Wayland High School’s Spanish department recently began a partnership with Loker Elementary School’s Spanish Immersion program. The Spanish Immersion program is a subject-matter-driven language program that allows students to receive their education in Spanish. From the week of May 22 until the week of June 5, WHS Spanish students will travel to the elementary school to communicate in Spanish with the young students of the program.

The program began five years ago, when some Wayland Public Schools’ language teachers realized that seventh grade was too late for students to begin their language-learning journey. As a result, the program was implemented at Loker Elementary School with a single cohort of students.

“Younger children have brains like sponges and language acquisition is easier when they’re younger,” WHS Spanish teacher and World Language Department Head Nicole Haghdoust said.

In 2016, a committee composed of several stakeholders, such as principals, curriculum leaders, teachers and parents, was tasked with examining the different World Language programs in neighboring districts, and finding the best one for Wayland.

“The 90/10 One Way Spanish Immersion Program was selected as the best model for Wayland,” Spanish Immersion Program Curriculum coordinator Liliana Smith said.

The 90/10 model allows students to receive 90% of their education in Spanish, and the other 10% in English for their non-academic subjects, such as art, music and gym. Smith explained that there is a lot of research that backs up the program’s teaching methods and long-term benefits.

“More than 30 years of research show the benefits of starting a second language from an early age,” Smith said. “[Such as] native-like proficiency, stronger development of English language skills, enhanced cognitive flexibility, better ability to solve problems, greater facility to learn other languages, increased cultural sensitivity and improved academic performance.”

Since the program started only five years ago, current high school Spanish students were not given the opportunity to partake in the program. As a result, Smith and Haghdoust arranged a time for current high school Spanish students,  Honors Spanish 4 students, to meet with elementary students participating in the immersion program at Loker.  The trip was broken up into five different days: Monday, May 22, Tuesday, May 23, Friday, May 26, Wednesday, May 31 and Monday, June 5.

“I think it’s a great way for high school students to see [elementary] students who spend their whole day in Spanish, see what that’s like and also have authentic opportunities to connect with them,” Haghdoust said. “I think the Loker kids will be really excited to practice their Spanish with the big kids.”

Haghdoust and Smith had planned the trip several years ago, but due to COVID-19, they had to delay their plans.

“This school year, we were finally able to bring both sets of students together,” Smith said. “Our dream is to continue this collaboration in the future. It’s vital for all students in the district to make a connection with other schools and see the many opportunities and experiences a second language offers.”

Magaly Kaczmarczyk, a second grade teacher who partakes in Loker’s Spanish Immersion program, believes that the trip allowed the Loker students to gain confidence in their language skills.

“I think it was nice for the [Loker] kids to see the ‘big kids’ speaking in the same language that they have been learning since kindergarten. I loved hearing my students sound like little teachers by reading a book in Spanish to their high schooler or explaining how to pronounce a word,” Kaczmarczyk said.

Kaczmarczyk explained that the program’s results are positive and already very evident by second grade, which is only two years of instruction. This includes excellent listening comprehension and communication skills.

“[The elementary students] can understand everything that is said to them in Spanish,” Kaczmarczyk said. “Their expressive language skills, although not as strong as their receptive language, are still strong. Most of the students have perfect accents and can communicate their needs well.”

During the trip, high school students were paired with one or two Loker students in the immersion program that were between the grades of kindergarten and fifth grade. They were encouraged to look over each other’s introduction sheets, read novels aloud and play outside with each other.

“It was so cool seeing such young kids being very fluent in a completely different language,” junior Annika Martins said. “Their accents were very natural and everything came so fluently to them. They never stuttered when they spoke.”