one more question about foreign languages...

[Felicia]

How many should they be learning at once or during the year? My next year 7th and 5th graders have never done latin so we will start that when I figure out a program for them. I am also seeing alot of people here do greek and other foreign languages. I am realitively new to the classical approach and was wondering how you would schedule all of these and how many without shortcircuiting their minds:D

Thanks

[nmoira]

A big factor is time. We're in a position that DD is young and "ahead" in most things so we have time to do Latin and Spanish, and she wants to add another. If you have time to do one language properly, then just do one. The WTM has some suggestions for long term scheduling both for one language at a time and two simultaneously.

[Karen in TN]

We've done 2 at a time. Ds has done Spanish since K, in 4th & 5th grade we added Latin, and next year (6th) we'll be doing Spanish and French. I've found that the 2nd language doesn't confuse things, but reinforces them when you start to discuss similarities and differences.

I've scheduled them by alternating days.

I guess I wouldn't try to do this if my child were resistant, but he enjoys them. The Spanish and French combination for next year is his choice.

Karen

Karen

Karen

[Bloy]

A big factor is time. We're in a position that DD is young and "ahead" in most things so we have time to do Latin and Spanish, and she wants to add another. If you have time to do one language properly, then just do one. The WTM has some suggestions for long term scheduling both for one language at a time and two simultaneously.

If your dd likes Latin and might want to study something else introduce some German. It is enough like English in vocabulary, and the grammar is similar to Latin (declining). It is a ton of fun just to sing--especially for the young child (something like Ilse Bilse 12 Dutzend alte kinderverse), and kind of just dig the grammar.

German for Children (http://www.amazon.com/German-Children-Language-Paperback-Audio/dp/0071407790) is fun and easy to follow for a reading child, nice to listen to for a non-reading child, has the comic Super Katze... your library might even have it to listen to first, even through ILL.

Other books in German are more expensive than Spanish, and you have to look a little harder for them, but a lot of fun.
:)

[Laura Corin]

Calvin does Mandarin and Latin; Hobbes Mandarin and Greek. I don't find that they get confused; it's just a question of finding time for everything.

Best wishes

Laura

[strider]

How many is really a question only your child can answer--not in words, but in behavior. My two children are vastly different in this respect. DD is comfortably doing both Latin and Spanish. Ds is both younger but also not language-oriented, and we are keeping him to just Spanish for now.

Start with one and get comfortable with it. See how it goes. Add another one a year or two down the line. Expect a little turbulence as your child adjusts his/her mind to accommodate two sets of grammar/vocabulary. If they are able to adjust, that's great. If it is just too hard to juggle two languages simultaneously, then stop and keep with your original language.

Another option is to start with Latin, then switch to a different language after a few years. And another option is just to do a modern language and not worry about Latin or a second language.

Do what will work WELL--do not push yourselves to do more than you can handle such that you are doing a mediocre job on many things. Do what will work well and ruthlessly cull the rest.