Robert’s email discussing Scope and Sequence with his district World Languages representative continues:
6. Studies published in various professional journals such as “The Foreign Language Annals” (ACTFL), “Die Unterrichtspraxis” (AATG) and “The Language Educator” indicate that manipulation of the language before any sort of explicit grammar instruction leads to greater gains in fluency and retention of the explicit instruction. This mirrors first-language practice. Students have (hundreds of) thousands of hours hearing, seeing, and speaking (and even writing) their own language before they receive any explicit grammar instruction, yet they are able to manipulate the language correctly, efficiently and effectively.