Fostering Language Skills
A Passport to Language
Research tells us that the more words young children know, use, and understand, the better prepared they will be for kindergarten and beyond. What’s more, exposure to other languages encourages positive attitudes about those cultures, and helps children experience the world in new ways. This is why our language immersion program is a natural component of the Big Blue Marble Academy global curriculum. Spanish, French, and Mandarin programs are offered at many BBMA locations.
Our dynamic classes, taught by teachers fluent in the featured language, incorporate music, dance, games, and storytelling to keep children engaged. When teachers use full immersion and avoid any translation to English words, children learn to associate new vocabulary directly with the concept being taught.
We deliver highly engaging Spanish, French, and Mandarin classes, as well as enrichment and summer camps to kids in a lively, encouraging learning environment. Our dynamic classes incorporate original music, dance, games, storytelling, and more to keep kids immersed and engaged in their target language.
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Our Passport to Learning curriculum also features world language programs and character development through our Passport to Language and Passport to Community.
Our Research-Based Approach to Language Includes:
Total Physical Response (TPR)
Our classrooms celebrate not only when a child speaks in a new word, but when a child responds non-verbally in a manner that shows comprehension. For example, when asked “Where is the tiger?” in the second language, a child who points to the tiger is showing comprehension of the question that was asked.
The Rassias Method
The energetic delivery that our teachers employ is vital in helping students make the connections between words and concepts. Dramatic communication—full of emotion and feeling—is the surest way to ensure that children retain what they learn.
The Multiple Intelligences Theory
Children learn in a variety of ways, including through music, words, touch, images, and movement. Our lessons target different skills and interests, so whether a child thrives with a musical, linguistic, mathematical, or kinesthetic way of learning, our teachers have a way to engage them.
