Childs Elementary
Language Policy
Philosophy:
Childs School is committed to developing
internationally minded lifelong learners who collaborate in order to understand, celebrate
and impact our interconnected global community.An enriched environment is created through challenging curriculum,
intercultural lines of inquiry and authentic assessment focused on the whole
child. To that end, our language instruction provides a foundation for our
entire curriculum and learning. Through language, we are able to access
information, increase knowledge and awareness, foster communication, develop
social skills, appreciate cultures, and reflect on who we are. Authentic
experiences in reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and visual
representation are integrated within lessons and across the curriculum. All
staff members are teachers of language and all students are language learners.
Language is
essential in the development of international mindedness. Our goal is to foster
a respectful learning environment that values individual and cultural
differences. Each student’s mother tongue is valued and support is provided for
the language of instruction to ensure equal access to academic and social
opportunities. Students study a language other than the language of instruction
in order to develop an appreciation of languages, cultures and differing
perspectives. Language is a vital link between home and school. Both the staff
and the community play a significant role in the development of our children’s
language and learning. The language diversity of our community is promoted and
supported in school and at home. Effective language learning enables students
to become fully functioning members of the global community.
Practices:
- Staff provides
authentic challenges to encourage students to reach their highest potential.
- The school
environment is print rich, multi-sensory and encourages language development.
Students have access to a variety of texts and classrooms have labels/signs and
anchor charts.
- Language learning
activities include listening, speaking, reading, writing, presenting and
viewing and these are embedded into daily instruction.
Language instruction is based on a
balanced literacy approach which incorporates essential skill and strategy
development, literature study, and opportunities for authentic reading and
writing.
- Literature is the heart of the reading
program at Childs School. The media specialist works with the staff, students
and community to provide a wide range of materials to support our literacy
program and Units of Inquiry.
- Skills in phonological and phonemic
awareness, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are taught
through modeling, direct and indirect instruction.
- Different genres are explored through
literature circles, read-aloud, and independent reading.
Mini-lessons focus on specific reading
comprehension strategies and text analysis of different genres.
- Teachers use
literacy to explore issues of diversity and fairness. Readers and writers use
literature to analyze, critique, and understand their social world. In the
classrooms, students read and respond to books with social justice themes.
- Students and
staff use language as a vehicle for engaging in inquiry based learning.
- Students
participate in collaborative conversations that deepen their learning.
- Student
choice is encouraged when choosing ways of learning and communicating.
- Students
have opportunities to publish their work digitally and through displays, and
presentations.
- Reading and
writing is encouraged in the home through the Childs School website, newsletters,
parent conferences, and reading logs.
- Different
languages are represented, discussed and celebrated, particularly the students’
mother tongues.
- Students use
language to reflect on their learning and self.
- Students and
staff are given opportunities to express opinions and feelings and are expected
to use language responsibly and respectfully.
- Technology
is used to reinforce and enrich learning and expression.
- Data from
formative and summative assessments, portfolios, and individual conferring
sessions is used to inform instruction.
Spanish Instruction:
- All students
in grades K-6 receive weekly instruction in Spanish. The goal of this program
is to learn Spanish to communicate needs and feelings in a variety of ways.
- Students are
given opportunities to access books in Spanish, make cultural connections and
become familiar with other cultures.
- Spanish
vocabulary is displayed throughout the building.
Mother Tongue Support:
- The Monroe
County School Corporation’s Office of English Language Learning facilitates the
integration of newly arriving students and families.
- Students are
evaluated using the WIDA assessment to determine the level of language
acquisition and the type of instructional support needed as well as possible
modifications and accommodations.
- Teachers
receive training in SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) which is
a framework for teaching academic content and language skills for English
Learners with all students’ language needs in mind.
- Realistic
expectations are set based on the student’s ILP (Individual Learning Plan)
The
linguistic and cultural background of the students is honored (labeling
commonly used items in the classroom with both languages, having books
available in the child’s home language, providing translations of communication
made to parents, school announcements in home languages).
- Multi-sensory
experiences (labs, demonstrations, graphic organizers, manipulatives, visuals,
body-movement and gestures) are used to access the student’s content knowledge.
- Teachers
continue to teach higher level thinking skills while using language that is
appropriate to the child’s level of acquisition.
- Classrooms are
equipped with multi-lingual dictionaries as well as strategies for negotiating
understanding (such as rephrasing ideas and checking for understanding)
- Songs,
chants, story retellings, role plays, and acting out of stories are used to
practice new vocabulary and language structures.
- Student
progress on the language access continuum is assessed through frequent
formative assessments.
Language and the Learner Profile:
Students and
staff use language to:
- express caring and empathy (caring)
- respect the differences and similarities in
languages, dialects and personal communication skills (open-minded)
- balance listening and speaking when
communicating with others (balanced)
- be willing to read, write and speak in a
variety of situations and creative ways (risk-taker)
- develop an awareness that language is
powerful and should be used responsibility and respectfully (principled)
- acquire knowledge and develop a curiosity
about the world (inquirer)
- express ideas, thoughts and feelings
(thinker)
- acquire vocabulary and understanding
(knowledgeable)
- become competent users of oral and written
language in a variety of situations and a variety of ways (communicators)
- reflect on language experiences and
development (reflective)