Context
Classroom. A class of approximately 22 - 24 Grade 2 Spanish bilingual students with the majority of the students having had two years of Spanish bilingual education focused primarily on oral language acquisition. Most of the students are at grade level in Spanish and English Language Arts with a few just below grade level in reading. There are a few Individual Personalized Plans (IPP's) for academics, Behaviour Support Plans (BSP's) for self-regulation, and modified report cards for English Language Learners (ELL's).
School. The school is a recognized International Spanish Academy (ISA) by the government of Spain and the province of Alberta. Students receive a certificate of completion from a Spanish representative when leaving grade 4 before going on to middle school. Students can only enter the school in kindergarten or grade 1, or they must present and pass a proficiency exam in order to enter at a later grade.
School. The school is a recognized International Spanish Academy (ISA) by the government of Spain and the province of Alberta. Students receive a certificate of completion from a Spanish representative when leaving grade 4 before going on to middle school. Students can only enter the school in kindergarten or grade 1, or they must present and pass a proficiency exam in order to enter at a later grade.
Content
Subject Matter. Mathematics and physical education are taught strictly in Spanish with the rest of the subjects being taught 50 - 50 in both Spanish and English. Teachers choose to teaching entire units or inquiries in one language instead of switching back and forth. However, L1 can be use to support and scaffold the understanding of content through cross-curricular teaching. Thus, if students are learning about water in Science and the language of communication and learning is Spanish, the teacher can choose to take up a novel study in English Language Arts that incorporates concepts learned in Science about water.
For a more in depth overview of the Spanish bilingual program in Alberta see Naqvi, Schmidt, and Krickhan (2014).
For a more in depth overview of the Spanish bilingual program in Alberta see Naqvi, Schmidt, and Krickhan (2014).