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The Curriculum at Twin Cities German Immersion School
Instruction in the primary grades is oriented toward the emotional, intellectual and social developmental level of the children. Our curriculum starts with the daily experiences of the students and expands from that point. Presentation, practice and review of curricular material occur in a manner which is graphic, true to life, and hands-on, as these are the essential components of developmentally appropriate instruction. In addition, children are guided through the process of cooperative interaction with one another and encouraged to respect the diversity which exists among their peers.
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Learning Standards • Integrated Thematic Units • Assessment
Understanding and Mastery • Articulation Between Grades
Differentiated Instruction • Accelerated Learning/Gifted Opportunities
Special Education Services
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Learning Standards
Our curriculum is standards based. The learning standards in all subject areas for both the state of Minnesota and the German state of Baden-Württemberg are clearly identified, integrated into our curriculum, and implemented in a coherent fashion. As the children progress through each academic year, the standards continue to be clearly defined, and specifically and systematically embedded into the curriculum.
Twin Cities German Immersion School uses state, national and international standards for Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and World Languages as guidelines in order to maintain the highest level of expectation possible. Standards for World Languages extend beyond the study of language to encompass world cultures and also encourage students to use their cultural and linguistic knowledge by becoming personally involved in international communities both here and abroad. (back to top)
Integrated Thematic Units
All subject areas at Twin Cities German Immersion School are integrated into cross-curricular themes to further reinforce basic concepts, and a multi-sensory approach is used to accommodate all learning styles. Learning- and practice skills are introduced in progressive stages, from basic to advanced. Project-based experiences and hands-on learning activities play a major role, as children learn best through doing. (back to top)
Assessment
Academic progress will be constantly monitored, on a daily basis at the classroom level and at the end of every unit for each grade level. Remedial or enriched instruction will be provided during small group time within the school day. Twin Cities German Immersion School will participate in all required state and national testing, but will always maintain a more immediate and individualized assessment plan for each child. (back to top)
Understanding and Mastery
Twin Cities German Immersion School has a dual focus academically: understanding of basic concepts as well as mastery of a specified body of knowledge, which will enable children to apply what they have learned in real-life situations. We also focus on emotional intelligence, to ensure the development of a respectful, caring community in which all children feel valued and making mistakes is an accepted part of the learning process.
Our curriculum plans for continuous student progress based on the belief that the benefits of immersion education are cumulative and require long term commitment. Due to this developmental nature, the full benefits of immersion education only become wholly evident over the long term. It will be our fifth and sixth graders who will demonstrate a high level of competence in both English and German. (back to top)
Articulation Between Grades
Every year, from kindergarten through the eighth grade, students at the Twin Cities German Immersion School receive inclusive and sequential instruction in seven main areas: German Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Health/Physical Education, Visual Arts, and Music. >From third grade on, English Language Arts will also be an equal component of the curriculum. During their tenure at Twin Cities German Immersion School, students are exposed to and master the essential elements of each of these areas. This subject matter is laid out in a logical, orderly sequence from one year to the next, as previous concepts are reintroduced and reinforced to explain newer, more sophisticated concepts. Students progress sequentially through all areas so that upon graduating, they have an age-appropriate mastery of the critical concepts and subject matter they need to be successful in high schools in both the US and in German-speaking countries. (back to top)
Differentiated Instruction
Because the language in which the students are receiving instruction is new and foreign to most of them, effective immersion instruction is purposefully student centered. Immersion teachers do not take for granted that all students share the same base of knowledge. Students are different from one another due to such diverse factors as social, cultural and nutritional backgrounds, innate linguistic and psychomotor abilities, and individual interests and personalities. All of these influence individual learning styles and aptitudes at school, and attentiveness to such differences positively affects student success. Therefore, the curriculum of Twin Cities German Immersion School integrates knowledge to be acquired with opportunities for experiences to be shared, thus deliberately providing all students with a base of knowledge that will lead them to the next level of content and language acquisition. All classrooms will be structured with a variety of differentiated learning centers and a variety of methods will also be used in each subject area to provide opportunities for students of all learning styles to excel and succeed. Related projects based on individual interests will encourage and develop independent student learning. Our teaching methods also incorporate Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences by using a multi-sensory approach, which sharpens global awareness while exposing children to other cultures and thoughts. Thus, our program benefits students' overall learning, including their cognitive and personal development. (back to top)
Accelerated Learning/Gifted Opportunities
Each unit of the teacher handbook of the textbook series implemented at Twin Cities German Immersion School contains a section with suggestions for further expansion of the learning activities for those students who have already achieved the academic levels presented in the unit. Teachers also have at their disposal a wealth of supplementary activities, including worksheets, cognitively challenging word- and number puzzles, interactive games which require higher levels of thought, and project ideas to encourage gifted or accelerated learners to explore their interests and push their achievement to a more challenging level. For students who are more fluent speakers of German, the differentiated instruction approach also allows them to progress to levels which are more cognitively and/or linguistically challenging, so that all children are continuously expanding their learning horizons. (back to top)
Special Education Services
Twin Cities German Immersion School is aware that there are children in the community who have special educational needs. We believe that many of these children will thrive in an immersion environment if they and their families are given appropriate academic support. Academically challenged students shall be provided an opportunity to succeed at Twin Cities German Immersion School in the following ways: identification in a timely manner, remediation efforts in the classroom, formal assessment, and services by licensed professionals. We are committed to offering a complete immersion educational experience to all children enrolled in our program, including those children with special needs. (back to top)
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