"The
absorbent mind is indeed a marvelous gift to humanity!
By merely 'living' and without and conscious effort
the individual absorbs from the environment even
a complex cultural achievement like language. If
this essential mental form existed in the adult,
how much easier would our studies be!"
-Dr. Maria Montessori |
Dual language
The conviction that learning more
than one language is important for every child guides
CCMS commitment to a dual-language program. Language
is not only a means to communicate and an instrument
for thinking; it is also an important tool for understanding
and appreciating the thoughts of others in our increasingly
multicultural world. Knowing two languages is a marketable
skill, thus expanding the child's later opportunities
for constructive engagement with society.
There are educational, cognitive, linguistic, socio-cultural
and economic benefits to individual as well as society
at large that result from intensive study of a second
language. CCMS dual-language programs have been designed
to create the environment and opportunity for all students
to enjoy the experience of a second language. We offer
the following two classroom options:
Spanish
Enrichment Montessori
(1st-6th grades)
In our traditional Montessori track,
students will experience Montessori curriculum in addition
to Spanish enrichment classes three days a week. A bilingual
Montessori teacher and assistant will facilitate this
classroom setting. A fully bilingual teacher/assistant
will provide instruction in Spanish as a second language
based on the communicative approach of language instruction.
Students will learn songs in Spanish, engage in dialogues
with one another and be given the opportunity to use
the second language in purposefully, meaningful communicative
activities which promote language development. We believe
that learning more than one language is just as normal
as learning only one, and that learning a second language
in school teaches children additional language skills
and advanced cognitive abilities.
Dual
Immersion Montessori
(1st-3rd grades)
The Dual Immersion track has been
designed to create the environment for monolingual English-speaking
children to learn Spanish, for monolingual Spanish-speakers
to learn English, and for children bilingual in both
to enhance their dual-language skills. To achieve this
end, the dual immersion track will consist of two dual
immersion classrooms, which will function as one via
a team teaching approach. One classroom will be facilitated
by a Spanish-only speaking Montessori teacher and assistant
and the other class will be facilitated by an English-only
speaking Montessori teacher and assistant. Throughout
the day the children will rotate through each classroom
for 50% of the day whereby receiving instruction in
both Spanish and English.
This 50/50 dual immersion method
of daily exposure to and participation in both languages
is an effective educational program option, which is
supported by research and evaluation studies concerning
effective schools and instruction in the U.S. and many
countries around the world.
Spanish and English instruction
are always kept separate, allowing for maximum concentration
of both languages. Heterogeneous groupings during the
Spanish and English portions of the day provide students
with opportunities to assist and learn from one another,
allowing second language acquisition to occur naturally.
The social interaction between students is a delight
that unfolds. They truly learn from one another, developing
high levels of confidence and self-esteem through their
study of two languages.
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