North East Independent School District, Bilingual Education

BILINGUAL EDUCATION

	PHILOSOPHY	CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES
	GUIDING PRINCIPLES	INDICATORS OF EXCELLENCE
	PROGRAM MAP	COURSE OF STUDY
	PARENT HANDBOOK ENGLISH VERSION Click Here: WORD - PDF UPDATING*	PARENT HANDBOOK SPANISH VERSION Click Here: WORD - PDF UPDATING*

MARIE MENDOZA
DIRECTOR OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER PROGRAMS
210-804-7180 ext. 372 Email: mmendo9@neisd.net

Bilingual Education Program

Grades PK - 5

Philosophy

All students who have a home language other than English and who have been identified as limited English proficient (LEP) shall be provided a full opportunity to participate in a Bilingual or English as a second language program to ensure equal educational opportunity.

Purpose

The purpose of the bilingual education program shall be to enable limited English proficient students to become competent in the comprehension, speaking, reading and composition of the English language through the development of literacy and academic skills in the primary language and English. Such a program shall emphasize the mastery of English language skills as well as mathematics, science and social studies, as integral parts of the academic goals for all students to enable limited English proficient students to participate equitably in school.

Core Values

Knowledge that children gain through their first language makes the English they hear and read more comprehensible.

A child only learns to read once. The ability to read in the first language transfers to the second language.

Exposure to a wide range of books in the primary language validates the primary language and culture, and contributes to continued first language development.

Critical Attributes of NEISD Spanish Reading Philosophy

Through the interaction with print, North East students will connect knowledge, skills and strategies across varied tasks of reading and literacy learning in order to comprehend oral, written and visual language. Therefore, a comprehensive reading program which provides critical thinking, increased attention to other subjects, independent thinking, and an enthusiasm for reading and learning will include several specific components.

Students will be given opportunities to:

use word recognition strategies;
establish purposes for reading fiction, expository and functional texts;
determine main idea, paraphrase and summarize;
draw inferences (predict, conclude, and generalize);
find similarities and differences across texts;
listen and speak, read and write, view and represent information critically.

Each NEISD reading teacher will instruct students to comprehend more effectively through strategies in:

word recognition and acquisition of vocabulary;
fluent reading of complex texts;
comprehension of reading selected for a variety of purposes;
monitoring and making modifications when comprehension breaks down;
learning critically from text (previewing, questioning, rereading);
research and inquiry in all forms of print, including technology;
acquiring information and problem-solving;
communicating their learning of traditional and creative products;
referring to one's own experiences and linking those to text through the language arts strands.

School and Home Connection

Read aloud to students. Oral reading should not stop when students can read on their own;
Write to/with your child (list, thank-you notes, letters, stories, journals);
Read/write yourself. The strongest teaching is accomplished through demonstration and modeling;
Set aside a time for family reading and writing;
Encourage your child to read for enjoyment;
Saturate your child's environment with print;
Help your child acquire a wide range of experience and background knowledge;
Talk with your children about their experiences, ask questions, engage in dialogue about what they have learned;
Communicate with your child's teacher and share your child's literacy experience;
Praise, encourage, and enjoy your child's efforts.

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North East Guiding Principles

Elementary Spanish Language Arts

Guiding Principles	Bibliographic Source
Cognitive Development - Allowing students to use their native language facilitates cognitive and academic growth	Hakuta, K., 1986. Mirror of Language. New York: Basic Books
Literacy Development - One of the most salient features of a bilingual education program is the use of the first language as the medium of instruction. The first language can help in the following ways: It supplies background knowledge, which can make English input more comprehensible. It enhances the development of basic literacy.	Krashen, S., 1990. Reading, writing, form, and content. In J. Alatis (Ed.), Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 1990. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Transfer of Literacy Skills - Research evidence is clear that basic literacy skills developed in the first language transfer to the second language.	Cummins, J., 1981. AThe Role of Primary Language Development in Promoting Educational Success for Language Minority Students.@
Self-Concept - The learner=s self-concept and perception of environment influences the individual=s ability to become part of the new culture and in turn promotes academic achievement.	Wang, Fillmore, L. 1976. Individual differences in second language acquisition. In C.J. Fillmore, D. Kemplar, and W.S. Wang (Eds.) Individual Differences in Language Ability and Language Behavior, pp. 203-228. San Diego, CA: Academic.
Language Development - AWe found that for young children and adolescents in grades K-12, uninterrupted cognitive, academic, and linguistic development is essential to school success, and neglect or overemphasis of one of these three components may affect students= long-term growth.@	Collier, V.P., 1992. "A synthesis of studies examining long-term language minority student data on academic achievement." Bilingual Research Journal, 16 (1-2), 187.212.

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INDICATORS OF EXCELLENCE

ELEMENTARY SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Teachers Will

Students will

Environment Reflects

Read aloud everyday good literature that is of high interest to students.
Match students with appropriate books.
Provide sustained time daily for free-choice reading.
Spend most of the language arts time reading.
Give students an opportunity to discuss excellent literature in small groups.
Do more guided silent reading.
Pull small groups and individuals for explicit instruction.
Do shared reading regularly.
Use a variety of strategies in teaching and role model the joy and love of learning.
Instruct with the knowledge of having students with diverse learning styles.
Involve students in activities that are at an appropriate level of difficulty.
Monitor and assesses what students are learning.
Integrate technology when doing research and inquiry.
Maintain a consistent level of high expectations.
Build on students' intrinsic motivation to learn.

Actively be involved in student-teacher dialogue.
Show interest and enthusiasm while reading different genres such as fiction, expository and functional texts.
Demonstrate the process of writing, including composing, drafting, and editing.
Listen, speak, read, write, view and represent information critically.
Read with fluency and understanding and uses decoding strategies.
Read aloud with peers.
Read and spell words through activities such as world walls, rounding up rhymes, and making words.
Use technology with ease.
See learning and the gaming of knowledge as to intrinsic pursuit.
Develop a repertoire of cognitive strategies for predicting, monitoring, and evaluation texts.
Do independent reading, self-selected reading, shared reading, and guided reading with the teacher.

Learning

A safe and secure environment with the absence of threat.
Consistent use of collaborative learning:
- writing reports
- reading materials
- assessment
A literacy rich environment.
Classrooms that allow for open discussions.
Classroom library inviting and well organized.
Poems, charts, big books, and other printed materials available.
Well supplied area for independent reading and writing.
Written language at eye level for "reading around the room."

Physical

Students are able to move to centers or other content areas safely.
The classroom is clean and attractive with centers for guided/shared reading, self-selected reading, writing, and working with words.
Books are integrated into work centers.
Word wall can be seen and utilized by students.
Materials organized for easy access.

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BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM MAP

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COURSE OF STUDY

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Kindergarten	Recognizes own name Listens and responds to literature in Spanish Notices environmental print Distinguishes between letter, word and sentence boundaries Identifies vowel and consonant sounds Produces syllables to begin to read Makes predictions about stories and events Uses illustrations to tell stories Participates in reading pattern books and familiar books
First Grade	Knows most letters and sounds in Spanish Retells main idea of text Applies letter-sound correspondences (n, rr, ll, and ch) Decodes words Uses structural cues (-mente, - ito, - ada) Notices punctuation when reading Recognizes high frequency words in and out of text Reads books with word patterns Responds appropriately to text in a variety of ways Begins to read new instructional leveled text Retells stories in sequence
Second Grade	Students read and write independently Responds appropriately and courteously to directions and questions Connects experiences and ideas with those of others through speaking and listening Gains increasing control of grammar when speaking such as using subject - verb agreement, complete sentences, and correct tense Decides words using knowledge of all Spanish sounds, letters, and syllables, including consonants, vowels, blinds, and stress Uses knowledge of word order (syntax) and content to support word identification and confirm word meaning Develops vocabulary by listening to and discussing both familiar and conceptually challenging selections read aloud Draws and discusses visual images based on text descriptions
Third Grade	Determines the purpose for listening such as to get information, to solve problems, and to enjoy and appreciate Asks and answers relevant questions and make contributions in small or large group discussions Uses vocabulary to describe clearly ideas, feelings, and experiences Uses root words and other structural cues such as prefixes, suffixes, and derivational endings to recognize words Reads orally from familiar texts with fluency (accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing, and attention to punctuation Demonstrates knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and multi-meaning words (for example, by sorting, classifying, and identifying related words Identifies similarities and differences across tests such as in topics, characters, and themes
Fourth Grade	Reads silently with increasing ease for longer periods Uses dictionaries, glossaries for word meaning and pronunciation Reads from varied sources such ad novels, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines for pleasure and for information Compares and contrasts themes and issues across text Identifies purposes of different types of texts Understands and identifies terms of literary analysis Produces research projects Writes legibly Capitalizes and punctuates correctly including guion (hyphen) and raya (for dialogue) Writes with accurate spelling of syllabic constructions such as closed, open, "qu" together, using n before v, m before b, m before p, changing z to c when adding - es, and dipthongs Writes in narrative, classificatory, comparison, and persuasive forms Spells accurately using accent marks in the final draft Uses available technology to "publish" pieces
Fifth Grade	Reads silently with increasing ease for longer periods Draws inferences such as conclusions or generalizations and support them with text evidence and experience Represents text information in different ways such as in outline, timeline, or graphic organizers Judges the internal consistency or logic of texts Analyzes characters Uses multi-reference aids such as thesaurus, dictionaries, and multimedia to clarify meaning and usage Produces research projects Writes exhibiting an identifiable voice in personal narratives and stories Spells accurately using accents and dieresis marks in the final draft Employs standard Spanish grammar in increased complexity and verb terms appropriate and consistently Produces communications using technology or appropriate media such as a class newspaper, multimedia reports or video reports

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