There have been several calls around the United States to have additional foreign language courses added in the lower grades and it seems that the dual language immersion programs are now gaining ground.
In the latest news three schools in Glendale, California were awarded by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea a grant worth $18,000 to support the schools’ dual language programs that seem to be the focus of current diplomatic missions.
Glendale schools
The South Korean consulate had awarded Toll Middle School (TMS) the amount of $5,000. In TMS the students of the middle school study Korean language arts as well as Korean history that is conducted in Hangeul.
Last month, the Consulate also gave $6,500 each to Monte Vista and Mark Keppel elementary schools. The grant was to support the dual language programs in Korean that the schools offer to elementary students, who spend half of the day learning and speaking the Korean language.
Concerted effort
District records showed that Toll Middle School received a grant of $25,000 from the Korean consulate in January, to fund the school’s Korean language immersion program that started in school year 2013-2014. The grant provided the teachers with funds to write a new curriculum for the middle school students that will come from Keppel who had already started studying Korean when they were in the elementary grades.
According to Toll Middle School principal Matt Dalton, the grant also funded the various cultural activities such as Korean folk dancers performing for their students, Korean food tasting and field trips as well as to buy Korean textbooks. The principal added that the Korean consulate was keen on incorporating the Korean cultural activities to the language immersion programs. The school used part of the funds to purchase Chromebooks and for teacher training. The school valued the donations highly, as a big part of the instructional materials were directly bought from South Korea. Their aim and purpose were reciprocal because each group wanted the other to succeed.
Other schools, other grants
The dual language immersion programs around Glendale have benefited other schools as well, as they too were supported by other consulates. The consulates were more than happy to send representatives to conduct classroom visits and join the schools’ annual performances during the holidays to listen to students singing songs in other languages.
Franklin Magnet received a donation of $6,100 last December from the German Consulate General to support their dual language program. At Franklin Magnet, about 90 percent of the day was spent by the students in learning German. In September, the school also received donations from the Italian Consulate and the Fondazione Italia for a combined total of $18,000. The latter is a nonprofit that promotes the teaching of the Italian language throughout Southern California.
R.D. White and Jefferson elementary schools on the other hand received a grant from the Ministry Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia in February. The grant was sent via the Armenian Consulate General. The schools received instructional materials, dictionaries, DVDs and CDs to support the Armenian dual language programs conducted in these two schools.
Image credit – Glendale Unified School District Facebook Page
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