Lagging in Spanish, year 7, what do I do?

[MuttonWasAGoose]

According to the school report, the only subject my son is underperforming in is Spanish.

I don't want him to fall behind. I'm taking him to Barcelona in February to try and inspire him to enjoy the subject, and I've been studying Spanish, myself, so we can try to understand basic things. I find it fun.

I'd like to see what he's learning in school but he has no textbook. He says they use PowerPoint presentations in class. He has an exercise book with a few pages of notes and sundry. The class meets twice a week for an hour. There's very little homework.

I have no idea what they're supposed to be learning and so I can't help him practice or even monitor what he should be doing. When I was in school and studying French I had a textbook that I brought home. My parents could have, if they'd wanted, looked at what chapter I was on, had an idea of what I was supposed to be learning.

How do I find out what the class is doing? How can I help him study? I'd like him to do a bit of practice daily. Things like vocabulary drills, etc. I'd enjoy doing it with him and he could be bribed to go along with it.

If I approached the teacher would they be able to give me an outline of the curriculum? Is there a national curriculum for Spanish? I'm not from the UK so I don't know how it works.

[GoMilou]

By vernacular, I mean British slang, not a language spoken by a 'tribe in Africa'.

[GoMilou]

Anotherusername & Greenleave,

A favourite hobby of MNetters is having a moan about how top schools such as CLC and Roedean and others like them have been "hijacked by foreigners" and therefore no longer good enough for their DDs. Well how about these DC learn some basic Chinese or Russian or Yoruba? Just enough to say hello to the foreign girls? It is a bit regressive and inward looking to stick with only those from your village who speak your vernacular. Meanwhile a kid who never travelled outside Africa previously can get a visa to work in London within 2 months of being offered a job there. So the competition is global and you need to offer more than just flawless English.

Apart from the language thing, and it's shocking how many MNetters expect their DC to speak a foreign language just because they obtained A* at GCSE (pretty low level stuff), UK education is still top notch compared with a lot of EU countries where there is too much rote learning and students have to regurgitate what the teacher taught.

[Greenleave]

Milou: we have so many French at work(about 80%) and they speak fluent English but none of the english/british can speak any French which means French can choose jobs in uk but not the otherway round. To be honest many high flier jobs in uk are now going to foreigners, working in big firms we dont see that many English anymore. If you want your child to pass entrance exam then there should be a tutor helping, if you want to learning music well then go to private tutor, if you want to learn foreign language then hire a tutor and the same rule applies to anything else if you want your child better at smth(stating from the state schools systems only). Then what does school do?

[Anotherusername1]

It causes a problem in the EU as well. Because British people don't speak foreign languages very well it is difficult to find jobs in the EU (those who do, generally have a foreign parent so have been brought up bilingually or have lived overseas). And then because we don't have the numbers working in the EU, we don't have the engagement, which leads to people moaning about influence or lack of it.

My school was ok at languages, we did German, French and Latin, and it was possible to do Spanish at sixth form. I only did German GCSE and A level but picked up French again (having given it up at 14) at uni, and did an Italian GCSE at night school. But a lot of nights chool options have disappeared as well. If you live in a university city where the university has a languages for all programme you can take advantage, but otherwise it's quite difficult to learn languages other than online.

If you want a basic introduction to Dutch there is a very good free course on Futurelearn. And Duolingo and Memrise are good websites as others have recommended.

[GoMilou]

So you do have some sort of infrastructure in place for your DC. That's the right way to go about it.

Languages are very important. It has taken my team 3 years to fill a graduate level position that required a maths whizz who is also perfectly bilingual in English and French. The UK seems the hardest place to find this type of graduate. We tried two French graduates one after the other, then a Mexican, and finally found the right person in a small indian ocean island.

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Have you tried rock music? We lived in Latin America for a few years - a while back now - but discovered some fab bands. My DDs both study spanish and they took to listening to spanish language rock music on their iPods. They still do.

My favourite is the Mexican band Mana - in about 1998 they produced a great album called 'mana unplugged', which my DDs used to call 'mummy's football music' as it has so much crowd noise in it. I still love it. Look them up on YouTube. And obviously lots of other bands to choose from.

When I was learning, I also absolutely loved an album called Lunas Rotas by a spanish singer called Rosanna - sort of a spanish adele with guitar - more suitable for you that him.

[Greenleave]

Gomilou, I havent found state system has been that brilliant, I am even thinking going this way children educated in state school might be falling/not catch up with other top countries. Learning doesnt need to be reading and writing well especially at young age but speaking a little is necessary. There cant be an ignorance of uk born children hence little less need to learn foreign language. Schools should do more about it too. Every single time there is a question about what more could the school do then there is an answer of no budget. Yes I am now paying private tutor for my child to learn it(she was born here so yes no issue with English and she speaks/read/write our language too). She is now learning French due to the simple fact that we visit thd country at least couple of times a year, having couple of cousin in France I am hoping she can communicate a little. Its for her with a joy of being able to communicate the basic and respect the local

[MuttonWasAGoose]

Oh, my point is that as an American, we were raised to be embarrassed about that fact and intimidated by the French. It was drilled into us that French people will hate you if you don't speak French in France. I'm not sure that's true but it was what I was led to believe and so I've always tried to speak French. Thankfully, most of them let me off the hook and respond in English!

[MuttonWasAGoose]

I went to a music festival in France two years ago with about thirty people (friends from England.) I had my school French and I used it. NOBODY in my group would speak a word of it, even those who had taken French as their MLA in school. "Why bother? They all speak English." I actually didn't find that to be the case.... Most spoke English no better than I spoke French, often worse. I would get a couple of drinks in me and just start babbling to everyone. An English friend confessed that while he'd done a French GCSE he didn't have the nerve to attempt to speak it. "I wish I were fluent like you." I am not fluent. I can make myself understood in a basic, flawed way. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and if there's one situation where that's a good thing, it's speaking a foreign language!

[GoMilou]

Greenleave

Lack of resource for MFL and/or inability to learn MFL in UK is easy to understand, it's a trivial matter in fact: everybody else in the world is busy learning English so there is little motivation for UK DC to learn foreign languages beyond tourist level. Those with flair for languages are supported.

From what I have seen of UK education from my short time in this country, I would say UK education in general is fantastic. There is a wonderful lack of any kind of indoctrination. There is also so much choice of what to learn even within the state system.

If it's important to you that your DC learn a MFL it's not that difficult to provide the infrastructure yourself.

[redskybynight]

Just to reiterate what others have said. My DS is also in the first term of learning Spanish (Year 7) and his report has what sounds like similar levels - with his Spanish mark significantly lower than all other subjects. Personally, I'm really impressed with how high his Spanish mark is after only a term in the subject compared to e.g. something like history which he has been doing for years!! So maybe if you consider the level of progress this term rather than the absolute level of attainment?

[Greenleave]

I am a foreigner and I am surprised at how little resource we have in uk(apart from the online ones mentioned above) for children learning foreign language in uk. In many Asian countries we have to learn English as a must then almost everyone learn another language. We started from very early age also(English from age 6, other languages are optional and often from year 6). I now have to have a tutor coming to my home to teach my yr 3 daughter 1hr/week( they mostly having fun drawing family tree, singing songs rather than following any text book. Still I wish there is some group with children similar to my daughter age where they can come and having fun learning another language and can speak ok/alittle even when they are at young age. My daughter school teaches a foreign language too but after 2 years or more she can hardly say a full sentence apart from simple greeting/counting. If you know any fun group for primary children in south west London please also let me know. Many thanks

[Anotherusername1]

I think it's great that you are supporting him and second the comments about Mira and Zoom (my son is using the latter). Take a look at Wolsey Hall as well, they do courses for KS3, including languages. Expensive but might help to support his learning but might be a bit overkill at this stage, however worth keeping in mind for extra help.

I can't understand the people who say give up and why does he have to do a GCSE language. How defeatist when all he might need is a bit of help. Languages are so important and that importance is so unappreciated in the UK.

HOWEVER, does the report say that he is underachieving in black and white? The reason I ask is that most Y7s would be levels 4-6 in subjects like English and Maths. But languages will generally be lower than that because you either start from scratch or have only done a bit in primary school. My son started German in September and is about level 3. He is level 5 in Spanish and considered to be one of the more talented linguists in year 8. I would monitor the situation (and definitely get the textbook) but don't worry too much at this stage about levels.

Oh and people in Barcelona will speak Castilian! My son went there last May for a Spanish trip, it was fine.

[notmynameohno]

Marking spot for resources.

[clary]

I've looked at my school email most days this fortnight, and at very least every other day.

Any emails I have had (just one or two) I have responded to. I actually have more time just now to look at queries like yours, OP, than once term restarts.

WRT how to contact the teacher, in my school each teacher's email is just
initialsurname@ and then the normal school email. My kids' school is similar but they have initial.surname etc. Surely you have had an email or two from the school to help work this out? Or look on the website to see what they list as the office email.

[mummytime]

Most teachers I know like email as they can respond at their leisure, if you email now they may respond even though it's their holidays. It's actually easier to reply to a few emails now than when they are back in the midst of term.

I have also phoned teachers when I've had more urgent issues, usually leaving a message and then they phone me back when free. I also have a good email relationship with the head of year, but in my DCs school they are a high level TA who has a very reduced timetable, so have time to deal promptly with issues (bullying, stress etc.).

Students are tested frequently, but the results aren't so frequently shared with parents. This can be because: the aim is to identify to the teacher where holes in understanding are, the tests are on a very limited area or they are even just brief starter activities. The aim is also not to give class places or to create fixed mindsets.

GCSEs and other grading systems are based on reaching certain criteria in understanding etc. Rather than how one student is doing compared to another.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

I'm not ignoring the advice. Why do you think that I am?

I can't email anybody now as it's school holidays. I posted my questions a day ago.

I was planning to email first the name on the report that is listed after "If you have any questions regarding this report" so that I can understand what the numbers actually mean. I think, though, that I've pretty much gotten that figured out, now, thanks to some helpful explanations from other posters.

I don't know how to reach his individual teachers but I guess I would contact the office and ask for their emails. The truth is, I didn't know if that was acceptable or not. I mean, I don't know what the protocol is in this country for contacting teachers. Thus far, I've only had to have a quick word at the school gate at primary school and there's never been any need to discuss anything serious outside of the parents evenings.

When I was in school, there wasn't email. For all I knew, teachers would be annoyed to get an email from some parent asking stupid questions. A teacher on this thread has assured me that it's OK to do approach teachers via email. I was very glad to be told this.

But I still am unsure of how to see how my son is doing. Someone recently posted about the expected level progress to be made per year, so that was really helpful.

My confusion and ignorance is genuine and I'm not ignoring anyone's advice at all. I'm very anxious about trying to parent my children correctly and help them succeed in a foreign country and comments like yours don't do much to help at all.

[BertrandRussell]

"I'm still a bit concerned about what I would do if I did have reason to believe there was a problem."

You would, as many people have said, email the teacher concerned and ask. As you should do in this case. Not sure why you are ignoring this advice

[MuttonWasAGoose]

I don't remember what else was in the report (husband has put it somewhere.) I'm no longer worried, though. I'm glad I posted here. I'm still a bit concerned about what I would do if I did have reason to believe there was a problem.

Hopefully all will be OK.

[Bolognese]

Ah I see why you might be worried, your thinking along the American grade lines. Levels in England are a measure of how much they have learnt in the curriculum so far, its related to but not a measure of how hard your child is trying or how well behaved they are. It should go up (on average) every year until they reach their maximum knowledge/ability in Year 11. An average school should raise your child's level by two sub-levels (eg a 4c -4b) per year. I found the best way to measure progress was checking that the levels were always going up and only got worried when they didn't. MFL being the exception as they start knowing nothing so progress is very slow in the beginning.

My DS school also gives a grade for learning behaviour which is a grade A, B, C etc and more akin to what your saying is the American style your used to. Did you get nothing other than the level?

[MuttonWasAGoose]

Thanks so much clary - we really weren't sure how to interpret the school report. An American report card would have a letter grade that sums up the works he'd been doing in the previous three months. So, all the little quizzes and perhaps a tally of class participation points and maybe a big test weighted and averaged to result in an approximation along the lines of "A - he's nailing it" to "C - getting by" or "F - he's failing." It's not uncommon for a kid to have a "B" going into Christmas holidays and then at Easter the report card informs parents that she's dropped to a "D" - which is cause for alarm, and given quickly enough to take action.

[IguanaTail]

Oh and //www.zut.org.uk is excellent. It's free after 4pm and on weekends/holidays.

[clary]

I teach secondary MFL and there's a lot of good advice on here (including about not - please - using a translation website, they teach you nothing and often mislead.

I teach a lot of year 7s and the best of them are currently on a 3a/4c (that's in "old" levels which we still use) - so nowhere near where I am sure they are in other subjects. MFL is a steep learning curve and he has only done about 12 weeks of it from scratch, so don't expect too much.

I agree, contact his teacher directly (I would be happy to respond to such an email) but I'm guessing he has been doing greetings, ages, birthday, maybe likes and dislikes and hobbies, maybe school subjects, perhaps brothers and sisters, pets... that's what my yr 7s have done. But his teacher can help you. Maybe ask if they have Linguascope as it iss a good website to use.

Textbooks are not the norm in secondary schools today, at least not ones students take home.

[MuttonWasAGoose]

No, I'm not at home today. I think DuoLingo is about as much as he's going to be willing to do and that's probably because I can easily bribe him by converting the "Lingots" he earns into money.

I am also curious to see how much I can learn, myself, over the next six weeks (when we go to Barcelona) so I'm enjoying using these suggestions for myself!

Should he need them in the future, I'm glad there are resources for him. I've already resolved to be willing to pay for tutoring in any subject he may need but it would be better to avoid the need!

[MatchsticksForMyEyes]

Yes I find quizlet very user-friendly. Have you shown your ds?