Language

Policy
The School at St. George Place
Language of Instruction
Beliefs
We believe that communication helps students connect globally. Language instruction should span across all
disciplines using a balanced literacy approach within the context of the gradual release model which includes:
small flexible groups, daily independent reading time, writing about all subjects, reading at school and home,
and multi-genre literature.
Practices

We have vertical alignment by meeting in vertical teams to ensure commonality in delivery of

language instruction across the campus.

We use the reading and writing workshop model to deliver balanced literacy instruction.

As part of our commitment to balanced literacy, teachers incorporate small, flexible groups for
language instruction.

Students reflect orally and in written form regarding all disciplines.

Classroom libraries include leveled books across various genres, in multiple languages, and
incorporate information for units of inquiry.

Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are transdisciplinary and therefore occur in all content areas.

We use the Zone of Proximal Development while delivering literacy instruction to ensure that students
are being challenged and supported appropriately at their level.

We use scaffolding through the incorporation of graphic/visual aids, demonstrations, and

collaborative groups to aid language instruction.

We have bilingual transitional Pre-Kindergarten. With 70% of instruction in Spanish and 30% in
English. After Pre-Kindergarten, students will be in an ESL Kindergarten class.

Goals

We want to provide literacy intervention for English Language Learners to increase their proficiency in
English.

We want to build confident and successful communicators who are increasingly independent.

We want to model and promote literate lives.


Mother Tongue
Beliefs
At the School at St. George Place, each teacher will review the home language survey in order to insure the
proper placement of the student within the classroom. We will foster their home language in our classroom
to create a welcoming environment that allows students to share their culture with others. Home languages
will be supported in the classroom by allowing students to share with their peers how to express
conversational/greeting words. We believe that embracing the mother tongue allows students with other
languages to have a feeling of empowerment while showing other students that all languages and cultures are
valued and respected.
Practices

At the beginning of the year, the students will be able to share their culture and language with their
classmates.

The school will strive to use the home languages in celebrations, counting, greetings and salutations.

The School Library will have a variety of resources and books in multiple languages.

Classroom libraries will have books, dictionaries, and other resources available to the students in
home languages.

The school will label important areas and materials throughout the school in languages appropriate
for student populations.

Parent readers will be invited into classrooms to read, and share cultural experiences through music,
Art, and dance.

Teachers will be aware of translators available on campus to assist in better parent communication.

When a new student comes, they will be introduced and given the opportunity to share about their
culture.

Goals
We want our students to feel a sense of pride about their language and culture at school. All students should
feel accepted everywhere in the school. The teachers will strive to use school-wide events to promote home
languages (morning announcements, spaghetti supper, field day, etc). Certain informational
flyers/announcements should be accessible in multiple languages.


Additional Language Policy
We believe:
We believe it is beneficial to learn more than one language.
Languages are important for communicating and connecting us to other people.
The study of Mandarin Chinese allows students learn different perspectives and become global citizens.

Practices

Resources

Assessment

Additional

All students at School at

St. George Place receive
weekly Mandarin
instruction.

PYP documents

Dialogue

Language

Instruction and learning

incorporates all modes
of expression: listening,
reading, speaking, and
writing.
Inquiry based learning
Differentiation of
content, learning
process, and learning
products

National Foreign Language Use of characters

standards
Student work
Technology
Formative and summative
assessments
Media
Chinese language books in
school library
Easy Steps to Chinese for
Kids
My First Chinese Words
Book Set from Better
Chinese

Opportunities for
student reflection

Chinese Made Easy for

Kids Books 1-4

Peer-to-peer and
student-to-teacher talk

Chinese Treasure Chest

Volume 1 & 2

Use of formal and

informal assessments to
drive instruction

Continuums
Standards
Benchmarks
Records
Checklists
Anecdotal records
Portfolios
Informal and formal
observations
Report cards
Action

Our goals
Our goals in teaching Mandarin Chinese are for students to be more culturally aware in addition to developing
basic interpersonal communication skills.