(The Daily Dish) Today we have Michael Clark and Christina Pehrson with Summit Academy joining The Daily Dish to talk about Open Enrollment beginning on January 3rd, 2022 PLUS what all is involved in their German language immersion program.
Summit Academy Schools specializes in growing each individual student, knowing each learner and their needs to help them achieve growth that is personalized to them. They have para-professionals that support their classes. They even have German speaking para-professionals that support their Germain Dual Language Immersion students. Students can enroll in the German language immersion program in 1st grade and continue the program through graduation from high school, students will learn a variety of subjects in German.
Often when we think about the benefits of learning another language we think about being able to speak to native speakers. While that is definitely a benefit, there are many other reasons to learn a language, especially for children.
Kids only use a small part of their brain to process the world around them and adding a second language to the mix only increases the stretching of their brains. Children are challenged to problem solve, to become critical thinkers as they analyze their experiences in a second language classroom and learn to read and communicate and do math in another language. Learning another language increases attention span and has many cognitive benefits.
In addition, learning another language introduces kids to another culture and another way of looking at the world. It is very important in their world today to be able to consider the viewpoints of others and have understanding for different ways of thinking and doing things. By growing up and being exposed to another culture, these students are better prepared to be compassionate and engaged in their communities.
Students that remain in the German language immersion program through 8th grade are able to participate in a trip to Germany to continue their learning of the German language and to support that learning by experience much of the German culture.
This is definitely not the language learning experience that many of us had in school. Students only speak German half the day in the immersion classroom. No English is spoken by anyone once they enter the immersion classroom. Because academic content is being taught in German, kids acquire the language somewhat incidentally as they are learning math, social studies, and science. Utah’s dual immersion program has a strong emphasis on literacy in the target language, so students are getting double doses of reading and writing instruction every day. Kids are capable of amazing things.
German is not the first language people think of when they think of an immersion program but any language learned in this type of setting has enormous benefits for students. There are many great reasons to learn German. Demand for German speakers is highly sought after within the fields associated with biology, chemistry, pharmacy, and Engineering.
Some additional facts about Speaking German and their culture:
- Germany has the third largest economy in the world and is one of the biggest exporters in the world.
- German is actually one of the top 5 most spoken languages in Utah.
- Economically speaking, Germany is the backbone of the European Union.
- There are many businesses in Utah with ties to German-speaking countries.
- On a cultural level, there is a rich tradition of literature, music, and art from these countries.
- There is also a lot happening in scientific research there as well—and imagine what it could mean on your resume in the business world.
Open Enrollment for Summit Academy School is from January 3, 2022 and ends February 18, 2022. You’ll want to head on over to their website and see what all you’ll need to do to save your spot before it’s to late!
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