FLES

FLES stands for Foreign Language in the Elementary School. This type of program differs greatly from immersion programs because it is less intense. In FLES programs, there is usually a special foreign language teacher, as opposed to the regular classroom teacher. This teacher teaches students a “minimum of every other day, for a minimum average of 75 minutes per week”, (Curtain & Pesola, 1993). In a FLES program, students continue the foreign language study throughout all of their elementary years.

The goals of FLES programs are “To acquire proficiency in listening and speaking (degree of proficiency varies with the program), to acquire an understanding of and appreciation for other cultures, and to acquire some proficiency in reading and writing (emphasis varies with the program)”, (Curtain & Pesola, 1993).

What are the benefits of learning a language early in life?

· Current brain research indicates that there is a window of opportunity during childhood when basic connections for language learning are most easily made.

· The most successful second-language learner is one who starts early because the ability to learn another language is highest between birth and age six.

· “Children who start learning a second language in elementary school or before have an easier time hearing and processing the language and are less likely to speak with an accent.”

· Children who receive regular, systematic second language instruction in elementary school perform better in their first language and in school overall. They develop stronger problem-solving skills, become more creative, and understand their own culture and other cultures better.

· Children who study second languages get higher scores on verbal and math sections of standardized tests.

· “Children who learn second languages have expanded career employment opportunities as adults.”

(The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, The Case for Foreign Language Study in the Elementary School)