North Texas schools have transformed the way they teach English 鈥� by teaching Spanish, too.
Dual language programs are the focus of thein a
At Bowie Elementary in Grand Prairie, Spanish-speaking kids are learning both languages as early as pre-kindergarten. 四虎影院 visited Bowie to learn how dual language programs work.
Kindergarten teacher Teresa Martin wants her kids to speak both Spanish and English. Reaching them in kindergarten is critical, she says, because learning two languages works best when you鈥檙e very young.
鈥淭hose kids that do come in strong fluently, that pick up the Spanish 鈥� they can write it, speak it and read it phonetically 鈥� the English comes in a little bit easier,鈥� she says.
One in three Texas kids is either an immigrant or the child of immigrants. Over the next several weeks, 四虎影院 will explore the challenges these children face and the ways North Texas schools are trying to weave them into the American tapestry.
These kids have to learn a new language, adapt to a different culture and try to fit into a community that may not embrace newcomers.
Here are earlier chapters in the series:
Chapter 4: How Schools Can Help Immigrant Kids
Julian Vasquez Heilig has spent years studying how schools educate immigrants. He鈥檚 a professor at California State University, Sacramento. He previously worked at the University of Texas at Austin. He spoke with 四虎影院 and , high-stakes testing, and a possible breakthrough in North Texas.
Chapter 3: She Escaped Violence For A Fresh Start in Texas
introduces Dilcia M. Asencio Mazariegos, who left Guatemala in 2012 to get away from a violent family member. She attends Plano East Senior High School where she's enrolled in English as a Second Language classes. But she's also been juggling two jobs.
Chapter 2: Going From Spanish (Or Urdu Or Arabic) To English
takes a look at how the Grapevine-Colleyville school district is responding to the dramatic demographic changes. In recent years, the number of students learning English 鈥� they鈥檙e called English language learners 鈥� has climbed 60 percent. The district partnered with the police department to create the Grapevine Community Outreach Center. And the district launched the Language Assessment Center over the summer. Kids who aren鈥檛 native English speakers get tested at the center and are then placed in the right language program.
Chapter 1: In A Land Of Strangers, Paving His Own Path
The first story features Just two weeks after arriving from Africa, David enrolled at Conrad High School in Northeast Dallas. He started school in a new country where students speak a different language. It can be overwhelming. Now, a year and a half later, David is helping other refugee kids making the transition.
About the series
Each Tuesday through the end of the year, stories will air on 四虎影院 90.1 FM. Explore the stories in , which features videos and anshowing where Texas鈥� foreign-born population comes from.
Generation One is part of .
