We looked at a preK-8 school that claimed to teach French every year through 8th grade. I couldn't find a single book in French in their library. I asked the headmaster about it and he told me that no one had ever asked that question before! He also told me that they don't focus on teaching French to learn fluency, but rather "so students can better understand the English language." ?? Whatever that means.
Then he said that it was unlikely that their 8th graders would be able to do more than get around in Paris or Montreal. ???
Val
This comment and the library comment above with the excuses about needing textbooks approved are just whitewash.
Teachers can get newspaper articles and magazines articles as enrichment activities and require students to translate 200-500 words a night and then recite the article in class.
Lots of childrens books can be ordered wholesale or online and parents can be asked to find and contribute one book to build a library.
