Great article on Spelling in the Asbury Park Press. In Oceanport, the district plans to introduce Latin in the first through third grade curriculum next year to give students a better understanding of word roots and the foundation for learning a second language.
I think this is a terrific idea because I had two years of Latin in high school and it still helps me today with figuring out the meaning of words. Also helps with Spanish, Italian and French.
Any thoughts?
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I think this idea does show some promise, but I am unsure about when it is being introduced. Students that are in first through third grade are still progressing with phonics. I feel that it would be more productive if Latin was introduced in grades four through six. Students here would be more likely to grasp the ideas that the language has to offer.
Hi Cindy,
Interesting idea to introduce Latin to children at such an early age. I am not sure this is a good idea. I think Andrew brought up a good point when he talked about how children are just beginning to learn about phonics at that age. I think it might confuse them. It might be of help if offered at an older age.
Rosalind
Excellent point, Cindy.
Latin is the one language that I wished I had taken.
As Andrew and Rosalind mentioned, this is an early age to start *formal* Latin-language training. However, I do not see anything wrong with introducing them to the language using age-appropriate teaching strategies as they currently do with Spanish or French. Young children may pick up and learn language concepts that may later be built upon formally.
Thanks for posting!
I feel that Latin should be an elective in high school. Maybe teaching basic roots from Latin and Greek would help primary students. I also took Latin in high school and this still helps me with unfamiliar vocabulary if I know the root meaning.
I think the younger the child is, the better it is for him/her to be introduced to a new language. I tried to learn a foreign language when I was much older and it was difficult for me. In my opinion, if there is an opportunity for students to learn a foreign language at an earlier age and as long as the skill level that is being taught is right for their age then students should go for it.
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