Dive Brief:
- Some school systems are experimenting with teaching Latin to children as young as six years old, in hopes of building vocabulary faster later on.
- Teaching the roots of words can help students understand the definitions of longer and more sophisticated words, and educators engaged in the process of morphology have called it a "paradigm shift."
- In these Latin and Greek classes, students study just one root word per week, as opposed to memorizing a list of vocabulary words.
Dive Insight:
In order for students to be able to function as members of an increasingly global society, adding other language competencies will be important. With some foreign language instruction under threat from tightening budgets and a push for more computer science classes in K-12, it's good for district officials to keep in mind that some language learning isn't just about becoming bilingual. Several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Florida, are considering making coding classes interchangeable with foreign language requirements.
Latin instruction isn't just good for jump starting students' ability to grasp other languages; Latin instruction helps boost English literacy as well. With all of the emphasis on the critical need for STEM instruction, reading is still a critical component of a comprehensive education. Additionally, the benefits on vocabulary that Latin instruction could have may serve students well on standardized tests like the SAT, of which vocabulary competency is a considerable component.