BY: TIFFANY DOWNING

My Project

• My project was about teaching a foreign language to young children

• My final product is a board game learning some animals and some colors in Spanish.

Why I Chose This Project

• I know first hand what it’s like to learn Spanish when you are older and it doesn’t work so well.

• My 3 year old daughter watches Dora the Explorer & picks up on the Spanish in an instant.

• With her starting to speak some Spanish it has helped her clear up some of her English.

What I Found Out

• Benefits to teaching a foreign language at young ages:– Improves their

communication skills– Learn to Appreciate

Diversity– Have the ability to learn

multiple languages & not get confused

– Will be able to speak as well as natives

– Builds a firm foundation for education & career

• Elementary schools across the U.S. are starting to offer second language

What I Found Out Cont..

• Two effective ways of teaching to children:– First is by reading to

children from books or them watching videos

– Two favorite shows to watch:• Dora the Explorer• Go Diego Go

What I Found Out Cont..

– The second way is placing the child in a class solely conducted in the target language• Absolutely no translations

occur• Every single word spoken

is in target language

• The best ages to teach your children a 2nd language is Birth-10– Experts say that after

age 10 it is harder to comprehend it

• Researchers found children through age 5 can learn and process 5 languages

What I Found Out Cont..

• Many parents don’t feel that it is a good idea to start teaching them a different language at a young age. Why?:– Some parents are afraid it will mess up their kid’s

English skills– Some are afraid their kids will develop speech

delays– Some are afraid it will hinder reading abilities

What I Found Out Cont..

• There is no evidence that teaching a foreign language to a young child is going to mess up their English.

• In fact, children who learn a second language derived from latin, does higher on SAT Scores

• Many parents are starting to realize the importance of teaching a 2nd language

Who Benefits?

• Do you know what these words are:– El Perro(a)– El gato

• How far can you count in Spanish?– Uno, dos, tres, cuatro,

cinco, seis, seite, ocho, nueve, diez

• The children benefit greatly in present time and future.

• Adults can also learn some Spanish while playing with their children

My Thoughts

• I am pleased with what I had found• I am continually talking Spanish with my

daughter • I believe everyone should try to teach their kid

a second language because there is more positive in the long run

• There are so many ways to get your child to learn, you can buy software or games

My Thoughts Cont..

• Don’t be scared to try to teach your child a second language, besides who knows it could be beneficial to you as well

• Just remember to keep it fun and interesting so they don’t loose interest too fast, but don’t be to hard and restrictive where they don’t want nothing to do with it

My Sources

• iGoogle at http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en&referrer=ign

• http://daycare.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/foreign_language_in_preschool

• http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/parenting/secondlanguage.htm

• http://www.early-advantage.com/Articles/teachingspanish.aspx

My Sources Cont..

• http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/family/story/334633.html

THE

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