The Foreign Language in the Elementary School/Language through Content (FLES/LTC) Program helps students learn a world language through Science and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) integrated content. The program provides language learning opportunities to all students in an elementary school from grades K through 6th.

The goal of FLES/LTC is to develop students’ language proficiency and 21st-century skills by teaching World Languages through STEAM, with a strong emphasis on Science. Teachers use Project-Based Learning to help students learn another language while developing skills in all areas. Generally, students receive 60 minutes of language instruction per week. This model supports the five goal areas of the national standards for world language (communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities) and is aligned with the Virginia SOL for World Languages.

At Graham Road ES, Spanish is taught through themes and topics aligned to the core instructional program at each grade level. The themes and topics are designed to support and enhance instructional objectives in math, science, social studies, and language arts. 

The goals of the FCPS FLES program are

• To support academic content area instruction
• To develop increased cognitive skills
• To enhance reading development in both English and the target language
• To promote global awareness and cross-cultural understanding
• To develop increased functional proficiency in all aspects of the language with each year of study
• To meet district, state, and national foreign language standards