Homeschooling Second Languages

Prior to homeschooling, we were very convinced of the benefit of early exposure to second languages. My own parents are European and speak a couple of languages other than English.  I speak some German and a little French.  My oldest brother's kids had gone through french immersion school and I had done a university research project on its benefits at that time.  So when my husband and I had our first two children, it was not a leap to enrol them in french preschools and then french immersion elementary school, especially when we were living in a small french community in northern Ontario at the time.

Enter homeschooling. Or, almost. The only thing that gave me second thoughts about pulling Brittany out of school was that we would be giving up the french.  And the last thing the principal asked me when I told her Brittany wouldn't be returning was whether I was going to keep up the french. Sigh.

Well, I tried.

I began with a great program called Le francais facile, or "the easy french."  This is a phonics-based, multi-level program packed with songs, activity sheets, literature suggestions, culture notes, and so on.  It looked really good and I was determined to make it work.  But alas, it eventually fell by the wayside.  My first year of homeschool I became pregnant, was sick, and just couldn't keep up the elective subjects.  Besides that, there were aspects of the program that frustrated me.  You listen to the story on CD then do some activities ... coloring pages ... I don't know, it just didn't click for us at the time.  And frankly, where we were at in our home education, it didn't make sense to put so much effort into french at this time.  The four R's - reading, writing, ratin (latin), and arithmetic had to take priority.

We put french on hold for Dawson and just focused on the latin.

For Brittany, we purchased Rosetta Stone - considered the cream of the crop for CD-based second language instruction - and just let her have fun with it, learning at her own pace.  I love this program and won't review it here since it is so universally accepted as a good solid program.  Keep in mind though, it wasn't designed for homeschooled kids, but for professionals working abroad who need to learn a second language quickly.  Nevertheless, it fulfills things like credits for high school, is interactive from a speaking perspective, and kids usually like computer-based learning.

Our next attempt at French for Dawson came in his fifth grade year.  This time we co-oped with several other families, several subjects, and worked through a wonderful, phonics-based program by Nallenart called L'art de Lire.  They have three levels:

• L'Art de DIRE (say): Grades K-3
• L'Art de LIRE (read): Grades 3-8
• L'Art d'ÉCRIRE (write): Grade 9

These are workbooks (or downloads) with CDs for pronounciation, and I really liked the format!  They can be worked on fairly independently, and most importantly, Dawson loved it!  Or you could start a little earlier (maybe grade 3-4) and work through it directly with child.  We worked through levels 1&2 the first year, then 3&4 the next.  Instead of moving to 5&6, we decided to go back and repeat levels 1-4 to solidify it.  Nothing wrong with repeating content according to the learning needs and desires!

You can download sample pages at the website, but they take a while to download so I've included a few pictures of our own:

Introducing the main words for the story, which provides the context for the particular phonogram being studied.  In this case, the french 'i'.

The following page introduces the 2-page sweet story, short little sentences with pictures.

And then some busywork pages for each unit.

The busywork pages also introduce the main verbs, like "etre" and "avoir."

Pronouns.

Does this give you an idea of what the program looks like?  I like the simplicity of it.  And, no photocopying or other type of preparation in order to make the program work.  Listening to the phonograms on CD is valuable but it is optional, especially if you have a french friend or some french background.  Each book includes unit tests and a final test if you're the testing type :).  Overall, the program is turn-key!   If you plan on using it for multiple kids, I would opt for the download rather than the physical book.  

Because I have been so pleased with the ease of the program, I decided to have a look at the K-3 curriculum for Alexa, L'art de DIRE, and I'm so glad I did!  It is a gentle, conversational program for young students, and I prefer to look at it not as a program so much as an outline of areas I can integrate into the plan, together with living books.  Sound good?  The only drawback is I find the download very expensive.  Here is a peek at the download:

There are no surprises in this program. It introduces all the basics of conversation and everyday vocabulary.  Hello, goodbye, red/yellow/blue, one/two/three.

Tables and chairs and things around the house.

Clothing.

Found these at the dollar store.  You can purchase online too.  Amazingly, they parallel all the Nallenart units. They are produced by Beaver Books.

Really nice, simple pages. There isn't a "story" so maybe they aren't truly 'living books,' but they are lively and colorful with concepts that are easy to get via the pictures.

Even my 3yo asks to read these books.

Maybe you can incorporate a little French into your homeschool too.  It doesn't have to be rigid, it DOES have to work for you, and this works for us!  We don't do it everyday, but its flexible enough that when we are really in the mood we can jump right in.

Voila!

Second Languages - Latin

We are a latin-learnin' kinda family.  From day 1 of homeschooling, we have incorporated latin into our day for several reasons.  The primary reason is that its a great workout for your brain and lays the foundation for many other languages, English included!!  Every single word in a latin sentence has a specific function, and for this reason we have never bothered to formally study English grammar, because that is taken care of when you study latin. (Now I'm not talking capital letters and punctuation kind of grammar, I'm talking about nouns, adjectives, parts of speech, etc.) Latin, as a "dead" language, doesn't change, which is the beauty of it - that's why its the foundation of scientific nomenclature, that's why your local accent doesn't matter, that's why our Catholic church employs latin - it never changes and therefore can be universally understood worldwide. Forever.

So we do latin, and both my older kids love it.  We haven't tried a variety of programs because we lucked out and loved the one we chose in the beginning, that being the Latin series from Memoria Press.  I plan on working through Prima Latina with Miss A next year, and that's totally doable because the lessons are short, sweet and to the point.  There is a latin saying to memorize, five latin vocabulary words and their English derivatives, a grammar skill, and you work through memorizing four latin prayers (like a meal blessing, etc).  We have worked through the Latina Christiana series (great for elementary school age and up) and are now into the First/Second/Third Form courses, which I think work better if you're in grade 6 or older and have had some latin exposure.  These focus more intensely on the latin grammar.  My oldest does her latin course online at Memoria Press and loves it.

If all that sounds too daunting, you can focus on building English vocabulary by studying latin and greek roots.  There are lots of options out there, and its perfectly fine to take just one component of a program and use it. For example, you can buy the flashcards only of  English from the Roots Up  (I was advised not to buy the book, just the cards), and use that to expose your kids to the origins of our language.  Even that can go in spurts for you.  You don't have to do "a subject" all year, every day.  Maybe January and February will be your "Latin Roots" month (something new and fresh for a dreary time of year) and you'll do that every year.   Or maybe you learn a few latin hymns (Adeste Fidelis around Christmastime, for example).   Over the years, this can really add up!

But how far to go with latin?  When to stop?  That's what I'm currently debating with my olders.  I think that, as long as they are enjoying it and have an affinity for it, we will keep at it.

The Latin-Centered Curriculum
Climbing Parnassus


Amor vincit omnia!! (Virgil)
                          

Shakespeare Abounds

We love Shakespeare in this house.  Since the very beginning of homeschooling Group A, I have read Shakespeare, in story form, to the kids.  Even Miss A and Miss M can recite the famous "Double double toil and trouble ... fire burn and cauldron bubble" excerpt from MacBeth (sound familiar?), not because I taught them, but because their ears are always open when I'm working with the olders. 

Enjoy Shakespeare and don't be afraid to introduce it early! That way, the kids already know the general plot by the time high school rolls around and they won't be afraid of it. There are several good collections of Shakespeare stories; we really like the collection by Nesbit.  I recently purchased this Shakespeare kit for Miss A and plan on introducing it to her soon.

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Discovery-Kit-Dover-English/dp/048647934X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319692843&sr=8-1

This year we are trying something different with Group A and reading MacBeth as a family, after Group B has gone to bed.  We all play several roles and the kids enjoy trying out different accents (MacBeth is set in Scotland).  We each have a copy of the play, and I'm using a version with a side by side modern English translation, so every so often we stop and discuss what has just happened.  We work through a couple of scenes every evening.

It is a hoot!  And most hootable is my dear husband, venerable office executive, playing the role of MacBeth.  Um, let's just say that when you homeschool, everybody gets an education!


Cheers!

The Education We Choose

The great and wonderful thing about home-educating the kids is the freedom to explore a great diversity of interests in the manner we choose - the manner that best suits each child.  To connect with them on their terms, so that real learning occurs.  Not to be tied to whatever is on the agenda for a group of 30 kids in classroom A or B.  And, not even to be tied to MY agenda. 


My kids have a hunger for learning!  It is soooo evident with my littles, especially Miss A, who is five.  Here are some of the highlights from her day:


Science Tuesday
I purchased several Magic School Bus science kits for the littles.  Nothing formal here!!  All hands-on, living science.  Today we began using the kit "Secrets of Space" since Miss A has been really interested in planets and the night sky.  This kit is perfect for about ages 5-7.

  Its a really wacky 3-D of the solar system - she painted each planet according to its properties (eg Mars is red due to the iron in its soil) and positioned them according to distance from the sun. She LOVED this. So simple. And WACKY! 


Phonics - Spell to Write and Read (SWR) by Wanda Sanseri

Really focusing on the basics, letter formation and phonograms; putting sounds together to make words.  We do this in a number of ways.  Love the dry-erase whiteboard that comes with lines already marked - what we call the sky, the fence, and the ground - all reference points I learned about somewhere along the way. So the letter t will start at the sky and go down to the ground.  The letter a starts at the fence.  The letter j starts at the fence and goes into the ground. You get the idea.  I have two boards because M (almost 3) likes to practice her letters, too!  We also use little chalkboards, saltboxes (salt in a shallow tupperware) to form a letter with your finger, and our all-time favorite, Phonogram Bingo. Yeah!  Use smarties as the bingo markers and they get to eat them when the game is done!



Read Alouds
A staple in our family is story time.  Good quality literature, not the "junk-food-for-your-brain" stuff.  I try to incorporate a wide range of topic matter such as living math or living science, poetry, literature, etc.   For the littles, I'm using a mix of fun picture books and chapter books. I usually do read-alouds while baby K is sleeping. 

Lots of Outside Time
It was a beautiful fall day!  By late afternoon, it got quite hot considering its October! Can you count four of them on the tramp?

In pursuit of Sanctity
We have been gathering in the late evening with the olders for evening prayer which includes a look at the day just lived.  Looking at our blessings but also our sins and asking God's forgiveness in an "informal" sort of way (then get to Confession).  I think, in my family, most of us are doing this in our hearts and heads prior to closing our eyes to sleep, but we haven't been good about doing this as a family.  Its a good exercise to verbalize what you are thankful for each day!  Attitude of gratitude!


... and a little bit of sanity
I was able to knit ONE row while sitting on the deck watching the kids in the backyard. Yippee!! One row is progress nonetheless!  And tonight I have enjoyed some quiet time and managed to knit THREE rows.  I am almost done this sweater for Miss A and can't wait to post a pic!



Have a great day and thanks for peeking!