Critical Age Hypothesis

In order to answer the question, one must first understand the way the brain works and how language is acquired. Language is an element that every civilization has in common as well as that studies show that, on average, all language is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain. There are circumstances that would allow the right hemisphere of the brain to take over the ability of processing language (Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams 54). When considering the appropriate time to introduce a new language in a learning environment, it is important to know what the critical age period in children is; “The critical- age hypothesis assumes that language is biologically based and that the ability to learn a native language develops within a fixed period,

This is important because young children tend to have a hard time focusing on daily tasks and it might be harder when it comes to learning a new language. The next step is to find one language for the children to begin learning. The first language that the young children could be exposed to is Spanish. The curriculum needs to be interactive and keep the focus of the students on track while teaching those children colors and basic phrases. The best age for the school to begin this program would be when students are in preschool. This is when they are most likely going to be able to acquire a second language because they are still learning their native language and their left hemisphere is able to retain and learn the language better than that of someone who is learning the language at an older age. The program of teaching the foreign language needs to continue through each grade and each year the material becomes slightly more complex. The first half of the year would be dedicated for learning how to identify and match the different colors with the correct spelling of the word. The next half of the year would be dedicated to learning how to pronounce each of the colors along with basic phrases being taught throughout the year. The next year when the children are in kindergarten, the children would be taught how to say basic sentences. A way to integrate culture into the mix, at least one day a week should be dedicated to learning something new about fact about the area in which the language is predominant. For instance someone learning French would learn the culture of either France, Quebec, or the regions in Africa where French is the primary language. The best time for teachers to introduce verb conjugations would most likely be introduced when the student is in fourth or fifth grade due to students at that age