Suggestions for What to Teach

While foreign language curricula abound, the very best resource for learning a language is a person who speaks that language as his or her native tongue. If you don’t have access to a person like that, be sure to keep in mind Charlotte’s emphasis for whatever resource or curriculum you choose: hear and speak first, then read and write.

Click on any title to see that resource’s details in our CM Bookfinder.

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Grade Resources Comments
1 The best resource for learning a foreign language during grades 1-3 is a person who speaks the language fluently. Remember, in these grades the student should being hearing and speaking the language, not reading and writing it.
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4 For Spoken Languages: Rosetta Stone software and conversation with a native speaker (LALI Class is a great online option for this)

For Latin: Getting Started with Latin is a gentle introductory course written for all ages. Another good choice is the Cambridge Latin Course.

 Rosetta Stone software comes in about every language imaginable and provides a multi-sensory approach with minimal teacher direction. Students hear the language, see it, and speak it while going through the self-guided lessons at their own pace.
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How to Teach

Since Charlotte Mason lived and taught in England, French was the logical foreign language to learn. Your foreign language choice may be different, but her methods can still be used.

Make sure the children hear the language as a living language, preferably spoken by a national every day. Learn about two to six new words daily while still keeping the old words in use. Make sure they are quite familiar with the language’s sounds and accent before they ever start reading or writing it.