Orchard Place dual-language program gives kids strong foundation

Raise your hands if you know the difference between dual- language educational programs and bi-lingual programs. Don’t feel badly if you’re squirming in your seats. The average adult doesn’t know, but kindergarten students at Orchard Place School in Des Plaines would get an “A.”

That’s because they’ve been eager participants in a dual- language program, guided by nationally recognized dual-language expert Linda Block of Buffalo Grove for the past school year. Orchard Place is a magnet school, drawing kids from throughout District 62. Their parents want them to get the jump on getting along in the 21st Century by adding to their language ability, rather than subtracting from it, as bi-lingual programs do, by emphasizing one language over another, Block said. Block is always eager to explain the differences and the benefits of dual language.

“Dual language is the program of choice,” she said. “It teaches both the native language and English to the non-English speaker, regardless whether that native language is French, Spanish, Navajo, Korean, any of several Vietnamese dialects or others.

Block, the dual-language kindergarten teacher, is proficient in English and Spanish. She teachers both the Spanish and English, regardless of the child’s ethnic background.

She can usually be found sitting on the floor or bent over the small tables, totally immersed in conversation with her students. Sometimes, she lets loose with her trained coloratura soprano to give them a private concert in both languages.

And, “her” 21 multi-ethnic-Hispanic, African-American, Greek, Philippine, Jordanian, and Caucasian kids love it. They are taking their first steps toward proficiency in two languages and having fun at the same time.

Block points out that the goal is to make them “literate in both languages” – meaning listening, speaking, reading and writing, by sixth grade. She said, “In order to become literate in English, they must be truly literate in their native language.”

To carry out her mission, she has decorated her room with pictures, posters and art work by the kids, described in both languages. She also uses every opportunity to make the kids aware of their goal.

“Even when I teach social studies, science, or math, I am multi- tasking – teaching English and Spanish along with addition and subtraction; or teaching about their world; or helping them learn how plants grow. That’s one of the key elements,” she said.

As the international chair of the Multilingual Classroom Committee of the International Reading Association, she was a speaker at the organization’s recent symposium in San Francisco. She told the 5,000 people in her audience, “Experienced teachers, certified in both languages, must be able to integrate all elements of subject-matter into their lesson-plans. The payoff will be kids who will score better in all areas of testing, because of stimulation to all areas of their brains.”

Knowing about that payoff has prompted some parents to make the commitment to get their young children to the school, even though their neighborhood schools are closer. They say the decision has been a good one.

Tamara Thompson Del Valle and Cindy Guenther’s kids happily talk in Spanish as comfortably as they do in English. Their parents looked for very specific qualities in the program before enrolling their children.

Among the most important, they agree, is that classroom teachers are certified at both the state and federal level to teach in both languages and have developed a wide range of strategies and practices. Del Valle is delighted with Block’s role in the program.

“Her enthusiasm and knowledge are way beyond less-experienced teachers,” she said. “And she really knows how to best-utilize her team to benefit the program.”

They don’t want to see teachers just “talking at” their students, and they want to know that they have the full support of the school administration. On that score, Block cites the district superintendent, Dr. Robert Willis and former principal Joy Kadlacek.

“Under her guidance, the program at Orchard Place came to fruition,” said Block. “And Sharon Phillips, the multicultural coordinator, who is now retired, also played a big role in getting it off the ground.”

As the kids look forward to their summer vacation, they will most likely engage in conversation, read books and enjoy their growing proficiency in two languages. They will pick up where they left off when they return to school as first-graders.

As Block, who has taught many grade levels, thinks about her year in kindergarten, she said, “This has been the most gratifying teaching and learning experience I’ve had in the 30 years of my career.”



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