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Spanish spoken here

Teachers in Alexander Elementary's dual language program are pleased with how theirstudents have picked up Spanish.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 21, 2006

None of her 14 kindergarten students spoke Spanish fluently, and just two had Spanish speakers in the home. Her task, as an inaugural teacher in Alexander Elementary School's new dual language program, was to put these children on a path to bilingualism.

Menendez marvels at what she sees as the school year rolls to a close.

The youngsters follow the instructions of Simon dice Simon says without missing a beat. Simon dice toque su cara, Menendez says, as the children reach for their faces. Toque su cabeza, she says. No one moves to touch his or her head, because Simon didn't say.

The children comprehend an hour-long lesson on flores (flowers) without breaking into English once, not even when they ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. They've acquired a pronunciation level - complete with rolling R's - that some native speakers would envy.

Even during the English part of the day, the kids regularly answer Menendez with a respectful, Si, senora.

"It's fascinating because you get to learn different languages," says 5-year-old Nilo Vega, who adds that he understands Menendez "exactly, because we're learning Spanish."

The children don't speak to one another in Spanish as much as she would like. But Menendez can't believe how far they have come.

"I never expected this much," she says in a whisper, from behind a book, so the kids don't know that she ever expected less. "They are really blossoming."

Other participating teachers and children share the enthusiasm and the success. Two of the third-graders in the program didn't pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but they gained promotion through alternative methods.

The School Board and downtown administration have talked about ramping up the effort, to give more youngsters the opportunity to learn in two languages.

What they would experience are classes where teachers instruct in either English or Spanish. There's no simultaneous translation, which would enable children to wait for the language they know rather than try to learn both.

Early in the year, students hesitated to speak in Spanish, and teachers had to rely on body language and facial gestures to get their points across.

The teachers didn't change their methods as the year wore on. The children, however, clicked.

"The confidence level in some of them has shot up to the point where I'm so proud," first-grade teacher Dina Perez says. "A couple who wouldn't say a word at the start have become some of the best ones. Comprehension precedes production. It's so true."

She points to Ryan Roberson, a redheaded chatterbox who would sit silently the second that Spanish lessons began. Now, he jumps right in as Perez quizzes the class about animales.

"I was too nervous (before)," says Ryan, 6.

Studies show it takes three to seven years for a youngster to gain fluency and literacy in a second language. So Perez and her colleagues did not count on any students walking out of their classes this spring to speak conversational Spanish.

But they do expect the short-term gains to blossom for children who remain in the program, including some who have grown up around Spanish.

"I needed a little help with reading," says second-grader Fabiola Furones, who was born in Cuba.

Teachers say they get results with content-based lessons rather than kill-and-drill ones that focus only on the language. Clara Fernandez begins her second-grade class with a simple instruction: Ninos, limpian sus escritorios. Clean your desks.

She gives them a 100 count to get ready. When she reaches dieciocho (18) she begins counting by 10s. One boy grins. "You're skipping," he says with a giggle.

Spanish only, she reminds him.

They go on to a science lesson about whether different items will float or sink in water. Some incorrectly try "sinkar"; the term is hundirse. Some scramble madly for the Spanish words for cork and rubber band.

But they keep decent notes in Spanish, and they say they understand the teacher well enough.

"We're just used to it," 8-year-old Michael Grivna says. "We hear everything."

And that's a great place to start, says Fernandez. a former English for speakers of other languages teacher who moved here from Mexico about nine years ago.

"They have become conscientious about some things of the nature of language as they study a second language. ... Some are writing paragraphs in Spanish," she says. And maybe more important, "They're very excited about it. The parents are excited, too."

For all its popularity in the neighborhood around Alexander, dual language has not succeeded in its mission as an "attractor" program for non-Hispanic students from other attendance zones. Only 17 such children have enrolled for the next school year - about 15 percent of the total group, compared to the hoped-for half.

The program has about 10 openings in third grade for the fall.

To make matters worse, the school district has canceled busing to the school for families living outside the attendance zone. Located in a predominantly working class area just off heavily commercial Hillsborough Avenue, Alexander struggles to attract students from wealthy suburban families.

"We're not Westchase. We're not Tampa Palms," principal Manuel Duran says. "That has a lot to do with how people look at this school."

For more information about Alexander's dual language program, call the school at (813) 872-5395.

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at (813) 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 21, 2006, 08:32:04]