The Language Academy Program Model
In linguistic terms, the Language Academy program can be classified as a Content Enriched FLES program for first through fourth grades. From 15%-50% of time is spent by the student learning a second language along with receiving instruction in subject matter.
The Language Academy School contains a disproportionate high number of Hispanic and African-American students. Owing to the nature of the high number of low proficiency language learners, Hispanic students have in the recent past been almost completely isolated from their “other” monolingual classmates. Therefore, an equally important purpose of the Language Academy is to change this situation by reducing alienation and bringing about unity between bilingual (Spanish speakers) and monolingual (English speakers) classroom students. The meeting ground for exchanges between students from these two linguistically and culturally dissimilar groups is during second language instruction sessions that are taught concurrently with that of Social Studies, in a cooperative, two way bilingual setting. Ideally, children that advance through at least three grade levels (K-2) at the Language Academy will acquire second language proficiency in listening, speaking, that will make them ideal candidates to master the subject content that will be presented to them from lessons such as those from the Aztec unit.
