Tengo un nuevo trabajo, enseñando español

I got a job as an Assistant Spanish teacher in the Spanish Imersion program at Sand Springs Elementary.The objective of the Spanish Immersion Program is to provide a quality second language learning experience for students during their key language acquisition years at no expense to their primary language development. The program is research based and provides a culturally diverse experience for the entire school community. The district along with the faculty and staff at Sand Springs Elementary are united in their support of this school choice opportunity for students.

The Spanish Immersion Program at Sand Springs Elementary is designed for students whose primary language is the dominant language of society (English) upon entry to school. In the Immersion Program, a second language (Spanish), along with the students’ home language, is used to teach regular school subjects. A major objective of the immersion program is oral fluency and literacy in both English and Spanish.

For the Spanish portion of class, students will be immersed in the second language. The teacher will only speak Spanish and instructional materials will be in Spanish. The teacher, using multi modalities will communicate through visuals, songs, body language, expression and drama to achieve understanding. Beginning in first grade, there will be a clear and sustained separation of languages during instructional time. Students will have two teachers and two classrooms. (If enrollment numbers remain consistent.) Fifty percent of a student’s instructional time will be spent in the “Spanish” classroom with the “Spanish” teacher and 50 percent of their instructional time will be spent in the “English” classroom with the “English” teacher. It is amazing how quickly a young child is able to understand the new language and speak in words, phrases, and sentences.

I will primarily be working with the 1st and 2nd grade. I will be assisting the teacher in teaching, grading papers, and helping with all activities in the classroom, all in spanish!