reinforcement fun!
Resources for Parents:
Below are various websites and other resources parents may find helpful in order to support foreign language acquisition for their child.
Both Spanish and French:
www.enchantedlearning.com
www.ditk.kids.com
www.kidlink.com
www.charlottediamond.com
www.bilingualbooks.com
www.wordreference.com
www.quia.com
www.puzzlemaker.com
Spanish:
www.studyspanish.com
www.learnspanish.com
www.joseluisorozco.com
French:
www.phonetique.free.fr
www.itscotland.org (Chez Mimi)
www.ambafrance-us.org
Next Steps:
The parent survey, visiting team report, and curriculum review revealed a number of strategic areas for further study. These include:
- A language lab to further support listening and speaking skills
- Dedicated language rooms to accommodate all classes in grades 1-5
- The addition of Mandarin as a third choice for language study
As the school assesses future capital improvements, personnel, and additions to program, we will study how these strategic initiatives fit into the overall needs of the students of The Carey School.