cover image: A Parent Volunteer Program for the 5th and 6th Grades To Teach Spanish: The Phoenix Experiment.

A Parent Volunteer Program for the 5th and 6th Grades To Teach Spanish: The Phoenix Experiment.

A Madison School District (Phoenix, Arizona) program in which parent volunteers teach Spanish to fifth and sixth graders is described. The program originated with the author, who as a parent volunteer had been teaching Spanish to her child's class. First, a brief account is given of the history of foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) and of currently used low-cost FLES methods. In the Madison School District, parent desire for a foreign language program was strong despite minimal financial resources and lack of appropriate instructional materials. In the middle school in question, the seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish teacher agreed to write 20 fifth- and sixth-grade lessons leading into the later curriculum, and parent volunteers were recruited through the school newspaper and parent-teacher association. Each volunteer received instruction on lesson presentation from the author and the Spanish teacher. Volunteers were found to be conscientious and committed, and the program became an opportunity for friendships and parent involvement. Challenges to be met included support of administration, teachers, and parents; parent preferences and conflicts; a malfunctioning copy machine; and a major cultural project--a school fiesta. A list of references and a sample lesson are included. (MSE)

Authors

Acquafredda, Miriam

Location
Arizona (Phoenix)
Peer Reviewed
F
Publication Type
Reports - Descriptive
Published in
United States of America

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