Parent Notas

Important:

A test and report calendar for the entire year 2006-2007 was sent home with each middle school student the first week of school.

What...

are the benefits of learning a foreign language early?

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Discover Languages

Facts About Learning Spanish

1. Learning a language is a life-time endeavor. The earlier one gets started, the sooner he achieves a level of mastery.

2. One who knows two languages has the value of two people, whether in the worlds of ministry, service, or the marketplace.

, 3. Approxomately 9% of the U.S. population consider themselves to be of Hispanic descent and speak Spanish. The Census Bureau estimates that by 2050 this group will equal nearly 25% of the population.

4. The influence of the Hispanic culture began in the late 1400's, with the arrival of the Spaniards, and continues today in the arts, architecture, food, sports, and myriad other areas of American culture.

5. Learning another language is fun! It opens up avenues of ministry, service to fellow man, and travel. Come along as we embark on our journey into the colorful world of espanol!

Foreign Language Curriculum Development

Traditionally, U.S. schools have taught foreign languages at the high school level in preparation for college research.

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has determined that students should begin foreign language instruction in the earliest years of school in order to take advantage of their developmental linguistic readiness, and in order to meet the expected language proficiency needs of the future.

The National Education Association incorporated this plan into its Goals 2000, and the 50 states followed this design sequence in their state curricula, as in Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

The new standards were written to "proficiency objectives", which meant the student learns to function in the second language at a level appropriate to his maturity.

Previously, the objectives of foreign language instruction centered around translation skills needed for reading the classics and for doing research in college.

This meant that text books had to be re-written to provide lessons that would foster use of the language, not just knowledge of it. These new texts are called "proficiency-based" texts.

Students of today will likely be called upon to use languages in the workplace, in college classes taught in the target language, and for study or work abroad...important goals for the people of a nation determined to maintain the lead in our fast-paced world.

Meanwhile,Florida's tourism-based economy has pushed foreign language instruction to the forefront of educational development in this state.

Many Lutheran schools are now offering sequential PK-8 proficiency-based foreign language instruction.

The objectives of Trinity Lutheran School's FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) program are as follows:

1. To enable students to meet their appropriate curriculum steps in the new national PK-12 foreign language curriculum, as also reflected in Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

2. To enable qualified students to advance to Spanish II (i.e., Level 2) in their high school foreign language course sequence upon entering 9th grade. (We have had students accepted into Spanish II at area schools, including Spanish II - Honors.)

3. To enable qualified students to be granted high school credit for Spanish I, by receiving schools who will accept foreign language course work completed at the middle school level. (We have received this acknowledgement by an area public school.)

4. To produce life-long learners of Spanish, as well as other foreign languages, who will be able to apply their linguistic and cultural studies to the praise and service of our Lord Jesus Christ, both at home in the United States of America, and elsewhere in the world.

Since Trinity's inauguration of our PK-8 Spanish curriculum, we have been blessed to have our students represented among rising 9th graders accepted to Spanish II, including honors placement.

We've also had the honor of having our program accepted for high school Spanish I credit.

Communication skills are part of the foundation which the student of today needs to be successful tomorrow in meeting the challenges of service to God, country, and to the entire world.