D R C N S C

 R N I
C S Rockville Community Nursery School
100 Welsh Park Drive, B ldg 3 ~ Rockville, MD 20850 ~ (301) 340-­‐7584 ~ www.rcnscoop.org April 2012 Newsletter n This Issue:
‹”‡…–‘”ǯ•‘”‡” ........1 Calendar of Events .....1 ”‡•‹†‡–ǯ•‡––‡” .......2 ”•Ǥƒƒǯ•ʹ•...............3 A Word from Mrs. Paige ...................3 ”•Ǥ‡˜›ǯ•”‹†ƒ›•ǯ
Enrichment ................8 ‹”‡…–‘”ǯ•‘”‡” Recently I have spent hours researching Micronesia. My soon to be college graduate has just accepted a two-­‐year post as a Jesuit volunteer on the island of Pohnpei ; 7,685 miles (straight line) away. I crave information; photos, past JVI blogs, state departmentǥ Continued on page 2 •Ǥ‘ˆ›ƒǯ•͵• ................4 ”•Ǥ‡˜›ǯ•Ͷ• ...............7 D Surprising Advantages of Bilingual Education ...................9 C 2 Mo ǥ 9 Mo 18 We 23 Mo 24 Tu 27 Fr 28 Sa Calendar of Events April 2012 RCNS Closed Ȃ Spring Break Open Tour ~ 9:45 Ȃ 11:00 am School Picture Day School Picture Day 4s Class Field Trip Community Reunion and Silent Auction Preview Party ~ 7:30 Ȃ 9:00 pm Yellow Balloon Fair ~ 11:00 am Ȃ 3:00 pm RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 2 Continued from p. 1 ǥƒ†’”‘ˆ‹Ž‡•ǡ‹•Žƒ†Š‹•–‘”›ǤǤǤ‡ƒŽŽ›™Šƒ–ƒ•‡ƒ”…Š‹‰ˆ‘”‹•‘”‡–Šƒ‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆƒ…‘—–”›Ǥ
What I really want is an understanding of how this experience will play out for my son and our family. That unknown is a challenge for me. For my son, that is part of the appeal. When I first became a parent, back in the dinosaur days of 1985, books and magazines were my first res‘—”…‡Ǥ‡š––Š‡”‡™‡”‡ƒ›™‡ŽŽ‹–‡–‹‘‡†ˆƒ‹Ž›‡„‡”•ǯ•—‰‰‡•–‹‘•…‘—’Ž‡†™‹–Š…Šƒ–•ƒ––Š‡
park with fellow moms and dads. How do you handle...? This is what you do when... Always searching for the best way to approach an unknown situation, I looked to others for guidance. As we added to our ˆƒ‹Ž›ˆ‘—†–Š‡Dz„‡•–dz™ƒ›ˆ‘”‘‡…Š‹Ž†™ƒ•ǯ–ƒŽ™ƒ›•–Š‡Dz”‹‰Š–dz™ƒ›ˆ‘”ƒ‘–Š‡”Ǥ
ǤǤǤŒ—•–™Š‡
thought we had it all figured out! Now using the internet, access to information is quick, easy and vast. Every option is there, from the simplest (toilet bowl cleaner with bleach removes mildew stains from bathtub caulk, who knew?) to the overwhelming (hundreds of different approaches to get your baby to sleep through the night. Who has t he time/energy to r‡ƒ†ƒŽŽ–Šƒ–Ǥ‘—ǯ”‡‡šŠƒ—•–‡†ǨȌ We look for information, guidance and support to help us get a handle on the unknowns and to help plan our next steps. I find confidence and enthusiasm from educator blogs and parent/teacher posts. http://everythingwithjoy.blogspot.com/2012/01/weaving-­‐webs-­‐and-­‐spinning-­‐tales-­‐or-­‐is.html is a perfect example of such an inspiration. The author of this blog is a local educator who reminds me –Šƒ– •‘‡–‹‡• ’Žƒ‹‰ ‡‡†• –‘ „‡ „”‹‡ˆ ƒ† ›‘— ‡‡† –‘ ‰‘ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ˆŽ‘™Ǥ Š‡… ‘—– –Š‡ …Š‹Ž†”‡ǯ•
faces in these photos. We have got to try this at RCNS. There are so many creative and inspiring ideas and so many tools to help you. Check out http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/, https://www.teachingstrategies.com/blog, http://myiearlychildhoodreflections.blogspot.com/. Each of these blogs has links to other blogs and so on and so on. Vast amounts of information, so I always have to stop myself, but it is tim‡™‡ŽŽ•’‡–ƒ•–Š‡•‡„Ž‘‰•”‡‹†‡ǯ‘–ƒŽ‘‡ǤŠ‡›’”‘˜‹†‡…‘ˆ‘”–ǡ”‡ˆ—‡Ž
my spirit and make me laugh. ǯ ƒ ’Žƒ‡”Ǥ‘™• •–”‡•• ‡ ‘—–Ǩ ‘ƒ• ‡–‡” –Š‹• ‡™ •–ƒ‰‡ ‘ˆ › ’ƒ”‡–‹‰ “—‡•–Ǣ •‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘
from my son for two years; I am finding t he most solace in reading and learning about an unknown from –Š‘•‡™Š‘Šƒ˜‡†‘‡–Š‹•„‡ˆ‘”‡Ǥ—•–Ž‹‡–Š‡’Žƒ›‰”‘—†‹ͳͻͺͷǢ‡š…‡’–‘™‹–ǯ•ƒ‘Ž‹‡’Žƒ›‰”‘—†Ǣ
everyone sharing to help others and to share a bit of themselves. Remember though, even with all the ‹ˆ‘”ƒ–‹‘›‘—ƒ›‰ƒ–Š‡”ƒ†ƒŽŽ‘ˆ–Š‡’Žƒ‹‰›‘—™‹ŽŽ†‘ǡ–Š‘•‡Dz
Ǩdz‘‡–•™‹ŽŽ…‘‡ƒ†
you just need to embrace them and accept the challenge. Kim Mahoney, Director P ”‡•‹†‡–ǯ•‡––‡” Dear RCNS Families, Found any sand ‹›‘—”Ž‹––Ž‡‘‡•ǯ•Š‘‡•Žƒ–‡Ž›ǫŠ‡•ƒ†„‘š‹•„ƒ…ǨŠ‹•‹••—…ŠƒŠ—‰‡ƒ––”ƒ…–‹‘ˆ‘”
‘—”‹†••‘‹–ǯ•‰”‡ƒ––Šƒ––Š‡™‡ƒ–Š‡”Šƒ•„‡‡‹’”‘˜‹‰ˆ‘”–Š‡–‘–ƒ‡ƒ†˜ƒ–ƒ‰‡‘ˆ‹–Ǥ•ƒ…Š‹Ž†
often played in my sandbox but little did I know that I was also improving fine-­‐motor skills and hand-­‐eye coordination at the same time! I recently saw a quote by L.K. Frank, a behavioral scientist, who said, RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 3 DzŽƒ›‹•–Š‡™ƒ›–Š‡…Š‹Ž†Ž‡ƒ”•™Šƒ–‘‘‡‡Ž•‡…ƒ–‡ƒ…ŠŠ‹Ǥdzƒ‰‹‡ƒŽŽ–Š‡–Š‹‰•‘—”…Š‹Ž†”en are learning at RCNS each day through the act of play! Just two short weeks away until our 33rd Yellow Balloon Fair! The moon bounce and ponies are coming! Lots of treats, fun and games are in store for us all! The silent auction donations continue to arrive and the bake sale list keeps growing. Now is the time to tell your friends, family, and neighbors to save the date! Is there an appropriate business that you could ask to display our YBF flyer? We need your help to continue spreading the word for this exciting event! Our spring photos are approaching! Mark your calendar now for April 23rd and 24th. We are pleased to announce that Stone Photography will be returning again this year to take our class photos. If weather permits, the children will be photographed outside, which would be really lovely. For more information, please see the order form that was placed in your box at school. Hope you all enjoyed your Spring Break! Susan Hogan & Kay Newhouse Co-­‐Presidents 2 Mrs. ƒƒǯ•ʹ• ¶V Hello Families! I just wanted to take the time to say it has been such a pleasure being your children's teacher this year! I'm sad that I had to stop working suddenly without saying proper goodbyes but I will be back for class pictures and drop in for the 4s graduation ceremony since a few of them were in my first class ever! It's bittersweet to see them moving on to kindergarten after watching them grow from two year olds. As of writing this article, baby has not made his debut; I t hink the bed rest has definitely slowed him down!* I cannot wait to introduce you to him and the kids! I hope you all enjoyed your spring break and feel free to contact me with anything as we finish up the year. Special thanks to Ms. Paige for stepping in and taking in the teacher role. I know all the children adore her and are in great hands! Hope to see you before school is over. Take care, Mrs. Rana *Mrs. Rana and her family welcomed baby Nicholas on April 4, 2012. Congratulations!!! A Word from Mrs. Paige What a wonderful way to ring in the spring! With Mrs. Rana on bed rest, the twos and I have gotten to know each other much better. (Congratulations Mrs. Rana and Julian on the birth of baby Nicholas). In the short time that I have been teaching the two year olds, we have learned a lot about each other and a lot about very hungry caterpillars. We have read many Eric Carle books but the favorites have been The Very RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 4 Hungry Caterpillar (which we acted out with puppets and play food), and Brown Bear, Brown Bear (which has taught everyone a lot about colors and sequences Ȃ the children already knew how to move like the animals). Outdoor time is especially fun now that it is Spring, and we have been drawing and naming shapes on the blacktop, chasing balls down the hill and taking turns pushing one another on the swings. I am looking forward to the rest of the year. Thanks for all your help in the classroom and for putting your trust in me. Mrs. Paige 3 M•Ǥ‘ˆ›ƒǯ•͵• Smiling Suns and Sparking Stars —–‡‹––›ǡ•‘ˆ–‹––›ǡ„‹‰‹––›ǥ Not for the tip of my nosy-­‐nose-­‐nose! Best friends! Dear Parents, ƒ›‘—„‡Ž‹‡˜‡–Šƒ–‘—”•…Š‘‘Ž›‡ƒ”‹•ƒŽ‘•–‘˜‡”ǫ…ƒǯ–Ǥ March was a very busy month. Our little bears woke up and came to visit with wonderful stories o f their adventures with the kids; assessments and parent-­‐teacher conferences successfully accomplished; and ƒ†ǯ•†ƒ›™ƒ• great fun for everyone who attended. Thank you so much for coming! —” …Š‹Ž†”‡ ”‡…‹–‡† DzŠ‡ P‘‡ ˆ‘” ƒ††›dz •‘ „‡ƒutifully! I am very proud of t hem! The weather was gorgeous, which enabled us to play games outside and enjoy t he sandbox. This month we had wonderful books everywhere!!! RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 5 ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”–Š‡”Š›‡•ǥ ǯ‘–•…ƒ”‡†‘ˆ‹‰ƒ†‘ŽˆǨ Hat Dance! The personage•‘ˆ”Ǥ‡—••ǯƒ†‡‘‹‘‹ǯ•™‘†‡”ˆ—Ž„‘‘•™‡”‡‹‡˜‡”›Ž‡ƒ”‹‰…‡–‡”ƒŽ‘‰™‹–Š
the three little pigs and the huffing and puffing big bad wolf. In the Dramatic Play Center, the children acted out the books and performed puppet shows. They balanced like the DzCat in the Hat,dz huffed, puffed, and shook our house made of bricks, and they dressed up to blend in our classroom like chameleons. In the Blocks Center, the children built the road for Horton to ease his suffering during his tedious journey and houses for the three little pigs. They also blended chameleons among the colored blocks. ‘™ǡ…ƒ‘—ˆŽƒ‰‡ǥ Story Time! ǤǤ‘‡‹ǡ„—–†‘ǯ–‡ƒ–—•Ǩ In the Discovery Center, the children learned facts about cats, elephant, birds, inchworms, chameleons, and fish. They weighed straw, sticks, and bricks (blocks) and measured our classroom and the playground with their feet. Welcome, little B.B. (Blue Beta)! Our children actively watch him swim, and they enjoy feeding him. B.B. seems to love our company and care very much. The children enjoyed the contents of our Sensory and Water Tables very much: rice and beans, cats and fish, ABCs, 123, chameleons, pigs in the mud, wolves, straw, and sticks, and even pig food. Our books provided lots of Math activities: we counted forward and backward. We measured our classroom with anything handy, matched, sorted, and made patterns. RCNS April 2012 Newsletter —•–Ž‘‘‹‰ǥǤ P a g e | 6 †ǯŽŽ—ˆˆǥ Eat, piggy, eat! Oh, the books we have read!!! We discussed them, answering the questions and retelling them, and we talked about life values such as kindness, hard work, faithfulness, and responsibility. Our favorite hero was Horton, and at the end of the story I could see that the kids, who were listening in an almost ‡•‡”‹œ‡† •–ƒ–‡ǡ™‡”‡ ”‡Ž‹‡˜‡† ƒ† Šƒ’’› ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‘—–…‘‡ ‘ˆ ‘”–‘ǯ• Šƒ”† ™‘” ƒ† ’ƒ–‹‡…‡Ǥ ‡
ƒ‰”‡‡†–Šƒ––Š‡„ƒ„›•Š‘—Ž†Ž‘‘Ž‹‡–Š‡Š‘‡•–‡Ž‡’Šƒ–„‡…ƒ—•‡ǮŠ‡•ƒ–.ǯ ”Ǥ‡—••ǯƒ†‡‘‹‘‹ǯ•ˆ—›•–‘”‹‡•’”‘vided many life lessons which our children understood and appreciated. We enjoyed playing rhyming games, making up silly rhymes (children made a Wassroom for our classroom) after reading the book DzThere Is a Wocket in My Pocket,dz and identifying opposite words in the book DzOne Fish, Two Fish.dz Little Pigs -­‐ …‘‰‹–‘ǥ ™‹ŽŽ‘–Ž‡–›‘—‹ǥ ™‘Šƒ’’›Ž‹––Ž‡’‹‰•ǥ As always we enjoyed Music and MovementǨŠ‡‘•–’‘’—Žƒ”ƒ…–‹˜‹–‹‡•™‡”‡DzŠ‡ƒ–ƒ…‡dzƒ†DzŠ‡
ƒ–‹–Š‡ƒ–dz•‘‰Ǥ In the Art Center children created masterpieces related to our books. We also enjoyed blowing water color paint around the paper, making beautiful paintings with Ms. Nadia (‘……‘ǯ• ‘Ȍ ˆ‘” –Š‡ ‹†• ‹
her hospital. And every day we practiced our fine-­‐motor skills by cutting paper and straw, gluing, coloring, and painting. The cŠ‹Ž†”‡ƒ†ƒ”‡•‘–Šƒˆ—Ž–‘•Ǥ‡ƒ–Š‡”ˆ‘”•Šƒ”‹‰”ƒ†›ǯ•ƒ†ƒ––Š‡™ǯ•™‘†‡”ˆ—Ž–‘›•Ǩ‡
loved the huge Cat in the Hat (bigger than most of our kids!), Horton, Lorax, Snitches, and other D”Ǥ‡—••ǯ
paraphernalia! Thank you, Ms. Heather! In April we will be learning about pets. Vaughn is turning 4 on A pril 28th! Happy Birthday, Vaughn! RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 7 Dear Parents, thank you so much for your constant help and support! I hope you had a wonderful spring break! Thank you, Ms. Sofya 4 ”•Ǥ‡˜›ǯ•Ͷ• April 24th, Picture Day April 27th, Locust Grove Nature Center Field Trip Spring is here! The kids are finally able to play outside without worrying about mittens and hats. March was a very exciting ‘–ŠǨ”Ǥ‡—••ǯ™‡‡
was a great success. The children were very interested, and they were ’ƒ›‹‰ …Ž‘•‡ ƒ––‡–‹‘ ™Š‹Ž‡ ™‡ ™‡”‡ ”‡ƒ†‹‰ ”Ǥ ‡—••ǯ „‘‘•Ǥ Š‡ Šƒ–•
that they designed were very creative and colorful. The children were able to bring interesting discussions about the end of each book, especially the „‘‘•DzŠ‡ƒ–‹–Š‡ƒ–ǡdz ƒ†Dz‘”–‘‡ƒ”•ƒŠ‘.dz Š‡ ‹•‡…–• –Š‡‡ ‹•’‹”‡† –Š‡ …Š‹Ž†”‡ǯ• …—”‹‘•‹–› ‹ ‘—” …Žƒ••”‘‘Ǥ Š‡ …Š‹Ž†”‡ Ž‡ƒ”‡† ƒ› ˆƒ…–•
about insects. Ask them how many legs an insect has, or how many body parts there are in an insect. How about the life cycle of a butterfly? Are butterfly wings symmetrical? They played with our talking microscope, matched bugs with their shadows, made puppets, counted bugs, and made different bug patterns. While playing outside, the children looked for signs of spring and they looked for bugs. They will have the opportunity to look for more signs of spring during our April field trip to Locust Grove Nature Center. We all had a great surprise o–Ǥƒ–”‹…ǯ•ƒ›ǤŽ‡’”‡…Šƒ—˜‹•‹–‡†‘—”…Žƒ••”‘‘Ǥ‡ƒ†‡ƒ„‹‰‡••ǡ
but at least he left some chocolate coins for us. ‘™Ǩ Šƒ– ƒ †ƒ› ƒ†ǯ• day was! All the children were happy while playing with their fathers. The classroom was full of excitement. Thank you to ƒŽŽ –Š‡ ˆƒ–Š‡”• ™Š‘ ™‡”‡ ƒ„Ž‡ –‘ ƒ––‡† ‘‡ ‘ˆ ǯ•
biggest events. Thank you all parents for attending our parent-­‐teacher conferences. I would like to emphasize that all the children have made terrific social and academic progress. It is a pleasure being their teacher! Our theme for April is DzThe Earth and I.dz T he children will learn about things t hey may do to help save the Earth. Love, Mrs. Levy RCNS April 2012 Newsletter P a g e | 8 ”•Ǥ‡˜›ǯ•Fridaysǯ Enrichment Fridays at RCNS are fun and full of surprises. Every Friday the children learn something more about each other. In March, we had focused on friendship. The children were learning the importance of having friends, and how treating those with love and respect can make a difference. Therefore, the children have been working on puzzles together, playing dress-­‐up, board games, and enjoying the sandbox at the playground. During the month of March, the kids were able to explore drama inside our classroom. Since Fridays are always fun and full of surprises the children experimented with a new way to think about motions. The children had a theme of creative drama while learning about the butterfly life cycle. First, with the room slightly dark, the children imagined being a tiny egg by curling up. Second, they hatched from the egg pretending to be a hungry caterpillar and munch on everything they could see around them. Afterwards, they were a big and fat caterpillar. They worked hard to create their chrysalis. Then, they had to wait, wait, and wait. The children rested quietly, curled up slightly, and hatched from their chrysalis. They began to gently move by, putting their head, bodies, one wing, and lastly the other wing out of the cocoon. They flapped their wings to dry. Then, they were ready to ˆŽ›Ǥ Š‹Ž‡ ˆŽ›‹‰ǡ ™‡ ™‡”‡ ƒŽŽ •‹‰‹‰ǡ Dz—––‡”ˆŽ‹‡•ǡ „—––‡”ˆŽ‹‡•, fly ƒ™ƒ›ǡ›‘—™‡”‡ƒ…ƒ–‡”’‹ŽŽƒ”Œ—•–›‡•–‡”†ƒ›dz—–‹Ž–Š‡›Žƒ†‘ƒˆŽ‘™‡”‘ƒŽŽˆ‘—”•ǡ’—––Š‡‹”Š‡ƒ†•†‘™ǡ
ƒ†’”‡–‡†–‘†”‹–Š‡ˆŽ‘™‡”ǯ••™‡‡–‡…–ƒ”Ǥ The ability to pretend is v‡”›‹’‘”–ƒ– –‘ ›‘—” …Š‹Ž†ǯ• †‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–ǤŠ‹Ž†”‡™Š‘‘™ Š‘™ –‘ ƒ‡
believe develop good vocabulary, which is important for reading. They learn to cooperate with others and solve problems. By thinking abstractly, they gain important skills for their success in school. You may encourage the same kind of pretend play at home as we do at school, simply by playing with your child and providing some simple props. Examples: Ȉ
Save food cartons, make play money, and play store with your child. Ȉ
Read stories together and get your child involved in acting out different parts of the story. Ȉ
Collect some old clothes that your child can use to dress up and make believe. Ȉ
Pretend going on a trip by airplane. What do you need? Where are you going? What do you need to pack? Those are just some simple ideas. The most important is to have fun with your child. Love, Mrs. Levy RCNS April 2012 Newsletter C P a g e | 9 Surprising Advantages of Bilingual Education Brenda Diaz, our English Language Learner Coordinator found article written by Bridget Bentz Sizer on the PBS website http://www.pbs.org/ Did you know that there are more bilingual people in the world than there are monolingual people? According to the Associated Press, 66 percent of the children in the world are raised to speak two languages Ȅ but only 6.3 percent of the children in the U.S. are. Bilingual education has become a hot-­‐
button political issue in the U.S. But politics aside, as Ana Flores of SpanglishBaby.com discussed with Angela, studies suggest that teaching our children to speak more than one language can provide surprising, long-­‐Žƒ•–‹‰„‡‡ˆ‹–•Ǥ‡–ǯ•–ƒ‡ƒŽ‘‘ƒ–ˆ‹˜‡ǣ 1. Brawnier brains. Processing the sounds and words of different languages is hard work, but it pays off when it comes to brain power; children who learn a second language before the age of five have been •Š‘™ –‘ Šƒ˜‡ †‡•‡” ‰”ƒ› ƒ––‡” ‹ –Š‡‹” „”ƒ‹• –Šƒ –Š‡‹” ‘‘Ž‹‰—ƒŽ ’‡‡”•Ǥ Š‘—‰Š Dz†‡•‡dz ƒ†
Dz„”ƒ‹dzŠƒ˜‡‘––”ƒ†‹–‹‘ƒŽŽ›„‡‡…‘’Ž‡‡–ƒ”›–‡”•ǡ‹–Š‹•…ƒ•‡ǡ‹–ǯ•ƒ™‹‹‰…‘„‹ƒ–‹‘ǣ
”ƒ›
matter is the part of the brain that controls language and communication, and a higher density has been correlated with increased intellect. 2. Delayed dementia. According to a 2010 study o f ʹͳͳŽœŠ‡‹‡”ǯ•’ƒ–‹‡–•ǡ„‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽ‹†‹˜‹†—ƒŽ•™‡”‡
diagnosed with the disease 4.3 years later and exhibited symptoms of the disease 5.1 years later than those patients who spoke only one language. Just as crossword puzzles and learning a musical instrument Šƒ˜‡„‡‡•Š‘™–‘„‘‘•––Š‡„”ƒ‹ǯ•Dz…‘‰‹–‹˜‡”‡•‡”˜‡•ǡdz•‘–‘‘†‘‡•Ž‡ƒ”‹‰‘”‡–Šƒ‘‡Žƒ‰—ƒ‰‡Ǥ
Š‹Ž‡ …‘‰‹–‹˜‡ ”‡•‡”˜‡• ™‘ǯ– ’”‡˜‡– †‡‡–‹ƒ ‡–‹”‡Ž›ǡ –Š‡ •–—†› …‘…Ž—†‡† –Šƒ– –Š‡› ƒ› ‡‡’
ŽœŠ‡‹‡”ǯ•ƒ–„ƒ›„›Dz…‘’‡•ƒ–ȏ‹‰Ȑˆ‘”–Š‡ƒ……——Žƒ–‹‘‘ˆƒ›Ž‘‹†ƒ†‘–Š‡”„”ƒ‹’ƒ–Š‘Ž‘‰‹‡•Ǥdz 3. Superior self-­‐regulation. Critics of bilingual education say that it creates confusion in young brains, but science shows that the discipline required to switch between two languages actually improves a ch‹Ž†ǯ• ƒ„‹Ž‹–› –‘ ˆ‘…—• ‘ ƒ ‹†‹˜‹†—ƒŽ –ƒ• Ȃ ƒ† –‘ …‘–”‘Ž –Š‡•‡Ž˜‡•Ǥ Dz‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽ ‹†• Šƒ˜‡ „‡––‡”
self-­‐”‡‰—Žƒ–‹‘ǡ™Š‹…Š™‹ŽŽŠ‡Ž’–Š‡†‘„‡––‡”‹•…Š‘‘Žǡdz‡š’Žƒ‹•‡’Ž‡‹˜‡”•‹–›•’‡‡…Š’ƒ–Š‘Ž‘‰›
professor Carol Scheffner Hammer. This advantage was demonstrated in a 2008 study conducted by the University of Washington, which concluded that increased self regulation Ȃ ƒŽ•‘ ‘™ ƒ• Dz‡š‡…—–‹˜‡
ˆ—…–‹‘‹‰dzȂ ’”‘˜‹†‡•„‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽ…Š‹Ž†”‡ƒDz•‹‰‹ˆ‹…ƒ–dzƒ†˜ƒ–ƒ‰‡™Š‡‹–…‘‡•–‘Dz–ƒ••–Šƒ–ƒ’’‡ƒ”–‘ …ƒŽŽ ˆ‘” ƒƒ‰‹‰ …‘ˆŽ‹…–‹‰ ƒ––‡–‹‘ƒŽ †‡ƒ†•Ǥdz ȋŽƒ•ǡ •…‹‡…‡ Šƒ• ›‡– –‘ ’”‘˜‡ –Šƒ– „‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽ‹•
„‘‘•–•ƒ…Š‹Ž†ǯ•ˆ‘…—•™Š‡‹–…‘‡•–‘…Ž‡ƒ‹‰Š‹•”‘‘ǨȌ 4. Reading readiness. —•– ƒ• ƒ ”Ǥ ‡—•• …ƒ ‹…”‡ƒ•‡ƒ …Š‹Ž†ǯ• ƒ™ƒ”‡‡•• ‘ˆ ƒ†ƒ„‹Ž‹–› –‘ manipulate sounds, so too does speaking a second language. Consider this: Sound manipulation, also called Dz’Š‘‘Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽƒ™ƒ”‡‡••dzŠƒ•„‡‡•Š‘™–‘„‡ƒ‰‘‘†’”‡†‹…–‘”‘ˆŽƒ–‡””‡ƒ†‹‰ƒ„‹Ž‹–›ǤʹͲͳͲ•–—†›‘ˆ
bilingual children in Taiwan indicated that children who learned to read in their heritage language (in –Š‹• …ƒ•‡ǡ ƒ†ƒ”‹ Š‹‡•‡Ȍ †‡‘•–”ƒ–‡† ‡Šƒ…‡† Dz’Š‘‘Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽ ƒ™ƒ”‡‡•• ƒ† …‡”–ƒ‹ ‰Ž‹•Š
”‡ƒ†‹‰•‹ŽŽ•Ǥdz 5. Passport to the world. –ǯ•ƒ„‹‰™‘”Ž†‘—––Š‡”‡ǡƒ†‰Ž‹•Šǡ–Š‡‘•–…‘‘Žƒnguage in the U.S., is only third on the list of the most popular native languages world-­‐wide Ȃ it ranks well behind Chinese, and Œ—•– „‡Š‹† ’ƒ‹•ŠǤ DzŠ‡ ™‘”Ž† ‹• ”‡ƒŽŽ› „‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽǡdz Dz‘ „‡ „‹Ž‹‰—ƒŽ ™‹ŽŽ ‰‹˜‡ ›‘— —…Š ‘”‡
‘’’‘”–—‹–‹‡• Žƒ–‡”Ǥdz †† –‘ –Šis the fact that the mind is best able to take in a new language between „‹”–Š ƒ† ƒ‰‡ ͹ǡ ƒ† ›‘— Šƒ˜‡ ƒ ˜‡”› …‘’‡ŽŽ‹‰ ƒ”‰—‡– ˆ‘” ‰‡––‹‰ •–ƒ”–‡†Ǥ ‘ Ž‡–ǯ• ‰‘ Ȃ or, as the Italians would say, Andiamo!