The Sherwood School District is preparing for the fourth year of a Dual Language Immersion class at Hawks View Elementary. We are currently recruiting incoming Kindergarten students who will be five years old by September 1, 2024.
“Study after study has reported that children in bilingual programs typically outperform their counterparts in all-English programs on tests of academic achievement in English. Numerous reviews of the research have confirmed this conclusion.”
Stephen Krashen, Language Researcher
Will students learn the same standards as other students?
Yes, students learn the same content and the same skills as students not in the DLI program, but will learn them in Spanish and English.
How is the dual language immersion program integrated with other programs at Hawks View?
Although they will be in a classroom with other DLI students, they will have recess and lunch with other students as well as participate in field trips and all-school activities.
How can students learn in a language they don’t yet speak or understand?
Theories of language development suggest that before puberty, the brain readily absorbs a second language. Teachers strategically convey instructional content using songs, visual aids, gestures, and many hands-on activities to help students learn. They also provide many opportunities to practice oral language skills through structured conversation with peers and opportunities for presentational speaking.
If instruction is in Spanish, how will students learn to read and write in English?
According to brain research by Thomas and Collier, students learning two languages at an early age develop more of their brain.
Although at the beginning, instruction is 80% in Spanish, that changes over time becoming 50% in English and 50% in Spanish, so students will learn to read and write in both English and Spanish. Perhaps more importantly, literacy skills transfer when a new language is learned. In other words, if a student learns to write in Spanish, many of those skills will translate easily to English.