Language Immersion
La Scuola is one of the few language immersion schools in the Bay Area. Your child does not need to speak Italian to enroll in our Italian language immersion program.
At La Scuola children learn to speak an additional language in a nurturing and fun environment, often unaware of their multilingual superpowers! In Grades PreK - 3 the primary language spoken in the classroom is Italian. Starting in Grade 4, students learn Spanish as a third language, but in Middle School students can follow different paths, with Italian as their second language and Spanish as their third, or vice versa. Regardless of the path chosen, our Middle School is inherently multilingual due to the diverse languages we provide (English, Italian and Spanish) and our commitment to embracing languages and multiculturalism.
Early exposure to additional languages enables more neural connections to form in a child’s brain, actually improving skills in their first language. Our students are bilingual (many are trilingual) and as a result, have better control over their attention, decision making, and planning than students who learn in one language. Bilingualism is well known to be a strong predictor of academic success and lifelong happiness and Italian especially benefits students with an understanding of Latin roots and an increased ability to appreciate art, music, history, and science.
Statistically, children who study a second language score higher on verbal standardized tests conducted in English, perform better in math and logic skills testing, and are better at solving complex problems. At La Scuola, our language immersion begins with Italian, and we have expanded our offerings to include Spanish starting in Grade 4. Teachers differentiate language instruction according to student ability.
Many of our graduates have continued their language studies in high school, in some cases taking on the study of yet another language.
Hear from Daniela, our Elementary and Middle School Spanish teacher, about the power of language learning!
English Version
Spanish Version
Montreal Model of Language Immersion
Based on evidence-based immersion models, here are the percentages of how languages are used through the grades.
- Preschool: approximately 10% English – 90% Italian
- Grades K-1: approximately 20% English – 80% Italian
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Grade 2: approximately 30% English – 70% Italian
- Grades 3-5: approximately 50% English – 50% Italian
- Grades 6-8: approximately 70% English – 30% Italian
*Specialist subjects may be taught in English or Italian.
As we see from the Reggio Emilia Approach, children inherently have many languages they can communicate through and express themselves with. With language immersion and practicing a second language, we help children discover this natural multilingualism they have within themselves.
Additional Resources: Language Immersion Research
Read more about the benefits of Bilingualism on the Growing Up Bilingual website.