As a parent, you play an important role in your child's education. If you are considering an immersion program, you need to know how to help your child develop the best possible language and literacy skills, while also supporting their achievement in the basics. We've developed this list of frequently asked questions on language immersion to help you make informed decisions. If you have additional questions, please let us know in the comments below or email Splashimmersion@vifprogram.com.
-- Vicky
The focus of language immersion programs is to help students become proficient in a target language while mastering subject content from other disciplines. In immersion programs language is not taught as a subject; it is the medium in which core instruction is delivered. Research shows the most effective way for children to acquire a second language is to integrate instruction into the standard curriculum children are already learning. Research shows that immersion education students outperform students in traditional language classes, do as well as or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests, and have a greater appreciation of cultural diversity.
The language model in a given setting and the term used to describe it are ultimately dictated by the population being served by the program. The two models you will currently find in Splash programs are described by North Carolina Department of Instruction (NCDPI) as follows:
It is important to note that schools may slide up and down the scale of immersion, meaning that students may move from 90/10 to 50/50 over the course of years in elementary school given specific school situations and student populations.
Many elementary immersion programs expand to a continuing immersion program for middle school, where most classes will be in English. Middle school students continuing with immersion studies will generally take 1 or 2 classes of content-based language instruction to maintain the language skills already developed in total or two-way immersion programs and to further develop them to as high a degree as possible. Splash programs will articulate up to middle school beginning in 2014 at 3 participating schools. If your child continues language development through an immersion middle school program he should be ready for advanced language studies or for a third language in high school.
It depends on the district policies, but in general, parents of new Kindergarten children will go through the standard Kindergarten registration process at their school or complete the choice program application process if the school is part of a magnet/choice lottery program. To ensure your child gets a slot in the program, make sure to register as early as possible. If more applications are received than can be accommodated, districts may host a lottery for the grade. Based on the lottery, some applicants will be offered the opportunity to enroll. The other applicants will be put on a waiting list. After the close of the enrollment period, schools should continue to accept applications for all grades. If there is not space available in a specific grade, the prospective student will be put on a waiting list.
Two-way immersion programs may admit new students through the upper grades based on target language proficiency and English literacy skills. In full immersion programs new students are not admitted beyond the first week of first grade. Principals will screen to determine suitability to join the program --- and to ensure that the late addition will not negatively impact the rest of the class’s learning. Check with your school district to see what type of immersion program is available and how to get more information on admissions.
Research shows that immersion education can be effective for a wide variety of learners, including academically/intellectually gifted students, non-native English speakers, students with many special education needs and socio-economic challenges.
Check with your school district on language immersion programs offered. The most wide-spread immersion programs in the US are Spanish immersion programs though there are also immersion programs in languages such as French, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, etc. VIF currently helps schools deliver Splash immersion programs in Spanish and Mandarin.
You’re right. Starting school is a transition, especially for those who have not had pre-school experiences already. Learning to go to school, to understand school procedures and routines, is a transition, but it can happen in any language. The high use of props, puppets, and gestures at this early age benefits language learning. When you watch your five year old responding to her Kindergarten teacher’s instructions and conversing with her classmates in another language you will understand the possibilities.
Like any kindergarten child, your child will be tired at the end of the school day. It’s tough work to play hard and stick to all those school rules. It’s even more exhausting when you are processing a new language. So don’t be surprised if your child is tired and cranky after school. If you are worried your child is not enjoying school or thriving in the immersion environment, talk to your teacher and principal. Most kids respond well to joining an immersion program --- they are made to feel secure right from the start and, after a few days, they do not focus on the fact that the teacher is not speaking English. Parents should give it at least 9 weeks, if not a full semester, to see if the child responds better after just getting through the transition of being in school.
In kindergarten you will often hear children speaking or responding to teachers in English. However, their teachers will be speaking only in the target language to them, using a lot of gestures and props to convey the messages. Good immersion teachers will encourage new language learners to respond in the target language by giving them the needed vocabulary to mimic. Good immersion teachers will not revert to English, unless safety or emergency necessitates. Good immersion teachers, by the middle of first grade, will insist on NO ENGLISH in the immersion classroom. Students will quickly realize an easy way out if they are able to speak any English (except in emergencies) with their teacher. Don’t be surprised if your child thinks her teacher does not know any English!
No. All state mandated assessments, like the EOGs, will be taken in English.
In a full immersion program, your child will get dedicated English Language Arts instruction beginning in 2nd grade. In grade 2, immersion students receive about an hour of English Language Arts daily. This time increases to 75 – 90 minutes in grades 3-5. Literacy skills & patterns learned in one language will help the development of skills in another language.
The most important thing you can do at home is read to your child in English. Read and ask questions. Reading in any language supports the acquisition of reading skills such as fluency, vocabulary building, comprehension, etc. Your child’s homework should support what he has learned in class. Students should be able to tackle the assignment on their own. Parents will be able to identify what skill is being addressed and support your child’s learning in the skill, even if you can only help in English. Homework should not be a struggle! If it is, please talk with your child’s teacher. The good news: You don’t have to know the language to support your child at home.
There is a lot you can do. Be a strong parent advocate. Start an immersion parent group – to support each other, educate each other, share successes and challenges and ideas to make the program outstanding at your school. Recruit for your school. Spread the word. Tell all your friends what you know about the program. Post it on your Facebook wall. It will be important for the health of the program at your child’s school to maintain healthy numbers in the immersion classrooms. Your school should have a healthy wait-list at all times so that any vacancies are immediately filled. Fundraise for a bilingual library. A school can never have enough Spanish or Mandarin books. Host a holiday book drive. Purchase books for the classroom or school library and encourage other parents to do the same.
Also, check in with your teacher regarding volunteer activities. It is important that volunteers maintain the “no English in the immersion classroom” rule to prevent inconsistent practices and to build the children’s confidence that they can learn to understand in the immersion language. We don’t want adult visitors or volunteers to send the message that speaking English is an option in the immersion classroom. Here are some ideas for volunteers who do not speak the immersion language:
A PDF version of this article is available.
Parents, take note: In many school districts, kindergarten registration starts this month. Families interested in immersion programs should start their research now. Language immersion programs have a history of filling up quickly, and often with long