The Seneca Valley School District is exploring an expansion of foreign language instruction to its youngest pupils.
Assistant superintendent Sean McCarty said the district is looking at teaching languages in kindergarten through fourth grade in the 2016-17 school year. He said it started a world language program this school year for fifth- and sixth-graders who are being introduced to Spanish, French and German.
“It is a very important priority for me as a leader of a large school district and a public school district that we engage our students in world cultures and languages,” superintendent Tracy Vitale said. “I went to Europe this past year and the things I learned convinced me that we need to do more with world languages at a younger age.”
The district is working with Heather Hendry, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh whose field of study is teaching foreign languages at the elementary level.
Ms. Hendry outlined the benefits of studying a language at a young age for school board members at Monday night’s meeting. She said teaching a language from the elementary level on up provides for more fluent speakers as well as other academic benefits like more creativity, higher order thinking and problem solving.
“Near native pronunciation can only occur when they start early,” she said. “With 13 years of instruction, you can reach advanced proficiency.”
Ms. Hendry told board members that she recommends the district offer content-based instruction where pupils can learn a language in the context of what they are already learning, such as including a science lesson in their foreign language study.
School board members agreed with Ms. Hendry. “I think the mistake we make is we push the writing aspect too quickly,” school board member Robert Hill said.
Ms. Hendry said that only one in four school districts have elementary foreign language programs.
In other business, school board members modified school attendance areas for pupils living on Burr Lane and Ebony, Koerner and Harts roads in Evans City. They will now attend Evans City Elementary School. They were previously sent to Connoquenessing Valley in Zelienople.
James Pearson, district director of transportation, said all of those roads are offshoots of Textor Hill Road and people living on Textor Hill attend Evans City Elementary. He said they will no longer have to send two different buses to that area.
Laure Cioffi, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: May 15, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
