Leesburg Elementary School

Two-Way Dual Language Immersion

Dual Language Immersion (DLI) offers a rich bilingual experience for young learners when their minds are developmentally best able to acquire a second language in meaningful contexts.

Students receive seven years of dual language instruction and will become proficient bilinguals. Typically, immersion students develop greater cognitive flexibility, attention control, memory, primary language skills, and problem-solving. In addition, dual language immersion students are more aware and positive about other cultures and people.

In the two-way DLI program at Leesburg Elementary, balanced numbers of English speaking and native Spanish speaking students are enrolled and serve as the language models and learners. WCS’s adopted curriculum is used and instruction is divided equally between two highly qualified, caring, and creative teachers.

The English-speaking teacher teaches reading and writing, as well as portions of other content areas (social studies, science, math) for half of the day. The Spanish-speaking teacher uses the other half of the day to teach Spanish literacy, mathematics, and portions of other content areas using only Spanish. From day one, the Spanish teacher speaks only Spanish and communicates using a wide range of engaging strategies including pictures, songs, games, body language, expressions, and drama. Beginning in the fall of second grade, students will also speak only Spanish during Spanish class.

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