How does the Core Knowledge curriculum fits with your school's educational framework? (From the January/2004 Classical Columns)
Our school attempts to emulate a classical model of education (grammar, logic, rhetoric -- see Dorothy Sayer's lecture, "The Lost Tools of Learning" for an excellent introduction). Core Knowledge, as we see it, fits well into the grammar stage of classical education when children have a high capacity to (and are motivated to) soak up a lot of information, but do not yet have the developmental machinery for critical analysis or expression. E.D. Hirsch's book, The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them, speaks to developmental issues in what we call the grammar stage Students then progress to the logic stage of their studies in about grades seven and eight.
How do you develop student's individuality, their ability to make some of their own choices (perhaps in literature or political perspective or personal philosophies)? (From the January/2004 Classical Columns)
We want to prepare children to be informed, thoughtful participants in society by giving them a solid educational foundation. "Individuality" and "choice" are loaded terms these days, and they are admittedly not part of our rhetoric. On occasion, we are asked if our school produces "drones" that know how to spit back information but cannot "think for themselves." It would be fair to say that our educational philosophy assumes that competent choosing requires a foundation of knowledge ("grammar") as well as training in the reasoning process ("logic"). Furthermore, our educational philosophy assumes that individuality is best expressed through exposure to the best historical examples in literature and art, as well as instruction and practice of the forms and art of expression (classical rhetoric). Consequently, a classical education will not, by comparison to progressive approaches, be emphasizing individuality or self-chosen courses of study at a young age. However, we believe that our slower approach will in fact produce people who are ultimately better prepared to think for themselves, and persuasively and artfully express themselves.
How do you prepare students to live in a highly technological world? (From the January/2004 Classical Columns)
Our Classical Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) is intended to provide a foundation for further, more specialized, subject study (classically, this would be the quadrivium -- these days technical school or college and beyond). In an age of increasing technological specialization, it is even more important to provide a strong base of common knowledge (see E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy) as well as the tools of learning so that citizens have some capacity to think across these divisions. Ironically to some then, we believe that knowing about the Pilgrims, Aesop, and Robinson Crusoe is excellent preparation for a highly technological world -- we give up more than we gain by specializing too soon. Often discussion of "preparing for a technological world" comes down to introducing (expensive and quickly outdated) technological devices, such as computers, into schools. We tend to assume that technology has not altered human nature in any fundamental way: children learn mostly from teachers, who do at times will use some technological tool to help them teach.
On a deeper level, it is interesting to consider what Jacques Ellul refers to as "technique" -- we live in a society enamored, not so much with technological devices, but with technological processes. In many areas of life, we have this idea that our desired ends (in law, education, etc.) can be achieved and controlled if we just follow the right formula or process (e.g. in law: due process to achieve justice; e.g. in policy: busing to achieve equality; e.g. just about everywhere: x number of steps to success). This is similar to what E.D. Hirsch has in mind when he criticizes educational formalism, or an emphasis in progressive education of proper teaching methodology over content (for Hirsch, the misguided search for the "holy grail" of teaching methods is what leads to the many fads in American education). Our school is rather eclectic when it comes to teaching methods -- it is content and knowledge that are emphasized.
How do you make room for exploration of some of the 5,000 new young-adult fiction books that come out every year, with contemporary issues, perspectives, etc? (From the January/2004 Classical Columns)
While our teachers are certainly open to good new materials that come to their attention (many such are introduced at Core Knowledge conferences, for example), we have a decided bias toward the tried and true which, in addition to literary merit, also contribute to "cultural literacy." Our curricular choices also reflect a philosophy of the universality of human experience: that while times and faces change, we can learn from and deeply resonate with experiences of those of the past. If we do our job well, our students will have a lifetime to explore the ancient as well as the very contemporary. For now, part of our job of picking the best things for the curriculum involves availing ourselves of that cumulative judgment of merit. Further, Core Knowledge has done an excellent job of sequencing, in which material carefully builds on earlier material.
Substitutions could easily weaken that sequence.
No doubt, your students probably test well, but what if the skills that make good test takers do not translate into the skills that make good citizens? (From the January/2004 Classical Columns)
It is important to point out that skill is only part of what we test for, and for us assessment is simply a tool for teachers to help students reach mastery. Much of our testing is designed to measure skill (in computation or grammatical analysis, for example), but much of it is also designed to measure knowledge. For a citizen inclined to do the right thing, both knowledge and skill can help one in making a good decision. It can be argued that our students will have a wealth of knowledge and historical precedent to draw on. If we do a good job in teaching logic, they will also have the tools they need to reason well. In these ways, they may be better prepared to be better citizens than children without this classical foundation.
The classical model does not simply assume that people are naturally good; it assumes character can and should be shaped. Another interesting, and very helpful, thing about a classical (Platonic, say) approach is the idea of moral inspiration. Mary Beth Klee mentions this in her book, Core Virtues. The idea is that character formation is a lifelong pursuit, much of it happening long after schooling in the trivium. The examples that students are exposed to now in good literature will give them something to draw on for many years to come.
Another factor in our school that should not be minimized is the participation of parents (certainly much of character is formed in the home). The CK sequence is all published and available to parents, so it is easy for parents to know exactly what is being taught in school and work together with teachers to reinforce moral lessons.
Please feel free to contact any board member with further questions regarding our mission, philosophy and curriculum. We welcome all opportunities to discuss our wonderful school.
What does Cultural
Literacy mean? (From the
February/2004 Classical Columns)
Cultural
Literacy is a term coined by E. D. Hirsch (founder of the Core Knowledge®
Foundation). The term refers to commonly held knowledge and educational
justice. Hirsch argues that in order to overcome unfairness in schooling,
it is necessary to impart a universally shared core of knowledge. Educational
justice means equality of educational opportunity. It is the
background knowledge that is needed to understand public discourse.
For example, a writer who pens “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”
doesn’t diverge to tell you he isn’t really giving advice to chicken farmers.
He is assuming that his audience shares certain knowledge. Cultural Literacy
helps to provide all children, regardless of background, with the shared
knowledge they need to be included in our national literate culture.
How does Cultural
Literacy transfer to the Core Knowledge® Sequence and how does it fit
a traditional, classical education? (From
the February/2004 Classical Columns)
If
you look at the Core Knowledge® Sequence or pick up a book such as
What Your Third Grader Needs to Know, you will certainly see lists of facts
that are to be taught. It also does look somewhat “traditional.”
The intent of Cultural Literacy however, is not to enforce an ideologically
canonized body of knowledge, but aims rather at describing what literate
Americans generally know. There is a certain amount of subjectivity
involved in the Core Knowledge® Sequence, no doubt, but the Core Knowledge®
Sequence is distinguished by its specificity. By clearly specifying important
knowledge in language arts, history and geography, math, science, and the
fine arts, the Core Knowledge® Sequence presents a practical answer
to the question, "What do our children need to know?" The Foundation
describes it as, “An Idea. . . that for the sake of academic excellence,
greater fairness, and higher literacy, elementary and middle schools need
a solid, specific, shared core curriculum in order to help children
establish strong foundations of knowledge, grade by grade.”
Classical School seems to give a lot of information very early. Does this trivialize and oversimplify knowledge at the expense of true understanding? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
Hirsch argues that children are cognitively “wired” to pick up facts long before they realize the full significance or interconnectedness of those facts. What fourth grader will read The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, and appreciate the full depth of slavery in this country? She will, however, have some acquaintance with important facts of American history which can provide a foundation for further learning (as well, we hope, as a growing empathy that might lead to compassionate decisions). From a Classical learning point of view, we must remember our long-term goals. The Rhetoric stage builds upon the Logic stage which builds upon the Grammar stage. It is too bad when someone never moves beyond a simplistic level of understanding. Most people, for example, have only a childlike, sentimentalized understanding of the story of Gulliver’s Travels. An older person can revisit it to grapple with some profound dilemmas of the human condition. Nevertheless, you have to start somewhere.
Does Cultural Literacy demand a certain theory of learning? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
It does imply some principles of learning. This question could easily occupy another column, but here are a couple examples. For one, knowledge builds upon knowledge (you can learn more when you know more). So, Core Knowledge® is very carefully sequenced so that each year builds upon the previous years. Hirsch also argues that higher order thinking skills are domain specific. In other words, being an expert in one field does not necessarily translate into being an expert in other fields. Therefore, it is important that students be equipped with a certain breadth of learning. As the Core Knowledge® Foundation explains, “Only a school system that clearly defines the knowledge and skills required to participate in each successive grade can be excellent and fair for all students. For this reason, the Core Knowledge® Sequence provides a clear outline of content to be learned grade by grade. This sequential building of knowledge not only helps ensure that children enter each new grade ready to learn, but also helps prevent the many repetitions and gaps that characterize much current schooling (repeated units, for example, on pioneer days or the rain forest, but little or no attention to the Bill of Rights, or to adding fractions with unlike denominators).”
What are the benefits of Cultural Literacy and the Core Knowledge® Sequence for parents? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
Nothing can be more frustrating for parents than to not have a clear understanding of what their children are learning in school. Many of our parents have shared with us how much they appreciate the Core Knowledge® Sequence because it allows them to know exactly what their child will be learning each year. Because of this, many parents are encouraged to participate in their children’s education. Our teachers do a wonderful job each month at letting parents know exactly what their children are learning so they can reinforce these subjects with discussion at home, more in-depth reading, etc. The Core Knowledge® website has a number of resources that parents use to further learning at home on particular subjects. To find these resources, go to http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/rbo.htm.
What about a diversity of cultures in America, much more in the world? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
Hirsch succinctly addresses this topic in his article, Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School as follows :
In order to be accepted, the Core Knowledge® Sequence had to be ratified by persons of good will from many ethnic groups. Such people are a lot easier to find than publicized disputes suggest, and fortunately there are more centrists than there are extremists. Because people of good will from many ethnic groups participated in its formation, the curriculum is a consensus document that is multicultural in flavor. As any centrist curriculum must, it exhibits the following characteristics: 1) It encourages knowledge of and sympathy towards the diverse cultures of the world. 2) It fosters respect for every child's home culture as well as for the cosmopolitan school- based culture. 3) It gives all children competence in the current system of language and allusion that is dominant in the nation's economic and intellectual discourse.
This third requirement raises a question about including a strong element of the so- called "dominant" culture. Common sense and experience both dictate caution in trying to revolutionize American culture through the school curriculum by neglecting or even rejecting the currently dominant culture. That would simply harm children who are in most need of help. In order to get a good job a young person must be able to communicate in speech and writing in the standard language and allusion- system of the marketplace. Since this system of intellectual currency is in broad use by millions of adults, it is a highly stable system that is slow to change. Hence, in order not to penalize students, schools must include as part of the curriculum the system of language and allusion that is currently in place.
This means that a cosmopolitan, centrist curriculum will initiate evolutionary rather than revolutionary change in American culture. Nonetheless, wherever there is an opportunity for fostering greater cosmopolitanism, it should be encouraged as insistently as is feasible without injuring any child's practical chances in life.
As earnestly as I welcome this movement towards a multicultural redefinition of American culture, I must quickly add that the issue of multicultural redefinition must not distract us from the issue of educational excellence and fairness in areas beyond the history and literature curriculum. For even after our curricula have included many more elements of African, African-American, Native American, Asian, and Latino culture, we still face the task of giving all children a good education.
It will do black American children little good, for example, to learn a lot about their African and African- American past if they still cannot read and write effectively, do not understand natural science, and cannot solve basic mathematical problems. In the information age, such educational defects simply prolong victimization by keeping people in menial jobs, if there happen to be enough menial jobs to go around. The only kind of multiculturalism that can overcome this victimization is the kind that invites all children to become active, effective members of the larger cosmopolis. Every child should be able to read a serious book or training manual. Every child should be able to communicate with strangers in the larger society, give a talk to unknown fellow citizens, and to understand what is being said in such communications.
Cosmopolitanism
is a true friend of diversity. It is the only valid multiculturalism for
the modern era. Only a cosmopolitan, centrist core curriculum can enable
all children to be well educated. The great ethnic diversity of America
is not going to disappear just because we adults decide to empower children
with a core of commonly shared knowledge -- a common school-based culture
in addition to their home culture. If we Americans are to choose between
the narrow ideal of ethnic loyalty and the broad ideal of social fairness,
let us without hesitation choose fairness.
Doesn’t any list
essentially amount to cultural imperialism, where the privileged majority
imposes its cultural identity on minorities (even if they give a token
nod to “diversity”)? (From
the February/2004 Classical Columns)
It is important to distinguish cultural literacy from cultural identity. It is not the goal of our school to engineer a cultural identity in our students, much less to undermine the cultural identity of any family. Having said that, however, it must be acknowledged that this is a difficult issue. It is easy for the “majority” to be unaware or dismissive of the struggles of minorities, and it is easy for minorities to feel that what goes on in a school marginalizes or runs roughshod over them (sometimes in ways that have to do with the curriculum). These days “diversity” is much talked about, but the discussion in this month’s column is about “commonality.” Most of us would probably acknowledge that there are some human universals, and that people living together in the U.S. or interacting in the common public sphere, do have shared knowledge that ought to be taught to our children. The Core Knowledge® Foundation emphasizes that its material must be supplemented with things that are important regionally or in the community.
Would an emphasis on Cultural Literacy help reform schools in America? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
Hirsch thinks so and obviously so do we. This was a primary consideration for selecting the Core Knowledge® Sequence as our curriculum. We agree with Hirsch that careful attention to content in education is an answer to declining test scores, to ideologically driven, faddish and unsuccessful teaching methodologies, to many of the problems facing economically and socially disadvantaged students, and to a revival of the kind of robust public square required in a healthy democracy. Hirsch emphasizes the need for Core Knowledge® in his book, The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them (a broad-ranging case citing research and international comparisons extensively). He is a major player in the school reform movement. Read the book and decide for yourself!
We assume that, as a choice school, parents look into our program enough to like and understand what they are signing their children up for. We hope you agree that the Core Knowledge® Sequence exhibits solid good sense and is a rich fare for our children. It is also important to note that we are a Classical school and Core Knowledge fits the content-rich requirements of a classical structure and approach to education very well. We are proud to be an official Core Knowledge® school.
In a nutshell, what are ways that I can help foster Cultural Literacy in our school? (From the February/2004 Classical Columns)
First, as parents you have an important role, not only in reinforcing cultural literacy at home (helping kids with homework is one way), but supplementing the curriculum where needed. This could be in the way of visiting the library for further reading on topics of study; reading the classic literature along with your children for family discussion; listening to additional pieces of music composed by the musicians they have studied in music class; and educating your children in the traditions that make up their cultural identity. The list really is endless. Secondly, it needs to be pointed out again and again that Core Knowledge® is a very demanding curriculum for our teachers. They have done, and continue to do, a remarkable job. We need to support and encourage them in as many ways as we can think of. Finally, we should recognize that we are educationally “privileged.” The educational opportunity that Classical School affords our students and families implies some responsibility to the broader community. One way to act on this responsibility is to help make sure that everyone who comes to us (especially those who are educationally “at-risk”) succeeds at our school – you might consider helping with the homework club after school on Tuesdays, for example.
-------------------------------------------------
We would encourage you to read E.D. Hirsch’s articles on the Foundation’s website at: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/artcls.htm. Other interesting articles referring to Cultural Literacy and Core Knowledge can be attained at: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/nsltr.htm.
STANDARDIZED TESTING AT CLASSICAL
As a charter school, we are exempt from some standardized tests, but we are required to take the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test (WRCT) and Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) exams. Explanations of what these tests stand for and what they test is described below. We would also like to share an overview on how our students have done on the WRCT and WKCE exams.
How does Wisconsin address the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that requires all states to create or use existing assessment tools to measure academic performance in reading and math in grades 3-8? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
The assessment or testing of our K-12 students in this nation is a hotly debated topic in both the educational and political arenas. You may already know something about the attempts at school reform through the NCLB Act. NCLB was passed by congress and signed into law in January 2002. It is part of an earlier act called the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that was first enacted in 1965. The goal of ESEA was to provide equal educational opportunities to the nation’s disadvantaged children. According to the Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI) website, NCLB is a “major reform of ESEA” and “redefines the federal role in K-12 education and will help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers.” Although many have found fault with this act, including the charge that it is inadequately funded, its basic premise is a step in the right direction for school reform. To reach the earlier stated goal, NCLB had three major reform areas—school accountability, teacher quality and research-based education.
The charter (or contract) that the Classical Charter School Association holds with the Appleton Area School District states that Classical School will participate in state and federally mandated tests to measure student progress. NCLB requires all states to create or use existing assessment tools to measure academic performance in reading and math in grades 3-8. In Wisconsin, these required assessments are the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test (WRCT) and the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). These tests are designed to assess if students are making adequate yearly progress in relation to Wisconsin’s educational standards set by the DPI. The structure and content of these tests also engenders debate in the field of education, but we will leave that for another article.
What is the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test (WRCT)? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
The following description of the WRCT was taken from the Wisconsin DPI’s website (http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/).
The Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test is given annually statewide to students at grade 3. The WRCT was developed by Wisconsin educators to identify students who may need additional assistance to improve their reading comprehension skills. Students are given passages to read that are typical of what third graders read in school. Each passage is followed by a set of multiple choice and short answer questions measuring reading comprehension. The test has no specified time limits.
The WRCT has four purposes:
--To identify the reading
level of individual students with respect to statewide proficiency levels,
--To provide districts with
information that will help them evaluate the effectiveness of their primary
reading programs,
--To allow school districts
to compare the performance of their students with state proficiency levels,
and
--To provide data for meeting
federal and state statutory requirements with respect to student assessment.
What is the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE)? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
The following description of the WKCE was taken from the Wisconsin DPI’s website (http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/).
The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) are given annually to students at grades four, eight, and ten. These standardized tests include commercially-developed questions used in schools across the country and questions developed specifically for Wisconsin in order to improve coverage of Wisconsin academic standards. The WKCE measures achievement in reading, language applications, mathematics, science, and social studies using multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Students also provide a rough-draft writing sample. Total WKCE test time varies by grade and may range from 5 to 7.5 hours.
Classical School’s 5th grade classes were randomly selected by the state to participate in a pilot of the mathematics portion of the WKCE. They will take this test in May. This pilot test is due to the fact that beginning in the fall of 2005 all Wisconsin students in grades 3 – 8 will be assessed annually in the areas of reading and mathematics using these portions of the WKCE. Grades 4 and 8 will continue to with the full battery of test subjects (reading, language arts, math, science, social studies, and writing).
In the past, our students have also taken the Stanford-9 (SAT-9) exams. Will Classical School continue to administer the SAT-9’s as well? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
The 2002-03 school year was
the last year we administered the SAT-9 exams. The purpose of the
SAT-9 exams was to gauge how well our program was working. We have
been administering the SAT-9 exams at grades K, 3, and 6. Since the
NCLB Act now requires more frequent mandated testing at the state level,
we feel that we have enough data to measure our program as well as provide
information to parents about how their children are learning the necessary
skills and content. Because the SAT-9 exams were not required by
the state, Classical School has had to pay for the administration and scoring
of the exams. The SAT-9 exams have cost us between $2,000 – 3,000
each year to administer. We do not have to pay anything from our
school’s budget for the WKCE or WRCT exams. Additionally, now that
the state is requiring more testing each year, we do not feel that it benefits
our students to pull them from their curriculum for an additional three
days to take the SAT-9 exams.
How does Classical School’s curriculum prepare our students for these tests? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
Parent
Involvement
The success of our students
and program must first be attributed to our wonderful Classical School
parents. We have all dedicated ourselves to the education of
our children. We show this dedication in so many ways: volunteering
in the school; transporting our children to a school that may not be our
neighborhood school; helping our children with their homework; discussing
history, literature or science over the dinner table; and taking family
vacations that correspond to our curriculum. All of these reasons,
and more, are tied to student success, as the first indicator of a child’s
success is an involved parent.
Classical
Teachers and a Content-Based Education/Core Knowledge
In a content-based classical
curriculum such as the Core Knowledge curriculum, instruction focuses on
areas that help students perform well on standardized tests, without having
to teach to the test or narrow our curriculum. Our curriculum focuses
on solid, shared content from a variety of cultures. Students are
able to use this information to draw connections and comparisons.
Each content area is a strand in a fabric that is woven into our curriculum.
Add to that skilled, dedicated, and caring teachers and you have a winning
combination.
The Core Knowledge Foundation addresses the topic of student assessment and Core Knowledge thoroughly on their website. Please refer to the following articles as examples: How Can Core Knowledge Help you Meet the NCLB Requirements? by Cyndi Wells, Director or Teacher Development at the Core Knowledge Foundation. It can be found on the C.K. website at:http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/CommonKnowledge/V17iDec2003Jan2004/vol17iDecJan_NCLBreqs.htm
The Tests We Need and Why
We Don’t Quite Have Them
by E. D. Hirsch at:
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/about/articles/stateTests.htm
Research-Based Phonics Reading Instruction: The reading program that Classical uses in the learning to read stage is a phonics-based direct instruction program. This research-based program quickly builds reading decoding and syntactical skills in the early grades.
Spanish
The study of a Romance language
such as Spanish contributes to the literacy of students and helps them
with vocabulary development in their own language. Children who have studied
a foreign language in elementary school achieve expected gains and have
even higher scores on standardized tests in reading, English language arts,
science, mathematics, social studies and geography (Armstrong & Rogers,
1997; Genesee, 1979; Genesee, Holobow, Lambert & Chartrand, 1989; Kennedy,
1998; McCaig, 1988; Rafferty, 1986; Swain, 19.
How do Classical students perform on the WRCT and WKCE exams? (From the March/2004 Classical Columns)
Shown below are the four-year results from the WRCT third grade reading tests and the WKCE 4th and 8th grade tests. We have been very proud of our students’ performance on these exams and believe that the results are consistent with the goals of Classical School.
WRCT - Grade 3 - READING
| Year | AASD – All Schools | Classical School |
| % Proficient & Advanced | % Proficient & Advanced | |
| March 2000 | 71.3% | 92.0% |
| March 2001 | 78.4% | 92.3% |
| March 2002 | 72.7% | 91.1% |
| March 2003 | 80.3% | 96.0% |
2003 Fourth Grade WKCE DATA
| Subject | Classical School 2003-04 |
| % Proficient & Advanced | |
| Reading | 98% |
| Language Arts | 97% |
| Math | 91% |
| Science | 94% |
| Social Studies | 100 % |
2003 Eighth Grade WKCE DATA
| Subject | Classical School 2003-04 |
| % Proficient & Advanced | |
| Reading | 94% |
| Language Arts | 87% |
| Math | 100% |
| Science | 87% |
| Social Studies | 93 % |
5-Year WKCE Data
for Classical School Class of 2004
This chart shows the growth
this class has made during the five school years they have studied at Classical
School.
The gains are significant
in all areas.
| Subject | Classical School Class of 2004 as 4th graders | Classical School Class of 2004 as 8th graders |
| % Proficient & Advanced | % Proficient & Advanced | |
| Reading | 63% | 94% |
| Language Arts | 60% | 87% |
| Math | 54% | 100% |
| Science | 64% | 87% |
| Social Studies | 62 % | 93 % |
Why was Spanish chosen for the school’s foreign language program and how does Spanish fit in into a classical education? (From the April/2004 Classical Columns)
Spanish is the most functional spoken language in our society today. Unlike English, Spanish is a direct descendent of Latin. While traditional classical schools often offer Latin as their foreign language choice, we feel strongly that it is important to offer a spoken language, such as Spanish, during those crucial first twelve to fourteen years when children are able to acquire a language more naturally. In addition to Spanish instruction, Classical School teaches Greek and Latin roots. We feel that the combination of these components fits well with the structure of a classical education.
Spanish
has become essential to many students and professionals who find it a necessary
tool in the fields of business, economics, politics, literature, and culture.
In fact, our students’ professional future may depend upon their ability
to use Spanish as an effective means of communication since Spanish is
one of the most spoken languages in the world. It is also the
second most used language in international communication. Here are
some interesting facts about Spanish:
What is the philosophy behind the Classical School Spanish program? (From the April/2004 Classical Columns)
Because students at Classical study Hispanic geography, culture, art, etc. throughout their Core Knowledge studies, we are fortunate in that we can use Spanish instructional time to focus on teaching the language directly. On occasion, Classical Spanish teachers provide small amounts of cultural information in areas that Core Knowledge does not cover, such as Hispanic holidays for example; however, the primary focus is on teaching the language and grammar.
Since most children under the age of fourteen are still able to acquire a second language, it is important to expose them to as much Spanish as possible. For this reason, our Spanish classes are taught almost exclusively in Spanish with very small amounts of English.
Early language learning at Classical begins by listening and understanding vocabulary meaning, followed by speaking. Consequently, oral and aural proficiency and fluency is the emphasis of instruction in the lower grades. Lessons are organized to promote natural language acquisition through constant exposure to and repetition of the vocabulary and basic grammar of everyday situations.
The
first years of Spanish instruction at Classical rely heavily on the Total
Physical Response (TPR) and the Total Physical Response-Storytelling (TPR-S)
methods, in which teachers and students use playacting and props to depict
vocabulary words and grammatically correct language. TPR is a well-
researched
language instruction method that allows students to acquire a strong aural/oral
vocabulary base and to develop an ear for the language in a manner similar
to how a child learns his/her first
language.
Proficiency and fluency in reading and writing follow naturally and is
a goal of the later grades.
As the students progress in Spanish, the curriculum aims to support the acquisition of a more sophisticated and specialized vocabulary. Emphasis is on the continued development of the skills of conversation with an increased focus on grammar and composition.
What are the benefits of studying a second language at the K-8 age level? (From the April/2004 Classical Columns)
There are many reasons to study a second language at the K-8 level. The primary reason, of course, is that it is generally believed that the younger one is, the easier natural language acquisition will be. Listed below are several other important reasons that support learning Spanish as a second language at the grammar and logic stages:
