Grade schools consider cutting foreign language classes
Students in Madame Maria Wells' fifth-grade class at Cynwyd Elementary School were having great fun Thursday morning - while learning French at the same time.
Through songs, games, and discussion, mostly in French, Wells taught anatomy vocabulary words to the Lower Merion district children, now in their fourth year of instruction.
The class, which meets three days a week, also talked about English words that have their origins in French terms.
"The connections between French and those words helps me remember them and know what they mean," student Benjamin Nagle said.
"It's great to be able to speak French," said classmate Belle LeBow.
Not many public school elementary children in Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs get that experience.
Fewer than 10 of the 64 districts teach foreign language
Through songs, games, and discussion, mostly in French, Wells taught anatomy vocabulary words to the Lower Merion district children, now in their fourth year of instruction.
The class, which meets three days a week, also talked about English words that have their origins in French terms.
"The connections between French and those words helps me remember them and know what they mean," student Benjamin Nagle said.
"It's great to be able to speak French," said classmate Belle LeBow.
Not many public school elementary children in Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs get that experience.
Fewer than 10 of the 64 districts teach foreign language
