World Languages and ESL

VISION STATEMENT

The Sparta World Languages Department envisions a student body of globally oriented, collaborative citizens whose language proficiency enables them to connect with others and develop ever deeper skills to navigate other cultures.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Sparta World Languages Department educates students to become communicatively competent and invested in exploring the challenges and opportunities our world faces. We strive to develop lifelong learners able to cultivate global relationships and analyze world events through their understanding of cultural products, perspectives and practices.

BELIEF STATEMENTS

• All students are capable of acquiring a new language.
• Language acquisition arises through exposure to high levels of meaningful, comprehensible input.
• Opportunities to interact with a new language should transcend the classroom setting and give rise to learners who assume an active role in local and global communities.
• Multilingualism contributes to a more fulfilled life and provides greater personal and professional opportunities.
• Students should be continually assessed, using various instruments, in all three modes of communication.
• Students should be encouraged and enabled to seek out authentic cultural sources which may broaden their personal interests.
• Through learning about the views and practices of other countries we can gain a new perspective of our own culture.
• Learners should have opportunities to reflect on their progress toward proficiency targets, which should be transparent to them.
• Acquiring a new language helps improve cognitive processes which will benefit all academic subjects.

VISION

The Sparta English as a Second Language (ESL) program is committed to providing English Language Learners with the language and skills necessary to function socially and succeed academically in the 21st Century. The ESL program supports successful acculturation of students and families, and promotes parental engagement in their child’s education. Students will use language in meaningful and relevant ways appropriate to grade level, content area, topic, purpose, audience, and within English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The Sparta ESL program is committed to providing a comfortable and safe learning environment to give students confidence and meet their diverse needs. The program also assists mainstream classroom teachers with accommodations, modifications, and strategies for instructing and grading English Language Learners.

Belief Statements:

• Language processes develop interdependently (listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, acculturation).
• Language involves both understanding and using cultural, verbal, and non-verbal symbols.
• Language acquisition is a long-term process that develops naturally and in stages.
• Language acquisition builds on meaningful interaction and challenging content.
• Native language proficiency level (L1) strongly influences second language acquisition (L2).
• Bilingualism (plurilingualism) is an individual and societal asset.