FLEX!
Foreign Language Experience Program
Spring classes will begin in late February at many area schools. Please
check course offerings to see which schools will be offering this exciting
program. Registration deadline is January 30, 2009.
Flex for Elementary Students
While the first letter in FLEX stands for "foreign", we like to say it stands for "Fun!"
As parents and educators in today's multi-cultural society, we realize that a foreign language component in the education of our children is essential. This type of instruction can directly influence children's attitudes toward future learning opportunities, and it can lead to a fuller understanding and appreciation of cultures other than their own. Research has shown that children who have studied foreign language in elementary school show greater cognitive development and tend to score higher on standardized tests.
This program has been developed with these important concepts in mind and will provide your child with a highly
positive experience in his or her "first try" at learning a foreign language.
It will provide a rich, multi-sensory, second
language environment that takes advantage of your child's energy, curiosity, and natural ability to acquire language. In a
relaxed atmosphere, students will begin to develop listening and speaking skills along with word recognition skills. Additionally, children in the upper grades
will begin to work on word recognition skills. As language is the expression of culture, cross cultural education will be
integrated throughout the course of study.
The program will be organized around the following objectives:
- To recognize and be able to reproduce the sounds of the language
- To respond to and offer greetings
- To recognize and be able to say numbers in different ranges according to course level
- To carry out directive statements from the teacher in the target language
- To learn to orally identify vocabulary words from such topics as: colors, animals, weather, body parts, clothing, food, family, community workers, everyday objects
- To understand and give answers to simple questions relating to themselves such as name, age, etc.
- To sing songs, play games and engage in a wide variety of activities in the target language
- To identify the countries in which the target language is spoken
- To explore cultural similarities and differences via discussions of customs, traditions, holidays, the family unit, etc.