World
Languages and Culture at Coe
Before
and After School Classes
What languages are offered?
Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic are
offered at the beginner and intermediate levels. Instruction in other languages is organized whenever enough
students express interest.
French and Italian classes have been popular in the past. About 20% of Coe students participate
in the program.
Who runs the program? SSIA (Successful Schools
in Action) initiated this program.
It is run by an outside language instruction provider, The Language
Link, LLC. A volunteer parent from
the PTA coordinates on site.
What
curriculum is used?
Spanish: SUBE, a
multi-sensory curriculum is used.
Students learn academic and social language skills through games, music,
art, and role playing and spontaneous conversation. The focus is on development of oral proficiency. Cultural instruction guides the
choices of the music and art projects in this curriculum. Beginning and intermediate levels are
offered.
Mandarin Chinese and Japanese: Beginning and intermediate levels are
offered. Games, art projects,
music and physical activities guide the curricula for these culturally enriched
classes. Drawing on a
variety of sources the curriculum was developed by The Language Link, LLC.
Arabic:The Arabic curriculum was written by a group of
curriculum specialists from OSPI.
Like the other curricula used by The Language Link, it combines music,
games and physical activities to introduce the basic vocabulary and sounds of
classical Arabic. The text
book, Alif Baa is used for the beginning middle school levels. Games and
physical activities are added to support textbook learning.
How much English is used during the class? The classes are taught
almost exclusively in the target language. All teachers are native speakers.
How much does it cost?
Tuition varies slightly depending on the number
of students enrolled in a class.
Generally it runs around $190 for a 10 week session of 20 classes.
When do classes meet? Classes meet either before or after school twice a week. Classes are 45 minutes long.
Are the classes available to students from other schools in our
cluster?
Classes are available to Coe, John Hay, Lawton and Blaine
Elementary students, as well as Blaine middle school students. A selection of classes is
conducted at all Queen Anne and Magnolia elementary schools. Students at any of
the 4 schools are invited to join their chosen class whether it is held at
their own school or at one of the other three.
Typically, what are the class sizes? Class size is
capped at 12 students per class.
The Language Link,LLC organizes and manages this program.
Registration can be done online http://www.thelanguagelinkllc.com For questions, please contact
Barbara Ford at timbbford@comcast.net
or 283-3348.
Why study a
foreign language now?
Early
foreign language learning is important for a number of reasons. Children who have studied another
language in a sequential, well-organized program, beginning in elementary
school and continuing through high school, exhibit many developmental
advancements:
o They do
significantly better at tasks requiring divergent thinking, problem solving,
and figural creativity (Landry, 1974);
o They score
higher on standardized tests in language arts, reading, and math than students
not enrolled in foreign language programs (Rafferty, 1986; Garfinkel and Tabor,
1991);
o They score
higher on the SAT and ACT than students not enrolled in foreign language
programs (Cooper, 1987; Olsen and Brown, 1989);
o They have the
ability to excel in the pronunciation of a foreign language (Dulay, Burt, and
Krashen, 1982);
o They show
greater cognitive development in higher order thinking skills (Foster and
Reeves, 1989);
o They are more open to cultural diversity
(Carpenter and Torney, 1974; Hancock and Lipton et al., 1976); and
o They have an
improved self-concept and sense of achievement (Masciantonio, 1977).
Questions? Contact parent
coordinator, Barbara Ford at Timbbford@comcast.net .