Introduction

This Toolkit is a resource for teachers, parents, and administrators involved with two-way immersion (TWI) programs, particularly those at the elementary level. Two-way immersion is a form of dual language instruction that brings together students from two native language groups for language, literacy, and academic content instruction through two languages. While all forms of dual language instruction share the goals of promoting bilingualism and biliteracy development, grade-level academic achievement, and positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors in all students, only TWI programs have relatively equal numbers of native speakers of both languages of instruction. In the United States, these two groups are native English language speakers and native speakers of another language, usually Spanish. Because of the integrated nature of the programs and the fact that instruction is provided to all students through both languages, TWI programs allow students to be both language learners and language models for their peers. For a more in-depth discussion of the critical features of TWI programs, see Two-Way Immersion 101: Designing and Implementing a Two-Way Immersion Program at the Elementary Level (Howard & Christian, 2002).

The success of two-way immersion education (Lindholm-Leary, 2001; Thomas & Collier, 1997, 2002), coupled with the increasing awareness that the United States needs linguistically competent and cross-culturally savvy citizens (Peyton, Ranard, & McGinnis, 2001) has led to the growing popularity of the programs. Over the last 20 years, the number of TWI programs has increased dramatically, from only 30 documented programs in 1987 (Lindholm, 1987) to more than 300 programs in more than 25 states by 2005 according to the Directory of Two-Way Immersion Programs in the U.S.

However, as the need for teachers who are specialized in teaching in TWI programs has grown, only a handful of teacher preparation programs address the special conditions that TWI teachers face. Two-way immersion presents additional pedagogical and logistical challenges for teachers, as TWI teachers must help two groups of students with varying degrees of proficiency in the two languages of instruction achieve grade-level academic competence as well as language and literacy skills in both languages. Teachers must also help students develop cross-cultural skills, and the teachers themselves must be able to deal effectively and sensitively with culturally and linguistically diverse families. Furthermore, the logistical demands of TWI are often very challenging, as teachers frequently work in teams, with one member providing instruction in English and the other member providing instruction in the other language. This teaming approach requires a high level of coordination across teacher partners, and also places additional administrative demands on the teachers (e.g. report cards, parent conferences, etc.), as they are frequently responsible for a greater number of students in total than the typical elementary classroom teacher. The increased pedagogical and logistical demands on TWI teachers likewise present new challenges for administrators, who must not only work to support individual teachers in their roles and to elicit parental involvement from a frequently diverse group of parents, but also to provide leadership as to the necessary systems and supports at the program level that will enable the program to function cohesively.

This Toolkit is designed to meet the growing demand from teachers, administrators, and parents for guidance related to the effective implementation of TWI programs. Although the Toolkit is primarily intended to support teachers, administrators, and parents who are new to two-way immersion, those with experience in TWI may also find the Toolkit useful. The Toolkit is composed of three segments that address program design and planning, classroom instruction, and parental involvement, respectively. Because a lot of work has already been done in the area of program design, see the CAL website for links to useful resources for program implementation.

The classroom instruction segment is the largest of the three segments, as this is an area where less attention has been focused up to this point. This segment includes a Question & Answer (Q&A) document on teaching in TWI programs; model lesson plans that show how best practices are implemented in the TWI classroom; a study guide to facilitate the use of the Q&A document and model lessons for professional development; and additional resources on effective instructional practices in TWI programs.

The parental involvement segment is designed to be used by teachers and administrators in order to help promote stronger home-school connections, but of course parents are welcome to access the materials directly as well. Dual language parents were involved in the development of the materials in this section in an effort to make them parent-friendly, but teachers and administrators may choose to tailor the materials further to meet the specific needs of the parent population in their particular program. This segment includes an overview of two-way immersion, a Q&A document that addresses questions and concerns that parents frequently have, a home-school communication template designed to help classroom teachers facilitate strong home-school connections, and additional resources that include suggested readings on parent involvement in two-way immersion programs and links to resources that parents may find useful. All of the parent materials are available in Spanish as well as English, as Spanish is the predominant partner language in most TWI programs in the United States.

Within and across the three segments, there is repetition of key ideas. This repetition is intentional, as the Toolkit is designed so that each component is accessible and comprehensible independent of other components. That is, because this is a web-based product, we assume that many readers will choose to access only those components that are of greatest interest to them. As a result, we have made the decision to repeat information at times in order to ensure that each component is self-explanatory. In addition, throughout the Toolkit, certain terms that may not be familiar to all readers are highlighted, and an explanation of the term can be found by simply clicking on it. We hope that the materials included in this toolkit will be a useful resource to teachers, administrators, and parents, and that they will help to promote stronger program design and implementation, better instructional practices, and improved home-school connections in TWI programs across the country.

References

Howard, E. R., & Christian, D. (2002). Two-way immersion 101: Designing and implementing a two-way immersion education program at the elementary school level (Educational Practice Report 9). Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence.

Lindholm, K. J. (1987). Directory of bilingual immersion programs: Two-way bilingual education for language minority and majority students (Educational Report 8). Los Angeles: Center for Language Education and Research, UCLA.

Lindholm-Leary, K. J. (2001). Dual Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Peyton, J. K., Ranard, D. A., & McGinnis, S. (Eds.). (2001). Heritage languages in America: Preserving a national resource. Washington, DC, and McHenry, IL: Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems.

Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.

Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. (2002). A national study of school effectiveness for language minority students' long-term academic achievement: final report. Santa Cruz, CA and Washington, DC: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence.

This Toolkit represents the collective efforts of a large group of people who share a special interest in two-way immersion education and who contributed their time, energy, and creativity to the project.

For their contributions to the six lesson plans, we would like to thank

For their contributions to the development of the two Q&A documents, we would like to thank

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Donald A. Ranard, a consulting editor to the Center for Applied Linguistics, for his assistance in editing the materials in the Toolkit. We would also like to thank the six internal and external reviewers for their feedback on an earlier version of this document.

Books

The following four books contain descriptions of successful research-based instructional practices in dual language classrooms.

Calderón, M. E., & Minaya-Rowe, L. (2003). Designing and implementing two-way bilingual programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Part II of this book provides very detailed examples of successful instructional techniques for two-way classrooms, including the various components of sheltered instruction. It describes techniques, resources, and activities for vocabulary building along with various types of reading activities that students can do independently or with others. Part II also includes tips on differentiating instruction for students at different stages of language acquisition and offers descriptions of cooperative learning activities. “Structuring Components for Integrating Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing” in chapter 6 describes the process of literacy development in two languages that is facilitated by drawing on students’ background knowledge; building their vocabulary; and engaging in listening comprehension activities, different types of shared interactive reading, and independent reading. The section on writing instruction emphasizes the process writing approach, connecting students’ writing to larger contexts, and including interactive discussions about writing in the classroom.

Cloud, N., Genesee, F., & Hamayan, E. (2000). Dual language instruction: A handbook for enriched education. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
This book approaches instruction through the domains of oral language development, literacy development, and content teaching. In regard to oral language development, the authors discuss individual student and classroom characteristics that contribute to second language learning; expectations for first and second language development; the development of lessons that include appropriate objectives, materials, and activities; and language use in the classroom. Topics on literacy development include choosing teaching materials, building on oral language skills and cross-language transfer, making instruction appropriate for students at different developmental stages or at different stages of literacy acquisition, and working with special student populations. For content teaching, the authors outline how to set content, language, and general learning objectives and how to select materials and plan for evaluation. Table 6.5 includes activities for the three phases of instruction (preview, focused learning, and extension); Table 6.6  lists the task demands appropriate to each stage of proficiency. The book also includes a template for a unit and lesson plan (Table 6.10) and two model lessons.

Freeman, Y. S., Freeman, D. E., & Mercuri, S. P. (2005). Dual language essentials for teachers and administrators. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
The curriculum essentials discussed in this book involve integrating language and content, using thematic instruction, and connecting curriculum to students’ lives as well as to content and language standards. The authors recommend establishing predictable routines, separating languages for instruction without translating, and scaffolding instruction. Figure 4-7 illustrates the opportunities and constraints of grouping students heterogeneously or homogenously by native language for instruction. The authors also discuss the interrelation of speaking, reading, and writing; the importance of teacher expectations; and cross-language transfer.

Soltero, S. (2004). Dual language: Teaching and learning in two languages. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Chapter 5 covers the following teaching components: home-school connections, cooperative learning activities, a thematic approach using children’s literature across languages and content areas, integrating language and content, sheltered instruction, and authentic assessment. Chapter 6 offers specific explanations and vignettes of instructional practices for cooperative grouping (numbered heads together, jigsaw, literature circle, partner reading, think-pair-share, cross-age buddies), teaching strategies (activating prior knowledge, the Language Experience Approach, using pattern language or predictable books, preview-review, and Total Physical Response), and graphic organizers.

Program Profiles

The following selections demonstrate instructional strategies in particular two-way programs.

Calderón, M., & Slavin, R. (2001). Success for All in a two-way immersion school. In D. Christian & F. Genesee (Eds.), Bilingual education (pp. 27-40). Alexandria, VA: TESOL.
In this profile of a two-way program in Texas that uses the English and Spanish Success for All program, the authors outline components of the Early Learning (Grades pre-K–K), Reading Roots (Grade 1), and Reading Wings (Grades 2-5) programs. This reading program involves 90 minutes a day of instruction on literacy concepts, fluency, and oral and written comprehension, conducted alternately in English and Spanish.

Peregoy, S. F., & Boyle, O. F. (1999). Multiple embedded scaffolds: Support for English speakers in a two-way Spanish immersion kindergarten. Bilingual Research Journal, 23(2-3), 135-146.
Teachers in two bilingual Spanish-immersion kindergarten classrooms used multiple environmental scaffolds in order to ensure listening comprehension and build vocabulary, particularly for the students learning Spanish as a second language. The scaffolds included routines (phrases, songs, poems, and activities through which students could hear new vocabulary in a variety of contexts repeatedly), sheltered instruction strategies, the use of realia, and modeling of verbal responses by native-Spanish-speaking students.

Pérez, B. (2004). Becoming biliterate: A study of two-way bilingual immersion education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Based on a study of two-way immersion schools in San Antonio, Texas, this book describes a range of oral language strategies used by students to communicate in both English and Spanish. It outlines the components of the balanced literacy model used in the Spanish curriculum as well as aspects of literacy transfer. The author complements the observations of instructional strategies with examples of students’ oral and written products and discussions of the teachers’ perspectives on their literacy practices.

Rubinstein-Avila, E. (2003). Negotiating power and redefining literacy expertise: Buddy reading in a dual-immersion programme. Journal of Research in Reading, 26(1), 83-97.
This case study of paired reading in a two-way Portuguese-English second grade class shows the variety of strategies that the students in the focal dyad used to make sense of the text. The study demonstrates the benefits of interactive reading in the dual language context.

Videos

Silver, J. (1996). Profile of Effective Two-Way Immersion Teaching: Sixth Grade. Washington, DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning.
Part of the "Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students," this video features bilingual teacher M. Dorrego explaining her pedagogical style and beliefs as classroom scenes illustrate how she crafts meaningful learning around instructional strategies aimed at helping sixth graders in a two-way bilingual immersion class reach higher levels of linguistic and academic sophistication. (VS5) (28 minutes)

Silver, J. (1996). Learning Together: Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs. Washington, DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning.
Part of the series "Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students," this video presents for parents, educators, and administrators, a clear and concise overview of the rationale for two-way bilingual immersion, common features of two-way programs, and discussion of criteria for successful implementation. Classroom scenes from two schools illustrate the discussion. (VS6) (26 minutes)

Digests and Briefs on Instruction for Second Language Learners

These briefs concern instruction in non-TWI learning contexts but are applicable to any classroom with second language learners.

Contextual Factors in Second Language Acquisition (2000) by Aída Walqui

Developing Language Proficiency and Connecting School to Students' Lives: Two Standards for Effective Teaching (1998) by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence

Dialogue Journals: Interactive Writing to Develop Language and Literacy (1993) by Joy Kreeft Peyton

Educating Hispanic Students: Effective Instructional Practices (2002) by Yolanda N. Padrón, Hersh C. Waxman, & Héctor H. Rivera

English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies (2001) by Alba Ortiz

Integrating Language and Content: Lessons from Immersion (1995) by the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning

In Their Own Words: Two-Way Immersion Teachers Talk About Their Professional Experiences (1998) by Elizabeth R. Howard & Michael I. Loeb

Promoting Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement Through Cooperation (1999) by Margarita Espino Calderón

Reading with a Purpose: Communicative Reading Tasks for the Foreign Language Classroom (1998) by Elizabeth K. Knutson

Selecting Materials to Teach Spanish to Spanish Speakers (2002) by Paula Winke & Cathy Stafford

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol: A Tool for Teacher-Researcher Collaboration and Professional Development (1999) by Deborah J. Short & Jana Echevarria

Spanish for Spanish Speakers: Developing Dual Language Proficiency (2001) by Joy Kreeft Peyton, Vickie W. Lewelling, & Paula Winke

Strategy Training for Second Language Learners (2003) by Andrew Cohen

Thematic, Communicative Language Teaching in the K-8 Classroom (2000) by Mari Haas

Think Aloud Protocols: Teaching Reading Processes to Young Bilingual Students (2003) by Magaly Lavadenz

Other Online Resources

Trends in two-way immersion education: A review of the research (by Howard, Sugarman & Christian, 2003)

Comprehensive bibliography of two-way immersion literature

The IRC E-Kit: An electronic toolkit of resources for ESL and bilingual K-12 classrooms, teachers and administrators.

Dual U: An eight module curriculum designed to assist elementary and secondary teachers and administrators in developing, implementing, and assessing dual language programs.

Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (See especially the sections on Curriculum and Instruction).

Introduction

Instructional planning in two-way immersion classrooms presents some special challenges, particularly for the new teacher. In addition to the variation in students’ academic abilities, learning styles, and knowledge that all teachers encounter,  TWI teachers also must be sensitive to linguistic variation. Students in TWI programs may have widely varying language proficiency levels in both their first and second languages, and teachers must balance the need to push native speakers to high levels of language and literacy development with the need to keep the linguistic load manageable for second language learners. Moreover, teachers in these settings are working to promote high levels of language and literacy ability in two languages.

Effective instruction in two-way immersion settings is complex and is achieved through a constellation of strategies. To address both content and language objectives, the successful TWI teacher activates learners’ prior knowledge; engages students in culturally relevant activities; employs hands-on learning; uses authentic, performance-based assessments; and supports comprehension through a variety of techniques, such as scaffolding, comprehensible input, wait time, and language frames (Calderón & Minaya-Rowe, 2003; Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000;Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004; Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2005; Soltero, 2004). All of these strategies are necessary for achieving the high-level academic goals set by state and district standards that all program types are accountable for, regardless of the language of instruction. The specific choices teachers make in content standards and themes will, of course, vary from program to program, reflecting local standards, curricula, and student knowledge.

Because TWI programs must help students meet both academic and linguistic goals, lessons for TWI classes—as exemplified by the lessons in this Toolkit—include both content and language objectives. For the English side of the program, basing lesson objectives on English language arts standards is fairly straightforward, as most states and districts have adopted English language arts standards for native speakers, and adaptations for English language learners can be found in state standards or in the TESOL standards. For the non-English side of the program, whether Spanish or another language, the situation is less straightforward. Because standards are, for the most part, not available for the partner language (although New York, for example, does have native language arts standards for language other than English, programs tend to useACTFL’s foreign language standards. These standards may have limited applicability to English language learners studying their own language (e.g., native Spanish-speaking students studying Spanish) and to students in immersion programs in general. An added challenge for the TWI teacher is that language objectives must also be appropriate to the program model. What is appropriate for a 90/10 model will not always be appropriate for a 50/50 model, particularly in the primary grades when the ratios of instruction in the two program languages are very different in the two models.

There are several published frameworks for lesson planning for linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. The template used in this Toolkit draws heavily from two of them—the SIOP model (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004) and the Give Me Five Framework (Gordon, 2005).  Further modifications have been made based on discussions of lesson planning in the literature (Calderón & Minaya-Rowe, 2003; Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000), and feedback from Marleny Perdomo, a teacher at the Arlington (VA) Public Schools and Ester de Jong, a researcher at the University of Florida. The template is not intended to replace lesson planning frameworks that teachers may already be using. Rather, it is used here to highlight key features of lesson planning and delivery that need special attention in TWI settings.

The teachers who contributed their unit and lesson plans are all experienced in dual language instruction and have successfully taught these lessons in dual language settings. Together the lessons demonstrate effective dual language instruction at different grade levels, in different languages, and in different contexts. There are no lessons from a 90/10 program because to the extent possible, the lessons were solicited from programs within the area serviced by the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Lab at Brown University, and the majority of 90/10 programs are on the West Coast. The lessons are meant to be illustrative and are not meant to be applied without adaptation to other classrooms. Rather, they are meant to be analyzed and discussed (perhaps in a teacher study group with the aide of the Study Guide), with particular attention to how the lesson might be modified for a particular classroom. It is also important to keep in mind that these lessons  represent a snapshot of learning. Content and language concepts taught in these lessons are revisited and reinforced throughout the year by the teachers who developed them.

Each of the plans includes background information about the school in which it was taught, a unit plan that provides a context for the lesson, and a lesson plan that covers a single lesson within the unit. Each plan is followed by a “Teaching the Lesson” section that provides more detail on how the lesson has been delivered in a TWI classroom. The section elaborates on the materials used, the scaffolding and prior knowledge activation that is required, lesson adaptations for special populations within the class, elicitation of higher order thinking, student grouping, and ways to connect the lesson to the larger context of the school and the student’s life. The section is meant to provide the thinking behind each lesson, both to enhance the reader’s understanding of the unit and lesson plan, and to highlight ties to best practices and the theoretical underpinnings informing these practices.

The six lessons vary with regard to the language of instruction, grade level, and content area. They also highlight different strategies and components of dual language instruction. We suggest that teachers read through all of the model lessons for components that they may find useful in their teaching, as many of the techniques and suggestions can be applied across languages, grade levels, and content areas.

The first two lessons provide examples of math instruction. The first lesson is a first grade math lesson on telling time, taught in Japanese. It provides a good example of a lesson in a partner language other than Spanish, as well as an example of pair work, hands-on learning, and integrated language and content instruction. The second lesson is a third grade math lesson on Tangrams, taught in English. This lesson is an excellent example of thematic instruction, as it makes connection between math, art, and social studies. It also incorporates pair work, hands-on learning, and language/content integration.

The third and fourth lessons provide examples of content area instruction in ‘specials’ (e.g. physical education, art, music, and library). The third lesson is a third grade performing arts lesson on dance maps, taught in Spanish. This lesson also provides an excellent example of thematic instruction (dance and social studies), as well as an example of the use of Total Physical Response (TPR). The fourth lesson is a second grade lesson, this time focusing on library skills. The unit is taught through both English and Spanish, but the focal lesson included here is taught in English. This lesson provides a nice example of a cooperative activity that helps to foster connections across languages through an emphasis on cognates. Samples of student work are also included with this lesson.

The last two lessons focus on language arts instruction. The fifth lesson is a fourth-grade lesson taught in English, although the larger unit from which it is drawn is taught through both English and Spanish. This lesson demonstrates an effective use of Readers’ Theater to promote comprehension of text, and also shows how to foster cross-cultural awareness, one of the three primary goals of TWI instruction. The sixth and final lesson is a fifth grade language arts lesson taught in Spanish with references to a parallel (but not identical) lesson on proverbs taught in English. This lesson is a wonderful example of how to foster connections and transfer knowledge across languages. It is also a good example of how to use cooperative groups. This lesson is accompanied by supplementary instructional materials and video segments that show this lesson being taught by one of the co-authors, Marleny Perdomo, in a classroom at Key Elementary, a 50/50 program in Arlington, VA. Examples of student work are also included with this lesson.

References

Calderón, M. E. & Minaya-Rowe, L. (2003). Designing and implementing two-way bilingual programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Cloud, N., Genesee, F., & Hamayan, E. (2000). Dual language instruction:  A handbook for enriched education. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehensible for English language learners: The SIOP Model (2^nd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Freeman, Y. S., Freeman, D. E., & Mercuri, S. P. (2005). Dual Language Essentials for Teachers and Administrators. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gordon, J. (2005). Give Me Five: Instructional Planning for Diverse Learners. Des Plaines, IL: Illinois Resource Center

Soltero, S. W. (2004). Dual Language: Teaching and Learning in Two Languages. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.