DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION

AND ELA TEACHER PRACTICES

Lafayette Parish SchoolsFebruary 19, 2015

WE ARE ALL LANGUAGE TEACHERS!

WHO ARE WE?

Agenda1. What is our aim?2. What are the benefits of biliteracy?3. How do we prepare for, advance, and support

language learning?4. What do the levels of language proficiency

entail?5. What about language transfer?6. How can we use balanced literacy to maximize

all aspects of language instruction?

Additive Bilingualism“When I learn a new word in Arabic or French, a word that doesn’t exist in English, I learn a new concept. I learn a new way …a second or third language lets me see the world in a way I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise…”Lafayette High school immersion student

Collaboration!

Academic vocabulary en français

analysercomparer

décriverdéterminer

distinguerévaluer

citer

Transfer of Skills Cognitive and linguistic skills needed to

ReadWrite

SpeakComprehend

Viewin a first language support literacy development in a second language!

Transfer of Skills Cognitive and linguistic skills needed to

ReadWrite

SpeakComprehend

Viewin a second language support literacy development in a student’s first language!

• How does knowing and using more than one language affect the brain?

Benefits of Biliteracy• Profound effect on content

– Increase in short-term working memory– Enables brain to hold information longer

while thinking processes are engaged.

Benefits of Biliteracy

Mental FlexibilityOpens multiple neural pathwaysOpens access to different avenues of thoughtIncreases speed and accuracy of decision

making

Benefits of Biliteracy

Enhances problem-solving capacityEnhances abstract thinking skillsFacilitates higher concept formation skillsAugments creativityStrengthens capacity to identify, understand,

and solve problems

Preparing for Student Learning• How do I establish a supportive language

learning environment for and with my students?

– Support for the immersion language?– Support for English?

Advancing Student Learning

• How do my practices maximize my students’ language growth?

Supporting Student Learning• How does my professional growth support my

students’ language learning?

• How does my collaboration with stakeholders support student language learning?

Common Core ELA and

Immersion LA:

Making the Match

Mission of Immersion Language Teacher

Increase proficiency level

• Novice

• Intermediate

• Advanced

Gage the Proficiency Level• http://

www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/EN-08-Luis.mov

Gage the Proficiency Level• http://

www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/EN-02-Jesus.mov

Gage the Proficiency Level• http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidel

ines/EN-16-Sung.mov

LITERACY M

ODEL COMPREHENSION

ASSES

SMEN

TMANAGEM

ENT

Word Study Phonics Spelling High Frequency Words Word Parts

Writing WorkshopModeled WritingGrammarGuided WritingIndependent Writing

Reading WorkshopInteractive Read AloudShared ReadingGuided ReadingIndependent Reading

Cognitive Retroactive Transfer

CRT of Language Skills among Trilingual Arabic, Hebrew and English Learners

Does helping poor readers improve their language skills in English (L3) bring about improvement in those same skills in Arabic (L1) and Hebrew (L2)?

For further information:

Terri HammattLouisiana Department of Education

Terri.Hammatt@la.gov