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Elementary Language Learning

Elementary Language Learning. Critical Age?. Generally, younger = better in terms of language learning. Uh, oh, you’re 15, you’re too old. Critical or sensitive period Widely debated, puberty, 6 or 7???? Different aspects of language affected differently. Grammar later than pronunciation.

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Elementary Language Learning

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  1. Elementary Language Learning

  2. Critical Age? • Generally, younger = better in terms of language learning. • Uh, oh, you’re 15, you’re too old. • Critical or sensitive period • Widely debated, puberty, 6 or 7???? • Different aspects of language affected differently. Grammar later than pronunciation

  3. Critical period: Evidence for and against • It’s just a function of time on task (Evidence against) • It’s really social interaction (Evidence Against) • Deaf Children, Feral Children (Evidence for) • Ultimate attainment of kiddos… Kids end up better than adults (Evidence For)

  4. Critical Period • Regardless, starting earlier is better • More time on task • Social benefits: • People encourage kids • Mistakes are cute • Correction is empathetic • Contact is generally more immersive • Compare immigrant adults v. their kids

  5. Program types • What’s the difference? • Carla goes to a school where Chinese is taught as a subject like math or reading for 40 minutes 4 days a week. • Juanito, a third grader, goes to a school where half the day content is taught through the medium of Spanish and the other through English. Content-enriched Content focus Language focus FLES Total/Dual Immersion

  6. FLES • Does it do any good? • What is the role of time on task? • How long does it take? • So does FLES do any good? • Articulation • Sequence of study

  7. Program Types – Advantages/Disadvantages • Planning a program • Where do we start? • At the end! • Backwards planning • What do we want to accomplish? • What resources do we have? • What kind of support at the community and administration level?

  8. Strengths and Weaknesses • What is good and bad about these programs? • In languagelandia,students take a foreign language exploration class in 8th grade for one semester focusing on conversation and cultural understanding. • In 9th - 12th they may take a traditional sequence of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year language classes. • Teachers use a four skills approach and employ the target language 30-50% of the time. • In the state of Woohah, students often enroll in dual immersion elementary programs where content is taught 50% of the time in the target language through 6th grade. • In upper grades students take one or two content classes in the target language per year. • In Linguolio, students take a foreign language in elementary school 4 days per week as a separate subject from grade 1 to 6. The class incorporates knowledge from the other subjects students are learning. • In junior high and high school these students participate in the regular language programs offered to all students.

  9. Methods for Elementary School • CBI • What is content based instruction? • What is thematic planning? • FLES example

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