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¡Bienvenidos!

Where do you like to visit? I like to visit the ______________because ______________________________________.

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Developing bilingual skills in a monolingual home Strategies for families to encourage oral expression to increase and improve listening and speaking skills.

By Gillian Dvorak, Speech Language Pathologist and multilingual speaker.

Benefits of being bilingual- How does this help my child?

´ According to bilingualkidspot.com: ´ 1)Cognitive benefits: better attention span and can

more easily multi-task. ´ 2)Bilingual students academically outperform

monolingual students in their native language. ´ 3)Health benefits: Researches found 

growing evidence to suggest that bilingualism can delay the onset of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as well as other cognitive decline. Being bilingual can lead to a reduction in risk of stroke later in life, a faster stroke recovery and lower stress levels.

More about bilingualism

´ 4) Bilinguals are used to constant change. This means that they are usually less effected by changes in the environment, and more open minded to new things and new experiences, because they have more than one view of the world.

´ 5) There are more opportunities to meet new people, and enjoy different hobbies and activities. 

´ 6) Bilinguals can learn additional languages more easily than monolinguals. This is because language skills reinforce each other. So if you have learned a second language, then learning a third involves transferring those skills over.

In the classroom!

´  90/10 model Spanish/English

´  Adjusts by 10% each year until 50/50 around 5th grade and throughout high school.

Our wonderful Dual immersion teachers speak both Spanish and English fluently!

Classwork and homework are in Spanish and eventually more English….

Knowing this, how can I help my child at home? What if I don’t speak Spanish? What if I don’t speak English?

As parents, we want to give our children every opportunity to develop and use their oral language speaking and listening skills OUTSIDE of the school setting…

BUT HOW….?

Exposure!!! Word knowledge is world knowledge

Rich Vocabulary

Extended Discourse

Stimulating Environments

Reading

´  Reading out loud together following along with your child, as a family or have your (older) child read to you from their chapter book. There are wonderful resources for bilingual books that are written in both English and Spanish. These can improve comprehension and learning for both the child and the parent. When your older child is reading chapter books, look for books written originally in a native language and NOT a translation. Many sayings, views and thoughts do not directly translate and will lose meaning.

´  Languagelizard.com

´  Bilingualbooks.com

´ Of course….Amazon!

´ Don’t forget! Try your local library

´  Start a book exchange!

It takes a village….

´ As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said for fostering bilingualism.

´ Consider “buddying-up” with a family or other families from school who are in the same class or in the Dual Immersion program who speak the other language as their native language and in the home.

´ Playdates! Children have to communicate in the other language in other homes or when with other families

´ This will also help with developing speaking skills as well as cultural competence and sensitivity.

Lights, camera, action!

´ Have a family movie night! ´ Watch videos or movies in the non-native language

´ Use subtitles as needed

´ Spanish: preferably a movie produced in a Spanish speaking country for authenticity, cultural accuracy and more native/natural speech.

´ Direct translations aren’t always the most accurate or culturally appropriate way of presenting a language.

´ Discuss!

A few more things…

´  Label! Make visuals. This will help both the family and your child increase their vocabulary and you can learn alongside them.

´  Early Lingo and Duolingo are wonderful websites to work on reading, speaking, grammar and vocabulary in Spanish. Rosetta Stone….not so much….

´  Word of the Day! Learn a new word with your child each day, see how large your vocabulary will grow!

´  Take a family field trip! We are blessed to live so closely to various parts of Mexico including Tijuana, Ensenada, Tecate and Baja California. Visit!

´  When in parts of San Diego, such as restaurants, where Spanish is used regularly, have your child practice their skills with others!

In conclusion…

´ The key to developing a second language proficiently and using it like a native speaker is….EXPOSURE!

´ Get out there, immerse yourself and your child in the culture and READ!

´ Your child will find these skills will come more easily, naturally and quickly with experience.

´ There is a whole other world and culture that has been opened up to your child, so get out there and explore!

´ Thank You! ¡Muchas Gracias! Merci!