Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools Day 1 Program Models and Paths to Initial Literacy Instruction Patrick Proctor, Boston College Liz Howard, University of Connecticut

Who are we? Patrick Liz

Why are we all here? Catholic schools looking to repurpose Changing demographics across the United States – 1 in 5 children in the U.S. speaks a language other than, or in addition to, English – Projections are to 1 in 3 in the coming decades – 75% of those students speak Spanish Long-term outcomes for many bilingual children are jeopardized, particularly for Latino children – Low levels of literacy attainment – Poor schooling outcomes – High dropout rates – Diminished social and economic opportunities School is often the first point of sustained and meaningful institutional contact for many immigrant families in the US – How we serve our multilingual learners is of paramount importance

Why 2-Way Immersion? Evidence for positive cognitive benefits of high degrees of bilingualism and biliteracy – Metalinguistic and metacognitive awareness (think literacy) – Improved problem solving skills and symbolic representation (think math) – Attentional control Bilingualism and biliteracy are also associated with social and economic factors – Family cohesion – Higher levels of educational attainment – Increased earning potential over time

Goals and Objectives Goals To understand two-way immersion, its intents, models, and approaches To set the stage for action planning around program model and curriculum design Objectives To advance a selected model or decide upon an appropriate model for your 2-way program To advance or decide upon a foundational plan for literacy instruction in both languages

What is 2-Way Immersion? The Basics Program model that provides instruction in two languages Ascribes equal value to both languages irrespective of societal norms Goal of bilingualism, biliteracy, and high levels of educational attainment Native speakers of both languages (e.g., Spanish/English; Mandarin/English) learn together – No more than 2/3 rds of the students are native speakers of one language Language is learned through – Literacy instruction – Content-area instruction – Children serving as language models for each other

90:10 (80:20) In which kindergarten begins with the vast majority of instruction taking place in the non-dominant language (e.g., Spanish, Mandarin) – English is initially treated as brief ELD sessions (~20 – 30 mins per day) – With each successive year, approximately 10% of instructional time is added to English and taken away from the target language – Goal of 50:50 allocation of instructional time by upper elementary grades How is 2-Way Implemented? Program Models

50:50 In which kindergarten begins with half of instruction taking place in the target language and the other half in English – Ratios remain essentially the same across the elementary grades How is 2-Way Implemented? Program Models

Which Model Will Work for You? Show of hands: Have you chosen/do you implement a model yet? In your teams, fill out the short survey Debrief with interpretation key Does your chosen model align with the survey and interpretation?

Paths to Initial Literacy Instruction

Break

Guiding Principles for 2-Way Curriculum & Instruction

Lunch!