Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Spanish, not language specific

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education
Indigenous Language Immersion

Middle School/Junior High
High School

In secondary immersion programs, units and class activities must be organized to create spaces where students communicate their ideas with each other and the larger community. Student engagement demands a focus on youth voice that captivates student imagination and sense of creativity. Numerous examples and discussion time will be included.

Students in secondary immersion programs need frequent opportunities to produce meaningful language. Units and class activities should be organized to create spaces where students communicate their ideas with each other and the larger community. Student engagement demands a focus on youth voice that captivates their imagination and sense of creativity. Action research, public problem solving and service-learning are strategies that include youth voice which leads to greater student engagement and opportunities for language production.

As a long-time secondary Spanish Immersion teacher, I have found numerous opportunities for students to become actively engaged in the process of producing quality language. These opportunities are most obvious when there is a “real” audience. Oral history projects with Spanish speaking seniors, creating a poetry chap book, reading buddies with elementary aged students, publishing children’s stories for their reading buddies, creating a radio show (and a teach-in) about immigration and creating Public Service Announcements in the target language for the local Spanish speaking community are examples of work that is created for a “real” audience. The quality of students’ language production increases dramatically when there is an authentic audience.

Sometimes the real audience needed to increase student engagement is within the classroom itself. Participating in debates about issues the students choose, preparing for the Model United Nations, role plays, skits, discussing literature or current events in a Socratic Seminar, dissecting the meaning of a song, giving a speech about something they would like to change in the world around them, sharing a RAFT or holding a poetry slam are quality examples of appealing activities that engage learners and maximize their opportunities for language production.