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Should science be taught in a Spanish immersion class?

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2011-03-09

You never know who you might meet in the airport. Another NSTA staffer and I were waiting for our flight at Dulles and discussing our plans to put our soon-to-be kindergartners in a Spanish immersion program. A woman in a nearby seat piped up that she’d had 4 children go through such a program, and we were immediately at attention! For our few remaining minutes before lift-off, we peppered the veteran mom with questions, and most of the information was gratifying. But then she explained one of the parts that had been a challenge, and that was about science. “For instance,” she said, “my daughter could name every part of the cricket in Spanish, but when she took state testing, she couldn’t name them in English.” She lauded the program anyway—the mind-expanding opportunities far outweighed the challenges. But I began to worry. But the worry soon evaporated as I remembered that I was heading to a place full of bright, inspiring people who would have answers for me. Thank you, Science Teachers! As an NSTA staffer, today I found yet another reason to remember that I am working with a great bunch of people.

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