The Development of Bilingualism and Bilteracy in Two-Way Immersion Students.

Abstract

The report discusses the firstand second-language development, oral and written, of native English-speakers and native Spanish-speakers in the two-way immersion (TWI) program at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia). Data were drawn from classroom observation from 1994-96, student performance measures, and student work samples. Three Spanish-speaking and three English-speaking students were chosen at each grade level for more focused observation regarding language use and participation patterns. Results show that, in general, students were observed using the language of instruction while talking to the-teacher and engaged in academic activities. In the lower grades, native English-speakers were sometimes observed addressing the teacher in English during Spanish time. Use of Spanish during English time was rare. Oral English proficiency developed fully in all students. While all students achieved communicative competency by grade 5, a gap in Spanish fluency remained between native Spanish-speakers and native English-speakers. In general, all writing samples were of high quality, with the English comparable for both native-language groups. In Spanish the essays of native-speakers tended to be more sophisticated. Two samples by the same student are analyzed briefly. Implications of the findings for program development are discussed. Contains 22 references. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY r 1.-zrkao, 14X0G,rd TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. The development of bilingualism and biliteracy in Two-Way Immersion students Elizabeth R. Howard Donna Christian Center for Applied Linguistics Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence Paper presented at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Introduction Two-Way Immersion (TWI) is an educational model that integrates language minority and language majority students for all or most of the day, with the goal of promoting high academic achievement, first and second language development, and crosscultural understanding for all students. In TWI programs, language learning takes place primarily through content instruction. Academic subjects are taught to all students through both English and the target language, usually Spanish. As students and teachers work together to perform academic tasks, the students' language abilities are developed along with their knowledge of the content area subject matter. While there is a great deal of variety with regard to the specific features of TWI programs, there are also some important core similarities. First, the student populations are balanced, with approximately 50% native English speakers and 50% native speakers of the target language. Second, academic instruction takes place through both languages, with the target language being used at least 50% of the time. In this way, all students have the opportunity to be both first language models and second language learners. Furthermore, TWI creates an additive bilingual environment for all students, since the first language is maintained while the second language is acquired. Given that first and second language development is one of the core goals of TWI programs, this paper will discuss the first and second language development of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers at the Key Elementary TWI program in Arlington,

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