Parents and educators understand the many benefits received by learning multiple languages. By beginning early, the K-5 students of Quest Academy will be prepared for the middle school curriculum, and later for the curriculum of high school.
Some parents have asked why their student is not fluent. This is a marvelous question that I would love to address so that you can reinforce language in your home as well!
Most classes have Spanish class 2x/week for 45 minutes. Once they leave my room they are back into an all English speaking environment. Most students have said they speak English at home so that limits all Spanish exposure to an hour and a half/week. The students here at Quest Academy make tremendous strides in language acquisition, but if it is not reinforced at home the target language time is limited therefore making it hard to become fluent.
I love that so many parents have reached out asking what they can do to reinforce the Spanish language and culture throughout their home. I have compiled a list below that I believe will help tremendously!
Here are some things you should do to bring Spanish into your home:
-Find a tandem partner to have free, regular conversation practice in an informal setting. As a bonus, they’ll probably come away with a new friend!
-Change the language of all electronic devices and social media sites to Spanish and you’ll both pick up new technology-related vocabulary without realizing.
-Make the most of free resources like newspapers and library publications, which are perfect for reading and translation practice.
-Watch Discovery Kids Latino, Disney Latino chances are any show your student likes has a Spanish version!