Dual Language

Dual Language Model Description

At the Sarah Greenwood School, we educate students in two languages - whether an entering kindergartner speaks mostly Spanish at home, mostly English, a mix of the two, or whether that kindergartner can read in one language, two languages, or none - we aim to create bilingual, bi-literate, and multicultural students. To do this, we start with Spanish. In this country, English is the dominant language, and if we want students to learn Spanish, it must be prioritized early on. 

Our kindergartners (K1 and K2) learn pre-literacy and beginning literacy in Spanish, and they get 30 minutes of English language instruction per day. In first grade, English is bumped up to 60 minutes of foundational skills per day, and literacy instruction is still in Spanish.

By 2nd grade, all our students are learning all classes in English and Spanish, 50/50. They read, write, listen, speak, do math problems, and do science explorations in both languages. We know that some students will need extra support, so we have specific extra interventions for students who need it. We continue to reassess our interventions and support students based on their needs.

In 2nd - 8th Grades, we teach 50/50 with one teacher who instructs in English and one who instructs in Spanish. A child may enter speaking or understanding one language (and reading and writing in none), but we will graduate students who can speak, understand, read, and write at grade level in both languages.