B O N J O U R . BUENOS DIAS. PRESCHOOLERS GREET NEW WORLD LANGUAGE PROGRAM WITH ENTHUSIASM

Nancy Berlier The 3- and 4-year-olds who came to the rooms of Amy McDonald and Emily McQuiston on the first day of school this year were a bit perplexed to hear a lesson spoken almost entirely in another language. They didn’t understand the French and Spanish words they were hearing, but it didn’t take long for them to figure out the teachers were asking them to say their names, repeat the Spanish word for cold or say “hello” in French.

“Some just stared confusedly and took it all in,” recalls Ms. McDonald, Lower School French teacher.” Others tried to ‘crack the code’ and figure out what I was saying and announce it to the class. One child asked me every class period for the first few weeks ‘when are you going to speak normally?’ ” In short order, however, Mrs. McQuiston, Lower School Spanish teacher, had prompted her students to sing a “Buenos Dias” song, and children were greeting Ms. McDonald with “Bonjour” in the hallway.

“I think that we’re all astonished at seeing the rapid growth in language development in the three- and four-year-olds,” says Montessori Director Phyllis Schueler. “Sure, we all believed in the Montessori method. We believed in the brain research. But now we’re actually seeing it happen in foreign language. The children are learning very quickly.”

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PREPARING SUMMIT STUDENTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY

Pictured above L to R: Freya Kindel, Darnell Baldwin and Jack Reuter with new Spanish teacher, Emily McQuiston

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Layla Willingham’s 3-year-old daughter, Kali, enrolled in one of Mrs. McQuiston’s Spanish classes after other students had already had two sessions. After only two days of instruction, she was able to count to 10, participate in “introduction” conversations and was singing songs in Spanish.

“It seems as though the program is working for my daughter,” says Mrs. Willingham. “I think she’ll be able to speak fluently if she stays with the program and I think it will stick with her. I think she will be able to communicate in that language with anyone who speaks it.”

While language instruction in The Summit’s World Language Program is not technically “immersion,” students and teachers are already speaking the foreign language 95% of the time in the pre-school classes. “The teachers are using an eclectic approach to teaching World Language,” says Lower School Director Terry Malone. “They are using a variety of methods at each grade level to maximize their World Language experiences.” Through gestures, play-acting and the use of puppets, story-telling materials, recordings and repetition, Ms. McDonald and Ms. McQuiston get the preschoolers to understand the words they are using.

Research shows second language learners naturally use gestures to master new words. Gesturing aids comprehension and retention, helps represent the meaning of grammatical forms, complements vocal work and helps teach appropriate behavior in self-presentation of the language. Daily use of visual and audio materials, gestures and repetition engages the students and makes the material meaningful to them.

Repetition is key in language learning because the brain is constantly looking for patterns.

The teachers also use Montessori teaching methods and other techniques they have learned to keep the youngsters active, so they have fun and don’t get restless while they keep learning. Ms. McQuiston uses a technique called “Total Physical Response Storytelling” in which students become active. “Using physical movement – motion – to teach vocabulary extends what they already know,” says Ms. McQuiston. In a unit based on the children’s book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,” Ms. McQuiston arranges cards with pictures of animals on the floor in front of her. Children take turns pulling a small stuffed animal out of a container. She asks the children what the animal is. When the children say rana (the Spanish word for frog), the child places the frog on the card. She asks what color the frog is. When the children answer verde (the Spanish word for green), she repeats what they have said and she points to a chart on the wall where the word verde is written.

“We’re using words they already know to tell a story so they understand the context and can figure out what the new words they hear mean when they are introduced,” says Ms. McQuiston.

BRAIN MAPPINGNew research in medical imaging shows how environmental factors influence development of the brain in young children. The early years are a critical period for mapping the part of

Pictured above L to R: Rimel Kamran; new French teacher, Amy McDonald; Jack Robinson; Samuel Patino

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the brain that affects language, according to Dr. JoAnn Deak, a Cleveland psychologist who spoke at The Summit’s Early Childhood Symposium in October.

“Children who are exposed to a second language at an early age will achieve a more native grasp of both the pronunciation and the grammar of the second language,” says Mrs. Schueler. Language and speech patterns aren’t fixed yet. Their brains can compartmentalize each language without them getting confused.

Research also indicates that young children who are exposed to more than one language simultaneously develop greater neural activity and denser brain tissue in the areas of the brain related to memory, attention, and language than children who learn only one language.

BEYOND PRESCHOOLAs far as we know, The Summit is the only school in the region using a 13-year approach to World Language in which language is introduced so early. The study of a single language begins in kindergarten and can continue through 12th grade. The Summit’s program offers some unique advantages.

• The 3- and 4-year-olds spend one semester learning each language, switching halfway through the year. Introducing them to both languages helps parents determine which language they will begin studying in kindergarten. • The Lower School curriculum follows state standards for each grade level.• Summit teachers have materials-rich classrooms. Internet-connected Promethean smart boards let students interact with technology. • Native-speaking Spanish teachers Martha Twombly and Yngrid Thurston advance the students’ knowledge of other countries. And Mrs. Thurston uses American Sign Language as gestures, adding another dimension to their cultural awareness. • Because the Summit’s is a multi-cultural community, children have opportunities to hear the languages they are learning as it is spoken by other children and parents.

“I have one preschool student from Spain who speaks fluently,” says Ms. McQuiston. “This has truly enriched the learning experience for this particular class because the other students have had more than one person to model the language, and they see it used to communicate in real, meaningful contexts.”

By necessity, the curriculum is a work in progress. This is the first year that World Language has been offered to 3- and 4-year-olds. As more advanced learners progress through the grades, teachers will need to bump up the program at each grade level.

“Our hopes would be that the program will continue to develop in the coming years to offer Summit students the best language learning opportunities available,” says Mr. Malone. “Advancing the proficiency of students in the middle years could create potential for new courses at the high school level.”

Now, sixth grade students are introduced to Latin, a program that already has brought national recognition to the school because of student performance at competitions and skills

tests. In the upper grades, students can also study Latin, Mandarin Chinese, French or Spanish, in addition to the core language they have chosen.

Based on the results of the Spanish proficiency test that we administer to incoming 9th grade students planning to study Spanish in the Upper School, we already see a larger number of students who place into the Honors II level,” says Robert Baechtold, Curriculum Coordinator for foreign language in the Upper School. “As the length of continuous study in one of the languages offered expands, we will see even more placement into higher level courses.”

The Summit has made world languages a priority. In a competitive, multi-lingual global community, Summit graduates will have an advantage if they can walk out the door proficient in another language. A quality world language program is a long-term commitment. Starting early is the key.

“I’m excited to see what is in store for the future of our 3- and 4-year-old students just setting out on their language learning journeys,” says Ms. McDonald. “I can only imagine all of the doors that will be opened and the opportunities presented in their futures as a result. They will learn much more than simply learning to speak, read, and write another language. Learning a language will help provide them with cultural competency and global awareness, helping them to become better citizens and leaders for our future.”

5 TIPS FOR PARENTSHere are five tips on how parents can help young children learn a foreign language:

1. Play tapes, CDs and videos in the foreign language during the early years when mapping of the brain’s language center takes place.

2. Participate in learning the language to show children you think it important and make it a fun and active activity.

3. Take an interest when children show off their new skills and applaud their efforts.

4. Reinforce the written language by using labels of foreign languages around the house. Place labels on the objects and point to them when saying the word. (Letting children help make and place the labels makes the exercise more fun for them.)

5. Expose children to people of varied cultures and backgrounds who are speaking the language. Look for radio stations and cable programs where the language can be heard.

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