Summer Immersion Saturday Offers Spanish Course

This summer, Illinois Wesleyan University will offer a quality Spanish language program for children ages four to 12 as the first initiative of the new IWU Language School for Kids.

Starting in May, the Summer Immersion Saturday School will include activities that teach languages through games, songs, stories, and crafts. Classes will take place 9 to 11 a.m. from May 9 through July 18, and will be held in the Buck Memorial Library. Registration for the summer program is $230 per student for early registration (full payment due by April 14) and $250 after April 14. Multiple child discounts are available.

In the fall of 2016, an afterschool language program will be offered. The Summer Immersion and after-school language programs aim to promote early second language acquisition, and will offer children the opportunity to learn a variety of languages and gain knowledge of the rich cultural traditions of the target language. Research indicates childhood is the ideal time to begin learning a second language.

In accordance with the University’s mission, the school will also provide unique opportunities for students at Illinois Wesleyan. The school will create on-campus teaching opportunities for IWU foreign and second language teacher pre-candidates, offer academic internships in the languages, promote community engagement, and provide teaching experience to enhance competitiveness for post-graduate fellowships.

An initiative of the Language Resource Center, the program is made possible by a Donnocker Innovation Fund Program Grant. The Language Resource Center represents the departments of French, Italian, German, Russian and Asian Languages, Hispanic Studies, and Greek and Roman Studies.