7 yo French?

Question

Should a 7yo boy who is struggling with literacy start learning French?

Answer 1

Yes, as long as it isn't intensive i.e learning about all the verbs and rules. He should be taught in a more inclusive way. Specifically for children and in fact it may help his literacy problems.

Answer 2

not really until he can get english literacy under his wing.

Good Luck,

James:)

Answer 3

Depends entirely on what is proposed.  

In many schools, learning French is a once or twice a week activity with songs, games, possibly computer games and some very simple sheets to fill in/colour.  Reading will not be the paragraphs those of us who are a bit older will remember even in lesson one, but labels and very short repetitive phrases.  Most of the 'work' is oral.  The upside of this is that the children have fun, gain a body of vocabulary and attain a very good accent.  The risk of this approach is that the topics covered tend to repeat over and over again without sufficient progression being built in to keep them interesting for the more able pupils.  French may be taught one year, and another language taught the next, to avoid this.  Not much grammar is likely to be taught before age eleven.

In another scenario, French may be taught year on year.  There will be progression, more formal grammar will be taught, more writing of sentences will be done and in a 'free' way, with less structure given into which to fit words.

I'd have thought that if the situation is closer to the first one mentioned above, to give a seven year old struggling with all the other language he is doing all day a fresh, new 'subject', at which he can do well, could be very beneficial for his self respect and general enjoyment of school.

Answer 4

I found learning French really helped with my English.  You learn a lot of stuff in French class that they would never teach you in English class, such as past participles, second person plural, etc.

However, I didn't have a problem with literacy to start with, and I didn't start learning French until I was 12.  7 seems a bit young to me, and it seems as if he may struggle with French at this age, and probably even give it up.

The other thing to consider in this little quandary is free choice.  I love French now and can't get enough of French culture, language, food, etc.  But then it was my own free choice that made me start learning French to begin with.  I doubt I would have been so culturally welcoming if my parents had made me learn French.  I doubt that I would have kept it up for so long, and I doubt I would have had much enthusiasm for any classes I went to.  I have studied more French since I left school 15 years ago, and have also visited several French countries.  If I had been forced into learning French, I don't think I would have enjoyed this, or even done it.

However, if he wants to study French, by all means encourage him in his choice.  There is no reason why he shouldn't, but I do think it has to be his choice.