Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese...Making World Languages Fun!
By Kym on 01 August 2011 / Curricula, Foreign Languages, High School, Homeschool Information, homeschooling middle school, News, Teaching / 8 Comments
COMING TOMORROW!
1/2 price on the ENTIRE ebookstore!
We want to help you get ready for the new homeschool year!
Start with a prayer journal and our ebook on how to help a friend in crisis (Carry Each Others' Burdens)
Then add Career Exploration, Human Development and Psychology. Follow that up with British Literature, Lit Study and Poetry Writing Guides. You will SAVE a bundle!
====================================================================
Are you teaching Spanish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Latin...or any 
other World Language to your homeschooler? Want to know how to make it fun? Good for you!
Making language learning fun is a big part of success for both teacher(s) and student(s). Think back to when you were learning any subject. Didn't you want to spend more time practicing the things that were fun to you?
Whether you're teaching an elementary, middle or high school student, read on for a few of my favorite tips on teaching world languages in a one on one situation:
-Incorporate vocabulary that is meaningful to the student.
If I learn all the words for the people, places and things around me, I will think of them each time I see them. Are the words for computers and other technology-related items more relevant to you and your student or the words for farm animals? One of my favorite ways to do this with high schoolers is to have them pull words from their texts and Facebook messages.
Senora Kym and her first born
-Use your target language in other fun activities that your student enjoys.
Sing songs in Spanish. Make and serve a homemade Japanese meal together. Connect with someone like my French friends that I met in the Grand Canyon, Christine and Alan, and become Facebook friends. Go to a Chinese church service. One of my students' favorites is to watch a TV show of movie, with which they are very familiar, using the target language with English subtitles or vice versa.
-Play games!
Some of my favorites are Veo, Veo, Algo... (like I spy something...) hangman, crosswords and word searches. You can be the "leader" then reverse roles and have your student be the "leader".
Whether you use Rosetta Stone, Holt McDougal, Learnables, Flip Flop Learning with my amiga Senora Gose, the high school curriculum I'm developing or something you've created yourself, remember to laugh together. Fun is one of the keys to successfully mastering any world language!
What are some interesting methods you have used in teaching World Languages to your kids?
===================================================================
Don't forget to sign up for our free enewsletter. It comes once a week with groovy financial tips from Sara and other good stuff. Sign-up on the right.
Related Posts:
Meeting Face-to-Face:
SABRINA had an amazing time of equipping, refreshing and fellowship at the 2:1 Conference! Look for a blog post all about it next weekend!
Also, 7 Sisters will be Exhibiting at GHC NORTHEAST in Hartford, CT June 14-16, 2012. Come by the booth and say hello!!
Check out other great homeschool info here:
Grab our Button!
8 Comments
Pingback: How to Homeschool High School – A Quick Reference | 7sistershomeschool.com
Pingback: Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese…Making World Languages Fun in a Group! | 7sistershomeschool.com
Kyle Thorp
August 2, 2011 8:38 amI really enjoyed the games we played in French class. It made it so much more laid back and enjoyable. The competitve aspect was also very motivating.
Marilyn Groop
August 2, 2011 7:05 amTaking missions trips to countries that speak a different language can also be a great motivator and make learning a language more meaningful and fun.
Sara Hayes
August 2, 2011 6:15 amI especially like your idea, Kym, about making the language as meaningful to the students as possible. It's not surprising that students wouldn't feel too motivated to learn words they have no opportunity to use in normal life.
Sabrina
August 2, 2011 5:54 amI taught Latin for a couple of years to a group of kids, and we had a blast throwing a shared Christmas party with our Spanish class buddies and Senora Smythe. The kids got to show off their skills to one another. The Spanish class sang a verse of a carol en Espanol, and then my kids sang it in Latin. We enjoyed figs from Ancient Rome alongside flan....good times!
Vicki
August 1, 2011 11:12 pmWhen I was teaching French to my kids, we learned a Bible verse each week. We can still say some of them after 10 years!
kym
August 2, 2011 5:48 amGreat comment, Vicki!
I also do scripture memorization in Spanish with my classes. It made my day when my son, who hadn't formally taken Spanish for several years, chimed right in with my class this year as they learned the 23rd Psalm.
Then, as I was lining up for a photo with all of the Seniors graduating from our school, they all stepped forward and spontaneously, in unison, recited the 23rd Psalm together as well.
It blessed me beyond words!