How can I support my child if I don't speak Spanish?
As a parent, you should maintain an active role in your child's education. It is important for parents to read with their children in English on a daily basis. They should engage them in activities where they can practice what they are learning in class. For example, counting objects or finding shapes reinforce math lessons in school. Do not worry if you do not speak Spanish.
You can also support your child by volunteering at PSI. We welcome parent volunteers to help with classroom projects, field trips, in the media center, and especially in the lunchroom. Students love to see their parents helping out at school.
You can also support your child by volunteering at PSI. We welcome parent volunteers to help with classroom projects, field trips, in the media center, and especially in the lunchroom. Students love to see their parents helping out at school.
How will my child understand what the teacher is saying?
Immersion teachers are skilled at pantomime, theatrics, drawing, and explaining themselves with gestures. Your child's kindergarten classroom will be a vibrant, active space, where he or she will be engaged in language acquisition through songs, movement, games, and countless fun activities. Instruction is carefully designed so students can understand what is being presented. Young children learn language quickly, and before long your child will be sharing Spanish songs and phrases with you.
My child claims she understands what the teacher is saying, but she can't explain it to me. Does she really know what's going on?
Yes. Remember, receptive and active language (understanding versus being able to translate) are two very different skills. Think of your child when she was a year-and-a-half-old. You could tell her to go to her room and get a red stuffed animal and bring it back to you, and she could do everything you asked, even though she couldn’t say more than a few words. The beginning of immersion is like that. They understand what they’re being told to do (watch it in action in the classroom) but they can’t translate it into English. (http://miparentscouncil.org/faq/)