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Q: What is a foreign language immersion program and how does it work?
A: In full immersion programs, the regular school curriculum is taught in the immersion language and teachers use no English at all in the early grades. Children at Twin Cities German Immersion School will be learning in German. In Grade 3, teachers introduce English language arts and reading for one period per day and gradually move toward an even distribution of English and the immersion language by Grade 5 or 6. The goal of immersion schools is to provide educational experiences, beginning in kindergarten and ideally sustained through Grade 12, that support academic and linguistic development in two languages and that develop students’ appreciation of their own and other cultures.
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Q: I’ve never heard of any immersion schools before. Is this a new fad?
A: Immersion is a well established method of education and has been well researched for over forty years. Immersion schools have been a strong part of Canadian education since the 1960’s and are still very popular options in all across the country. Milwaukee German Immersion School opened in Milwaukee in 1977, Adams Spanish Immersion opened in Saint Paul in 1986. In addition, there are immersion schools in Robbinsdale, Edina, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, Forest Lake, Woodbury, Northfield and Worthington. Nation wide, there are over 540 immersion schools.
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Q: Why should I consider enrolling my child in an immersion program?
A: Because immersion education is the best all around elementary option available for your child. Minnesota parents in Edina, Robbinsdale, St. Louis Park, Forest Lake, Minneapolis and St. Paul know this, and the immersion options in those districts consistently have long waiting lists. Twin Cities German Immersion School is a public school that can accept cross district enrollment because we believe that immersion education should be widely available to all students.
Nationwide, immersion programs are the fastest growing and most effective type of foreign language program currently available in U.S. schools. Most immersion students can be expected to reach higher levels of second language proficiency than students in other school-based language programs.
Becoming bilingual opens the door to communication with more people in more places, and many parents want to provide their children with skills to interact competently in an increasingly interdependent world community.
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Q: Are there other benefits?
A: In addition to reaping the social and economic advantages of bilingualism, immersion learners benefit cognitively, exhibiting greater nonverbal problem-solving abilities and more flexible thinking. It has been suggested that the very processes learners need to use to make sense of the teacher’s meaning make them pay closer attention and think harder. These processes, in turn, appear to have a positive effect on cognitive development.
From the standpoint of academic achievement, over three decades of studies consistently show that immersion students achieve as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized measures of verbal and mathematics skills administered in English. Minnesota students at local elementary immersion programs produce standardized test scores that are consistently among the highest in the state. German immersion programs across the country also show extraordinary academic gains for their students.
Even if there were no benefit to learning a foreign language, immersion schools should be a first choice purely for the challenging and engaging academic curriculum that motivates children to excel.
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Q: But my child doesn’t speak a foreign language well enough!
A: There is no requirement that your kindergartner or 1st grader know German before starting at TCGIS. In fact, this program was designed for them. In order to make academic lessons comprehensible to learners and to support their second language learning, immersion teachers-who are highly proficient in English and the immersion language-use a vast repertoire of instructional strategies as they cover the school’s curriculum.
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Q: Will my child be the only child who does not know some German?
A: Not at all. Most of the children at Twin Cities German Immersion School are not German speakers at home and do not start school knowing any German. If you are interested in giving your child a head start, there are two German immersion preschool sites and Saturday classes run by the Germanic-American Institute.
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Q: How will learning everything in a second language affect my child’s English language and literacy development? What about math and science?
A: Research consistently finds that the immersion experience actually enhances English language development over time. Immersion students who complete a full program perform better than non-immersion students on almost every academic measure available. They are well read, knowledgeable, interested in world affairs, competent, and have strong academic skills in math, science, social studies and literature. Immersion education is enriching in every area of academic study and will give your child the advantage of becoming bilingual as well.
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Q: Won’t it be difficult to help my child with homework if I don’t know the language?
A: You will be supported in your role as parent of an immersion student. Immersion programs structure homework so that the children know what they are expected to do, how to do it, and what to do if they do get stuck. Parents are also given very clear directions regarding homework. The most important way that you can help your child at home will be to read to your child in English.
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Q: Is it possible to visit the school?
A: Twin Cities German Immersion School is a welcoming community. Prospective parents, community members and neighbors are welcome, and we will make every effort to accommodate your interest in our program. We also value the safety of the children and adults in our building. Please call us at 651-492-7106 to schedule tours and classroom visits.
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Q: Where can I find supply lists for the upcoming year?
A: Click on the following links to open a document containing a supply list for that class.
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
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