Indiana Dual Language
Summer 2020
Featured Programs: Monroe County Community School Corporation
Clear Creek Elementary
Clear Creek’s one-way Spanish Immersion program will have one section in kindergarten through fourth grade in the 2020-2021 school year. The 50/50 model DLI program began in 2017 in first grade with the plan to add a new grade level each year. Most students in the program are native English speakers. In 2020, Monroe County Community School Corporation began a district-wide World Language Committee. One of the goals of this committee is to plan for the expansion of the DLI program to middle school and high school.
Monroe County Community School Corporation’s mission is to empower students to maximize their educational success to become productive, responsible global citizens. The district mission is the primary motivation for the implementation of dual language at Clear Creek. Clear Creek students can become productive, responsible global citizens by performing at high academic levels, becoming biliterate and bilingual, and growing in socio-cultural competence.
The entire school, even non-DLI classrooms, strives to meet the three pillars of dual language education. In addition to the DLI program, Clear Creek has another global education program called Global Gateways. In this program, students begin to explore the Spanish language in a weekly World Language class. Both programs incorporate socio-cultural competence by completing global units of study and infusing cultural learning targets into the Indiana Standards. The vision of Clear Creek Elementary School is empowering one other to reach the fullest potential as global citizens by reaching high levels of academic achievement, exploring the Spanish language to become bilingual and biliterate, and growing socio-cultural competence.
Indiana University has been a fabulous partnership. The program benefits tremendously from IU’s Global Education Initiatives program coordinated by Vesna Dimitrieska. In addition to the DLI institutes and workshops, staff members also take part in other professional development sponsored by the program that support their socio-cultural goal.
Clear Creek strives to include families. The goal is to help families understand how dual language education works. The team provides families with videos of students speaking and learning in Spanish and recordings of Spanish lessons that families can use at home. Each year, Clear Creek has a Global Showcase in May to celebrate the learning that has occurred throughout the year. Students participate in songs and dances. In addition, each classroom shares student projects that have a global connection. This program is a celebration of the three pillars of dual language education.
Summit Elementary of MCCSC
The dual language program at Summit Elementary School in Bloomington is a two-way, 50/50 program with students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The program is a two teacher model, so students spend half of each day with their teacher who facilitates in English and half of each day with their teacher who facilitates in Spanish.
The Bloomington community had demonstrated a need for a program such as dual language, and Summit Elementary was excited to have the ability to provide this for the Spanish-speaking community. To be able to elevate the Spanish language was a goal that Summit Elementary happily embraced. They are highly motivated by the future goal of having hundreds of bilingual individuals as a part of Bloomington’s community and workforce as a result of the dual language program. Summit values the fact that all of their classrooms have a solid percentage of native Spanish-speaking students.
The vision for Summit is to have students who achieve high academic goals, are biliterate and bilingual, and gain socio-cultural awareness. One of the challenges Summit has faced has been related to transportation. MCCSC has many Spanish-speaking students in the district who would like to participate in dual language; however, they cannot due to the fact that transportation is not provided. One of the successes has been the high level of interest in the program by the community. There was such a large amount of interest that Summit has expanded its program to two sections at each grad level.
Summit Elementary attributes a large part of their success to the high-quality professional development in which they have participated. Their trip to Utah in 2018 was an amazing professional development experience. Summit was able to learn from a variety of dual language programs and classrooms at all levels (elementary, middle and high schools). Summit had the opportunity to speak with individuals at Utah’s state level and get a glimpse into the long term results of dual language programming.
Indiana Dual Language in the News
Research from Trish Morita-Mullaney, PhD
2020 IU Virtual Dual Language Immersion Summer Institute
Guidance from Office of Educator Licensing
How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning
Bilingualism is our Shared Identity
Exciting Announcement from Jane Foley of the Milken Family Foundation
I am writing today about an exciting invitation for rising high school seniors all across America to participate in the first ever I, Too, Am the Dream contest, sponsored by The Center for Advancing the American Dream, founded by philanthropist Michael Milken.
Imagine if young people had a voice to create and inspire the next era in America. That is what we aim to accomplish. The purpose of the contest is to ENGAGE students in describing dynamic stories about the American Dream, REIMAGINE an inclusive and evolving vision, and drive a bold national conversation to ADVANCE and grow the American Dream for themselves and others, now and into the future.
In the contest, open from June 2 through September 14, rising high school seniors can submit written responses up to 1,000 words which could be in the form of essays, poems, spoken word, or short stories. See attached for an informational flyer, and visit caad.org/itooamthedream for more details.
Please help us reach all the students that deserve to tell their stories and shape the future of our country. We look forward to hearing from a wide and diverse range of high school seniors that represent every state, ethnicity, background, and perspective. I am hoping you will share this email and flyer via your distribution channels, newsletters, and networks of educators and education leaders that are in contact with students and teachers.
Dual Language Conversation Classes Available This Summer!
Have the dual language parents in your school been asking about opportunities for their children to practice Spanish over the summer? They're not alone. There are small group virtual dual language classes available for your students taught by native-speaking teachers. Classes are limited to 8 students each in order to ensure participation by all kids in the class. Students will talk about fables and stories. They'll listen to music and sing songs. They'll share opinions, make predictions and ask questions. They'll do all of these things with kids their age that have learned in dual language programs around the Midwest...not just Indiana!
Have parents reach out to Jill Woerner (jwINTERCULTURALed@outlook.com) to find a class that will work with their summer schedule. Morning and afternoon classes are available, but spaces are limited.
Nicole Leach
Email: nleach@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 232-0572
Twitter: @NicoleNLeach