LANGUAGE IMMERSION FAQ

Language immersion is a method used to teach students a new language. For the majority of the day, students are spending time hearing and begin taught in a language other than their native tounge.

Here are some resources to learn more about language immersion:

• Top Ten Answers for Parents about Immersion Education

There are so many benefits! Here are just a few:

• Children who learn a new language  demonstrate great mental flexibility, verbal expression, and they can recognize non-verbal communication faster than monolinguals.
• Language immersion students demonstrate higher levels of academic performance. Perhaps more importantly, students who participate in language immersion programs also benefit from higher levels of social and emotional skills at earlier ages.
• Language immersion helps students develop a better sense of multiculturalism and diversity.

Here is some additional reading:

• Waterford.org - Why Bilingual Students Have a Cognitive Advantage for Learning to Read
• Dana Foundation - Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual
• NPR - 6 Potential Brain Benefits Of Bilingual Education
• IDRA - Brain Development and Mastery of Language in the Early Childhood Years

Most of our students join IMS in the Early Childhood classroom when they are 3-5 years old. Our goal at this level is for children to be receptive to the lanugage, understanding what their teachers say and being able to respond appropriately. Children in our Elementary program continue these skills, but with a greater ability to speak in academic and social contexts. 

Because our classrooms are full immersion, it it can be difficult for children with no prior experience in the language. If they join in the first grade, children new to language immersion spend their first year learning to understand and process a new language. Because the lower elementary curriculum uses so many manipulatives to teach concepts, young students continue their learning in all academic areas but at a somewhat slower pace. Only students with extensive experience in the immersion language of the classroom can be considered for admission for second through sixth grades.

Many of our families do not speak their child's immersion language! Here are some ways you can help your child at home:

• Read!
• Seek out cultural events
• Praise effort and progress
• Encourage curiosity
• Support the classoom