Post by Zeus on Aug 31, 2007 23:01:13 GMT -5
What a great idea for our schools!
www.rockfordschools.org/curriculum/?sec=spanishimmersion
Spanish immersion
The Early Elementary Spanish Immersion Program at Roguewood Elementary School
Why should I consider enrolling my child in the Spanish Immersion Program?
Learning a language before adolescence takes advantage of a very important "window of opportunity" by building early language connections in the brain.
Learning a language early also provides your child with the time and opportunity to develop a high level of proficiency in Spanish and sound more like a native speaker.
Immersion students acquire an understanding, knowledge and appreciation toward those who speak other languages and their cultures by learning in a multicultural setting.
Value the importance of being bilingual and want to provide your child with the skills to interact competently in an increasingly interdependent world.
How will being in the Spanish Immersion Program affect my child's English skills?
This is a very common question for parents considering enrolling their child in an immersion program, since English is not formally introduced until second grade. In second grade, English is studied as a subject for about 30 - 45 minutes a day. As the student progresses through the grades the time spent studying English increases with each grade level. By 5th grade there is an equal distribution of time spent studying in English and Spanish. Research shows that immersion students will have a general lag in their English achievement up until third grade. However, at third grade this discrepancy disappears and immersion students achieve the same when compared to their non-immersion peers. By the time immersion students reach 5th grade, the general conclusions of studies show that students enrolled in immersion programs perform as well or better than students in non-immersion program on English achievement tests.
Goals of the Spanish Immersion Program
In the Spanish Immersion program, students learn the districts core curriculum though Spanish rather than English. In other words, they are "immersed" into the language and study the same content as other students, but while doing so, naturally learn to read, write and speak in Spanish. Spanish is the means of content instruction, not just a subject of instruction. There are approximately 300 schools across the USA that offer similar immersion options for their students, with the majority of these programs being in either Spanish or French.
The goals for students in the Spanish Immersion Program include:
Immersion as an Instructional Method
Decades of research reveal the positive effects of immersion education as the ideal instructional method to acquire a second language and increase student achievement. Below is a brief review of some of the research.
An accumulation of research on immersion education concludes that in addition to learning to speak a second language with a near native pronunciation, early immersion students when compared to non-immersion student even gain a higher level of achievement in most other subjects by the time they reach 5th grade (Swain & Lapkin, 1982)
Immersion students perform as well or better than their monolingual English peers on all standardized measures of mathematics, science, social studies and in English language arts after some English instruction has been added to the curriculum." (Rubio, 1998)
Study after study has shown there is no negative effect on an immersions student's English language achievement. The general conclusions of studies show that students enrolled in immersion programs perform as well or better than students in non-immersion program on English achievement tests by the time they reach 5th grade. (Downs Ð Reid, 2000)
Early language immersion students take advantage of a very important Òwindow of opportunity" for learning a second language by building early language connections in the brain. (Genesee, 2001)
Over three decades of studies consistently show that immersion students achieve as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized measures of verbal and mathematics skills administered in English. (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000; Genesee, 1987)
Transportation
This program is run as a true school of choice program, where parents are responsible for transportation of students.
Staff for School Year 2006 - 2007
Kindergarten: Amanda Chuchoque
B.A Spanish & Elementary Education - Aquinas College
Overseas Experience: Costa Rica & Colombia
1st Grade: Elizabeth J. Zuwerink
B.A. Spanish - Elon University
M.A. Elementary Education - University of Virginia
Overseas Experience: Spain & Eastern Europe
1st Grade: Sheryl R. Dalman
B.S. Music - Cincinnati Bible College
M.A. in Teaching - National Louis University
Overseas Experience: Costa Rica & Venezuela
Principal: Michael J. Hibbeln
B.A. Economics - Michigan State University
B.A. Education - Georgia State University
M.A. Education Administration Ð Michigan State University
Overseas Experience: Norway, England, Thailand, & Paraguay
Rockford Public Schools
Roguewood Elementary School
3900 Kroes Road
Rockford, Mi. 49341
616-863-6374
www.rockfordschools.org
"I believe that a language immersion education is one of the best gifts that a parent can give their child. It is the one thing that has affected me more than anything else that my parents have ever done for me"
by Annie Heideman, 9th grade Spanish Immersion student, Highland., St.,
www.rockfordschools.org/curriculum/?sec=spanishimmersion
Spanish immersion
The Early Elementary Spanish Immersion Program at Roguewood Elementary School
Why should I consider enrolling my child in the Spanish Immersion Program?
Learning a language before adolescence takes advantage of a very important "window of opportunity" by building early language connections in the brain.
Learning a language early also provides your child with the time and opportunity to develop a high level of proficiency in Spanish and sound more like a native speaker.
Immersion students acquire an understanding, knowledge and appreciation toward those who speak other languages and their cultures by learning in a multicultural setting.
Value the importance of being bilingual and want to provide your child with the skills to interact competently in an increasingly interdependent world.
How will being in the Spanish Immersion Program affect my child's English skills?
This is a very common question for parents considering enrolling their child in an immersion program, since English is not formally introduced until second grade. In second grade, English is studied as a subject for about 30 - 45 minutes a day. As the student progresses through the grades the time spent studying English increases with each grade level. By 5th grade there is an equal distribution of time spent studying in English and Spanish. Research shows that immersion students will have a general lag in their English achievement up until third grade. However, at third grade this discrepancy disappears and immersion students achieve the same when compared to their non-immersion peers. By the time immersion students reach 5th grade, the general conclusions of studies show that students enrolled in immersion programs perform as well or better than students in non-immersion program on English achievement tests.
Goals of the Spanish Immersion Program
In the Spanish Immersion program, students learn the districts core curriculum though Spanish rather than English. In other words, they are "immersed" into the language and study the same content as other students, but while doing so, naturally learn to read, write and speak in Spanish. Spanish is the means of content instruction, not just a subject of instruction. There are approximately 300 schools across the USA that offer similar immersion options for their students, with the majority of these programs being in either Spanish or French.
The goals for students in the Spanish Immersion Program include:
- Mastery of the districts curriculum objectives, grade level state bench marks and standards.
Develop strong English language skills.
Develop a high level of proficiency in Spanish.
Acquire understanding, knowledge and appreciation toward those who speak Spanish and their cultures.
Immersion as an Instructional Method
Decades of research reveal the positive effects of immersion education as the ideal instructional method to acquire a second language and increase student achievement. Below is a brief review of some of the research.
An accumulation of research on immersion education concludes that in addition to learning to speak a second language with a near native pronunciation, early immersion students when compared to non-immersion student even gain a higher level of achievement in most other subjects by the time they reach 5th grade (Swain & Lapkin, 1982)
Immersion students perform as well or better than their monolingual English peers on all standardized measures of mathematics, science, social studies and in English language arts after some English instruction has been added to the curriculum." (Rubio, 1998)
Study after study has shown there is no negative effect on an immersions student's English language achievement. The general conclusions of studies show that students enrolled in immersion programs perform as well or better than students in non-immersion program on English achievement tests by the time they reach 5th grade. (Downs Ð Reid, 2000)
Early language immersion students take advantage of a very important Òwindow of opportunity" for learning a second language by building early language connections in the brain. (Genesee, 2001)
Over three decades of studies consistently show that immersion students achieve as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized measures of verbal and mathematics skills administered in English. (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000; Genesee, 1987)
Transportation
This program is run as a true school of choice program, where parents are responsible for transportation of students.
Staff for School Year 2006 - 2007
Kindergarten: Amanda Chuchoque
B.A Spanish & Elementary Education - Aquinas College
Overseas Experience: Costa Rica & Colombia
1st Grade: Elizabeth J. Zuwerink
B.A. Spanish - Elon University
M.A. Elementary Education - University of Virginia
Overseas Experience: Spain & Eastern Europe
1st Grade: Sheryl R. Dalman
B.S. Music - Cincinnati Bible College
M.A. in Teaching - National Louis University
Overseas Experience: Costa Rica & Venezuela
Principal: Michael J. Hibbeln
B.A. Economics - Michigan State University
B.A. Education - Georgia State University
M.A. Education Administration Ð Michigan State University
Overseas Experience: Norway, England, Thailand, & Paraguay
Rockford Public Schools
Roguewood Elementary School
3900 Kroes Road
Rockford, Mi. 49341
616-863-6374
www.rockfordschools.org
"I believe that a language immersion education is one of the best gifts that a parent can give their child. It is the one thing that has affected me more than anything else that my parents have ever done for me"
by Annie Heideman, 9th grade Spanish Immersion student, Highland., St.,
