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Does it just depend on the school or is it just an option/elective? It was always my understanding that Latin and other foreign languages were taught beginning in elem school, but my sister said the schools near her don't teach those subjects. I don't know if there is a state/national standard mandating those courses or if it is left up to the school districts.
I taught in 3 different districts in PA & NJ. Foreign language was never "taught" until middle school in any of them, and then it was an introduction of the common 3. One district had a large Italian population, so they offered Italian at the high school level. Two of the other districts offered Latin at the high school level. The accelerated student would be able to complete their first year of foreign language (8th grade) at the middle school as an elective, and if continued in that language, would be in a Level IV class as a senior.
My experience is that rarely is the language "taught" at the elementary level unless it is a part of a cultures unit, perhaps a few words are learned as students study different cultures & countries.
Very basic French & Spanish are a before/after-school option for elementary-schoolers here and require an enrollment fee. Spanish & French are middle school electives. Latin, French, Spanish, German, & Chinese (Mandarin) are offered in high school.
Just to follow up on my post above, we teach foreign language starting in first grade, but this is not typical of most school districts.
Our students receive science and math instruction in the target language. They aren't taught the language the way we usually think of middle school and high school students being taught, but rather they are immersed in the language for half of their day. Not all of our students receive foreign language through immersion, but you can find out more here:
I don't think a lot of schools offer Latin these days, with the big exceptions usually being some wealthier public schools (that already have a full slate of modern languages) and Catholic schools.
However in general I think that sadly foreign language instruction is largely becoming marginalized in public schools as annual standardized testing in math and language arts is dictating more and more of the school be spent on these subjects.
why on earth would elementary school kids need foreign language
elementary is a place where kids learn to read write and get a grasp on the basics
foreign language classes is generally an elective and is not required until high school
Why not? We live in a global economy. Many children all over the world speak more than one language. It can also be much easier to learn another language at a younger age, so why wait? They still learn "the basics". They still learn how to read and write. Our students have language arts and social studies in English.
What do you consider extra? Should they not have art? Music? Strings?
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