Foreign Language

French, Spanish, and German are offered in the Isles District.

The goal of the Second (Foreign) Language program is to improve students’ listening and speaking abilities during their language studies, with special focus on communicative skills as speaking performance outcomes.
The second (Foreign) Language program has been restructured from the traditional 4-year sequence to a 6-year program, which also offers Advanced Placement courses in language and literature.
All courses emphasize oral proficiency so those students will be able to develop speaking competencies beginning in Year 1.
Students are required to complete two years of the same language to fulfill graduation requirements. Carnegie credits are available to students in grades 7 and 8 who successfully complete yearlong courses.
The beginning stage consists of 2 years of study with the target language. Students develop communication skills to function in everyday situations. In addition, the beginning stage also includes development of reading and writing skills and an appreciation of multicultural diversities.
The intermediate stage consists of approximately 2 years of involvement with the target language. The student continues to develop communication skills to sustain meaningful conversations on a variety of topics. In addition, the intermediate stage includes continual development of reading and writing skills in appropriate cultural contexts.
In the advanced stage the student develops and refines oral proficiency skills in order to be able to function in a variety of situations with a high degree of accuracy and fluency. In addition, reading and writing are expanded to include a variety of literary genres and written experimentation. The student also acquires a refined cultural understanding to function appropriately in different cultural settings.
new initiatives and programs in the curricular area:
A partial language immersion program in Spanish is offered at Lakenheath Elementary School in one classroom each at grades 2, 3 and 4.
The partial immersion program may be defined as one in which 50% of the instructional time is conducted in the target language and the other 50% in English.
The curriculum is the same as that of all DoDEA elementary schools.
The goals of the partial immersion program are:
Students will maintain and develop mastery in subject content appropriate for their grade levels
Students will achieve functional literacy in the target language.
Students will acquire an understanding and appreciation of another language and culture, which will in no way detract from their appreciation of their home culture.

Educational Web sites:
American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages
American Association of Teachers of French
American Association of Teachers of German
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections

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