1. Spanish Immersion Program Keys to Clough October 27, 2015

2. History of Spanish Immersion ●Fall of 1997. The program was started by curriculum director Dan LeClaire and a group of parents. ●Students begin the program in kindergarten fully immersed in the Spanish language. ●English is introduced into classroom instruction in the third grade. Research shows many benefits to being bilingual, from cognitive enhancement to global awareness. ● Spring of 2012:Spanish Immersion Advisory Board was established. Originally chaired by retired Nipmuc principal and former Spanish teacher and co-founder of the Immersion Program, Joan Scribner, the board consists of parents, faculty and administrators. ●Spanish Immersion Teacher and SI program coordinator, Katie Cardamone.

3. Current Spanish Immersion Grades in Clough ●There are currently 5 Spanish Immersion classes at Clough. ●All the specials (gym, art, music, technology and library) are taught in English. ●Most of the times one of our teachers is out sick or is attending a meeting, seminar or committee, a Spanish speaking substitute takes over her class. ●Each grade level follows a specific percentage.

4. Grade levelSpanishEnglish K100% 1 2 380%20% 460%40% 5 and 650% 7 and 8 Elective course All core subjects

5. What happens in Middle and High School ●By fifth grade students take half their classes in Spanish and half in English. ●Many Spanish Immersion students continue with the language through high school where courses are specifically designed with the immersion philosophy in mind.

6. SI Course Options at the High School Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition-9th grade Hispanic Civilization, Culture and Literature- 10th grade Spanish Business and Culture-11th or 12th AP Spanish Language- Can be taken 11th or 12th grade AP Spanish Literature and Culture- Can be taken 11th or 12th grade

7. Curriculum ●Alignment with English ●Content taught in Spanish ●Common Core ●Resources - Maravillas, ConnectEd, RAZ KidsConnectEd RAZ Kids

8. How to help at home ●Starting in Kindergarten, parents are encouraged to read to their child in English at any time. ●As the child learns to read in Spanish, reading time at home in both languages should increase. ●Parents should read to their children, and children should read to their parents. ●Use of online translators is not recommended for homework. ●Students benefit from making mistakes and showing the mistakes to the teacher, who will guide them using Spanish as a means of communication. ●Parents are encouraged to supervise their child’s learning by making sure their child completes their assignments with care and effort. ●Creating and maintaining communication with the teacher is important for the child’s learning.

9. Benefits of a Second Language Acquisition ●A greater measure of cognitive flexibility and creative thinking skills ●Development of more intense listening skills ●Ability to transfer skills into many curriculum areas ●Increased development in vocabulary ●Naturally acquiring a foreign language ●Development of cultural awareness and tolerance

10. Report Card Kindergarten and 1 st grade Acquires new vocabulary Uses new vocabulary - teacher initiated Uses new vocabulary with peers Comprehends routine questions and directions in Spanish Participates in a variety of speaking situations in Spanish 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th grades Comprehends routine questions and directions in Spanish Participates in a variety of speaking situations in Spanish

11. Resources Spanish Immersion Wiki: http://spanishimmersionmursd.wikispaces.com http://spanishimmersionmursd.wikispaces.com Sra. Torres’ website (K): http://kindertorres.weebly.com http://kindertorres.weebly.com Sra. Hall’s website (1st grade): http://srahall.weebly.com http://srahall.weebly.com Sra. Willinski’s website (3rd grade): http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/MCon cejo/ http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/MCon cejo/ Instituto Cervantes at Boston: http://cervantesobservatorio.fas.harvard.edu/en http://cervantesobservatorio.fas.harvard.edu/en

12. ¡Gracias por venir! Preguntas Sra. Hall - 1st grade jhall@mursd.org Sra. Willinski - 3rd grade ewillinski@mursd.org