Hopkins School Board Approves Elementary Spanish Instruction
The district will teach Spanish in every elementary school starting in the 2013-14 school year.
Hopkins elementary students are set to receive regular Spanish instruction starting in the 2013-14 school year following a preliminary School Board vote Thursday to establish an elementary world languages curriculum. “World language has been in surrounding districts for several years. We do a great job with teaching kids culture, but it’s not a replacement for teaching kids world languages or languages other than English,” Superintendent John Schultz said. “It’s really the right thing to do in the21st Century. The board’s decision commits the district to spending $6 million over the next 10 years on elementary Spanish instruction. In the initial year, all elementary schools will provide world languages to kindergarteners and first graders…
In this Article:
Ellen Stewart Dustman
4:50 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Current research on language acquisition through FLES programs is mixed. Many experts agree that students who participate in a full immersion program starting at a young age are more likely to "speak" fluently. However, adolescents and adults learn languages quicker and are more likely to attain written fluency. FLES programs produce cultural awareness, but do not produce fluency, oral or written… more ›