Spanish Immersion
In the United States alone, Spanish speakers make up more than 14 percent of the population. César Chávez Elementary School Spanish Immersion program helps students become confident Spanish speakers while developing biliteracy-- the ability speak, read, and write in both English and Spanish by the end of 6th grade.
Research suggests that students in immersion programs generally achieve high levels of second language proficiency, gain communicative skills and cultural understanding and achieve as well or better than non-immersion peers on standardized assessments.
Our Immersion Model
The model for foreign language immersion programs in the United States originated in Canada during the 1960s with French immersion programs. Students are "immersed" in a second language, by receiving academic instruction in the target language, rather than studying the language itself. Acquisition of the language is a natural outcome of hearing and using the language while gaining academic skills in the content curriculum areas.
In our immersion program, teachers present the regular curriculum nearly 100% in the immersion language in the early years and gradually introduce English incrementally as students progress through the grades in the following way:
Kindergarten and First grade have 100% Spanish instruction,
Second grade is 90% Spanish and 10% English,
Third grade is 80% Spanish and 20% English,
Fourth grade is 75 % Spanish and 25% English, and
Fifth and Sixth grades grades are 70% Spanish and 30% English.