CURRICULUM

DUAL LANGUAGE

"The absorbent mind is indeed a marvelous gift to humanity! By merely 'living' and without and conscious effort the individual absorbs from the environment even a complex cultural achievement like language. If this essential mental form existed in the adult, how much easier would our studies be!" -Dr. Maria Montessori

Dual language

The conviction that learning more than one language is important for every child guides CCMS commitment to a dual-language program. Language is not only a means to communicate and an instrument for thinking; it is also an important tool for understanding and appreciating the thoughts of others in our increasingly multicultural world. Knowing two languages is a marketable skill, thus expanding the child's later opportunities for constructive engagement with society.

There are educational, cognitive, linguistic, socio-cultural and economic benefits to individual as well as society at large that result from intensive study of a second language. CCMS dual-language programs have been designed to create the environment and opportunity for all students to enjoy the experience of a second language. We offer the following two classroom options:

Spanish Enrichment Montessori 
(1st-6th grades)

In our traditional Montessori track, students will experience Montessori curriculum in addition to Spanish enrichment classes three days a week. A bilingual Montessori teacher and assistant will facilitate this classroom setting. A fully bilingual teacher/assistant will provide instruction in Spanish as a second language based on the communicative approach of language instruction. Students will learn songs in Spanish, engage in dialogues with one another and be given the opportunity to use the second language in purposefully, meaningful communicative activities which promote language development. We believe that learning more than one language is just as normal as learning only one, and that learning a second language in school teaches children additional language skills and advanced cognitive abilities.

Dual Immersion Montessori
(1st-3rd grades)

The Dual Immersion track has been designed to create the environment for monolingual English-speaking children to learn Spanish, for monolingual Spanish-speakers to learn English, and for children bilingual in both to enhance their dual-language skills. To achieve this end, the dual immersion track will consist of two dual immersion classrooms, which will function as one via a team teaching approach. One classroom will be facilitated by a Spanish-only speaking Montessori teacher and assistant and the other class will be facilitated by an English-only speaking Montessori teacher and assistant. Throughout the day the children will rotate through each classroom for 50% of the day whereby receiving instruction in both Spanish and English.

This 50/50 dual immersion method of daily exposure to and participation in both languages is an effective educational program option, which is supported by research and evaluation studies concerning effective schools and instruction in the U.S. and many countries around the world.

Spanish and English instruction are always kept separate, allowing for maximum concentration of both languages. Heterogeneous groupings during the Spanish and English portions of the day provide students with opportunities to assist and learn from one another, allowing second language acquisition to occur naturally. The social interaction between students is a delight that unfolds. They truly learn from one another, developing high levels of confidence and self-esteem through their study of two languages.