Elementary World Language Philosophy
in Brookline Public schools
In the Elementary World Language program in Brookline, our work with students focuses on building a solid foundation in what language teachers call oracy. Oracy is the partner of literacy in language learning. While literacy entails the ability to read and write fluently, oracy is fluency in listening and speaking (or oral language).
Oracy is particularly important because it is the natural first step in learning any language. When children are in the beginning stages of acquiring their first language, they primarily use single words. Their language acquisition is supported by providing lots of repetition and visual support of those first words, long before they move on to forming complex sentences.
In our program, we strive to follow this natural approach to language acquisition by focusing on speaking and listening skills in kindergarten through fifth grade. We spend most of our time providing many opportunities for children to hear the language spoken, and for them to practice speaking it themselves — without direct translation to English. This means they put meaning to words much as they did when learning their first language, and are prepared (and eager!) to communicate more readily. Our focus is on developing real-world communication skills rather than just learning vocabulary words in isolation.
Because of our focus on oracy, reading and writing are secondary skills in the K-5 program. In the classroom we do many activities that involve reading and writing, but our main goal is to use these activities to foster interpersonal communication. Our goal is for students to be able to ask questions and talk about their projects in Spanish, using the projects as topics of conversation rather than as a perfected piece of writing.
By creating a solid foundation of oracy, our students will be well-prepared to move into literacy-based language instruction in middle school, where they will build their reading and writing skills in Spanish. In the meantime, invite your child to tell you about their projects and activities in Spanish class. In addition to describing how they created or used the project in class, they may also be able to describe it in words or phrases in Spanish.
Oracy is particularly important because it is the natural first step in learning any language. When children are in the beginning stages of acquiring their first language, they primarily use single words. Their language acquisition is supported by providing lots of repetition and visual support of those first words, long before they move on to forming complex sentences.
In our program, we strive to follow this natural approach to language acquisition by focusing on speaking and listening skills in kindergarten through fifth grade. We spend most of our time providing many opportunities for children to hear the language spoken, and for them to practice speaking it themselves — without direct translation to English. This means they put meaning to words much as they did when learning their first language, and are prepared (and eager!) to communicate more readily. Our focus is on developing real-world communication skills rather than just learning vocabulary words in isolation.
Because of our focus on oracy, reading and writing are secondary skills in the K-5 program. In the classroom we do many activities that involve reading and writing, but our main goal is to use these activities to foster interpersonal communication. Our goal is for students to be able to ask questions and talk about their projects in Spanish, using the projects as topics of conversation rather than as a perfected piece of writing.
By creating a solid foundation of oracy, our students will be well-prepared to move into literacy-based language instruction in middle school, where they will build their reading and writing skills in Spanish. In the meantime, invite your child to tell you about their projects and activities in Spanish class. In addition to describing how they created or used the project in class, they may also be able to describe it in words or phrases in Spanish.