Dual Language Immersion

Important to remember:

-Spanish teacher will ONLY speak and teach in Spanish.

-Teacher will not speak English to other adults if a child is present in a school environment.

-This will encourage the child to speak Spanish.

-Notes can be written in English.

-Teacher will teach the lessons as a whole group to support students’ understanding.

-Teacher will be using several visuals and gestures to help students comprehend.

August 2017

-Students will work together as a class, groups, or pairs. -No Spanish or English homework will be given.

Please know that:

Students may be shy to speak at first.

Students may hesitate to speak Spanish when asked to speak at home.

Reading w/ Ms. Phillips

  • Students will learn to recognize both upper-case and lower-case letters as well as the sounds that they make. We also use the Handwriting without Tears curriculum to learn how to correctly form letters using fun and hands- on activities. Our reading block exposes children to new vocabulary words, 35+ sight words, elements of a story, and reading comprehension skills. As part of our balanced literacy approach we also use Daily Five every day. The Daily Five is a way of structuring the reading block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These research based tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing achievement, as well as help foster children who love to read and write. Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently while I provide focused, intense instruction to individuals and small groups of students.
  • When it is up and running smoothly, students will be engaged in the Daily Five, which are comprised of:
      • Read to Self
      • Work on Writing
      • Read to Someone
      • Listen to Reading
      • Word Work
  • There are very specific behavior expectations that go with each Daily 5 component. We will spend our first weeks working intensely on building our reading and writing stamina, learning the behaviors of the Daily 5 and fostering our classroom community. I will also spend time learning about your child’s strengths and greatest needs as a reader in order to best plan for each student’s instruction. Therefore, I will be inviting parents into the classroom after we have accomplished this important work. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
  • One thing you’ll notice that may be a change for you is a direct decrease in the number of worksheets your child brings home. While worksheets keep students busy, they don’t really result in the high level of

learning I want for your child. Instead, your child will be taught to select “Good Fit Books” or books they can read, understand and are interested in, which they will read during Daily 5. They will be spending most of their time actually reading, which research supports as the number one way to improve reading. I anticipate the motivation and enjoyment of reading will skyrocket when this gift of choosing their own books is accompanied by extended practice and specific reading instruction for each individual child.

****Please think of our classroom as you visit garage sales or clean your own child’s bookcase. It is my goal to make our classroom library as appealing as your favorite bookstore for browsing.

Science & Social Studies w/ both teachers

Science will involve many hands-on experiences to help the students grasp some abstract concepts. We will also use technology to expand our learning.

Math w/ Profe Berbel

During Math time we work on Math Work Stations where students work with a partner and use instructional materials to explore and expand their mathematical thinking. Math Work Stations are a time for children to practice problem solving while reasoning, representing, communicating and making connections among mathematical topics as we observe and interact with the students at work or meet with a small group for differentiated math instruction.

This is what a 60' hands-on math lesson looks like in our DLI classroom:

- Warm-up. 10' -Whole group instruction. 15' - Math Work Stations. 30' - Wrap up. 5'

Report Cards

  • A report will be sent home.
  • Math grade will be given by Spanish teacher.
  • Other grades will be given by English teacher
  • A separate report card will be sent home for Spanish language arts.