Welcome to CM Everyday French! I hope you found the breakout session helpful. Here are some of the quotes and things I discussed, as well as some resources I mentioned during the talk.
The Family should (a) learn Languages ; (b) show Courtesy abroad.
What shall we teach our children? Is there one subject that claims our attention more than another? Yes, there is a subject or class of subjects which has an imperative moral claim upon us. It is the duty of the nation to maintain relations of brotherly kindness with other nations ; therefore it is the duty of every family, as an integral part of the nation, to be able to hold brotherly speech with the families of other nations as opportunities arise ; therefore to acquire the speech of neighbouring nations is not only to secure an inlet of knowledge and a means of culture, but it is a duty of that higher morality (the morality of the family) which aims at universal brotherhood ; therefore every family would do well to cultivate two languages besides the mother tongue, even in the nursery. (Parents and Children p. 7)
I love this quote because it really emphasizes the WHY. Why is it important to learn a second language? To be a good neighbor. The goal of language acquisition is communication. Once we know why we want our children to learn another language we can focus our teaching in a way that better reaches our goal.
Language acquisition is “the (mostly) implicit process of building a linguistic system by making form-meaning connections from input.” (Common Ground p.3)
Language acquisition is not like other school subjects. The way each individual acquires a language is unique and not predictable. We can’t know what each brain will process and acquire in each lesson. “Language is not content – it isn’t a series of rules and language can not be created with formulas. The language ability is something your students already possess.” (Comprehensible Classroom)
The only way to build the system is with language input. However, it isn’t enough to just place someone in an immersive environment. The language input must also be comprehensible and compelling. Output, of course, also has a role. Output helps learners get better at accessing the system. This is skill development. However, without input, there is nothing to output.
Charlotte Mason knew the power of compelling input:
The French Lesson. –The daily French lesson is that which should not be omitted. That children should learn French orally, by listening to and repeating French words and phrases ; that they should begin so young that the difference of accent does not strike them, but they repeat the new French word all the same as if it were English and use it as freely ; that they should learn a few–two or three, five or six–new French words daily, and that, at the same time, the old words should be kept in use–are points to be considered more fully hereafter ; in the meantime, it is so important to keep tongue and ear familiar with French vocables, that not a lesson should be omitted. The French lesson, may, however, be made to fit in with the spirit of the other out-of-door occupations ; the half-dozen words may be the parts–leaves, branches, bark, trunk of a tree, or the colours of the flowers, or the movements of bird, cloud, lamb, child ; in fact, the new French words should be but another form of expression for the ideas that for the time fill the children’s mind. (Home Education, p. 80-81)
One thing to note is that Charlotte Mason was not advocating just a list of vocabulary words.
“Of course, his teacher, will take care that, in giving words…they are put into sentences and kept in use from day to day.” (Home Education, p. 301) She thought the Gouin series a useful tool because it taught language in sentences that described actions the children could act out. (To learn more about Gouin, I direct you to Celeste Cruz’s wonderful article.)
Gouin put emphasis on learning “the verb” (Home Education p. 302). This brings to mind a modern language acquisition strategy called TPR, which stands for total physical response.
This strategy involves putting an action to as many possible words. Many educators focus on what they refer to as the Super 7 or the Sweet 16 – the most frequent verbs of any language. Knowing these very few verbs well allows for fluency and comprehension of a large quantity of input. These lists are easily found for any language with a quick Google search.
For French, the Super 7 are, conjugated in the first person:
Je suis – I am
J’aime – I like/love
Je veux – I want
Il y a – there is/ there are
J’ai – I have
je fais – I make /I do
Je vais – I go
The Sweet 16 add the following to the Super 7:
J’apporte – I bring
Je peux – I can
Je viens – I come
Je donne – I give
J’entends – I hear
Je sais – I know
Je dis – I say
Je pars – I leave
Je mets – I put
Je vois – I see
Once you know those verbs well, you can communicate pretty well by mixing and matching with the rest of your vocabulary.
Personal Questions and Answers – For further reading: Growing with Proficiency and Comprehensible Classroom
Helpful websites for more information regarding Comprehensible Input, reading for second language acquisition and story-telling:
A good summary:
What is Comprehensible Input and Why
Research:
Storytelling Explained:
Ideas to integrate your target language into your day:
- Switch out your morning greeting.
- Do calendar time and weather.
- Narrate your day. (“What did we do today”)
- Teach Gouin series or Useful Phrases.
- Include target language poetry during your Poetry Tea Time.
- Ask questions.
- Add Target Language sentences to your Picture Study.
- Read in the target language – and re-read and change up the sentences.
Comprehensible Readers – You can find some at Wayside Publishing. You can also find some on Amazon. (CM Everyday French participates in the Amazon referral program.) - Story-listening
Beniko Mason research
Alice Ayel
Kathrin Shechtman
@spanishstorylistening - Narration
- Handicraft
- Other places to incorporate target language?
Try to incorporate your target language into your everyday life! Your life will be richer for it. A little bit is better than none at all. You are never too old to learn a language.