PECULIARITIES OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF THE USA ; ОСОБЛИВОСТІ НАВЧАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ У ПОЧАТКОВИХ ШКОЛАХ США
The article surveys the main modern tendencies of early foreign language education in the context of the USA elementary school. Тhe student's intellectual potential, developing language effectiveness and higher academic achievement, enhancing economic competitiveness, maintaining political and security interests are provided with second language studying at earlier age (in kindergarten).Various programmes among which school districts and programme planners can choose the most suitable one according to the desired language proficiency outcomes, the budgetary and staffing circumstances are presented. Elementary school foreign language programmes are classified into several major types: partial, total, two-way immersion (FLES); exploratory and foreign language in the elementary school (FLEX) programmes. Their characteristics are revealed through the grade level at which the language is introduced; the number of times the language is taught per week, and the length of time per language teaching session. The traditional and interactive activities in a communication-based classroom (pair and group work, games, surrounding concrete experiences with language, rhymes, songs, role plays, etc.) and special listening, speaking, reading and writing strategies (total physical response, storytelling, the language-experience approach, etc.) are considered. Decentralized type of education leading of the USA includes no general standards in foreign language teaching. The tendency to standardization of content in language learning makes good results in the USA.Some features of elementary foreign language teacher education in the USA are given. The article analyses the most popular information technologies in teaching foreign languages at the American elementary schools.The analysis of the organization of early foreign language education in the United States and possible using American experience at the Ukrainian primary schools is provided. It is essential to study and understand the notable foreign experience. The desire to expand the outlook, to get acquainted with the life of the country which language is studied, its history, geography, everyday life is the most important incentive of learning a foreign language.Key words: foreign language, elementary school, the USA, National Standards, immersion into foreign language. ; Висвітлено особливості процесу навчання іноземних мов у початкових школах США. Визначено чинники впливу на вибір конкретних іноземних мов для вивчення. Розглянуто недоліки децентралізованого типу управління освітою, які позначаються на вивченні іноземних мов у початкових школах США. Окреслено кроки, які зроблено щодо уникнення цих недоліків. Здійснено огляд найперспективніших програм з вивчення іноземних мов у початкових школах США. Ключові слова: іноземна мова, початкова школа, США, державні стандарти, іншомовне занурення.