BISO Program: Bilingual School Organization
Ms. Marisa Fernandez – BISO Lead Teacher
marisafernandez@dadeschools.net
BISO stands for Bilingual School Organization. It is a program offered at the elementary level which, in addition to the regular instructional program in the English language, provides instruction in Spanish Language Arts and content areas.
A BISO model is designed to produce students who master listening, speaking, reading and writing both in English and in Spanish.
At Springview Elementary all students in grades K through 3rd participate in the program. Consecutively, one grade level will be added each year.
- Two languages, English and Spanish, are employed for the purpose of instruction.
- English speaking students are incorporated with Spanish speaking students.
- Both groups of students work toward the common goal of becoming bilingual and biliterate in a shared learning environment.
- 60% of the instruction is in English and 40% of the instruction is in Spanish.
- English instruction is given in Reading, Language Arts, Math, and content by the “English teacher”.
- Spanish instruction is given in Spanish Language Arts, Math, and content by the “Spanish teacher.”
- Self-contained classrooms may be necessary. This teacher will teach in both languages.
- Develop higher order thinking skills as students master both languages in a natural setting.
- Encourage the development of language and academic skills in the second language while increasing the mastery of these in the first language.
- Foster the development of bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate individuals.
- Develop prospective secondary students and, future citizens who can compete with equal opportunities in a bilingual and multicultural community.
- Encourage greater interaction between members of both cultures within the school and community.
- Grandparent’s Day Show
- Holiday Program
- Field Trips
- Feria Olé
- Reading Under the Stars
- Guest storytellers, authors, speakers
- Dramatizations and plays
- Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest
Children need to begin to study a foreign language when they start school in order to: |
- have enough time to achieve fluency in the language.
- maximize the brain’s window of opportunity between birth and age 10 for easy language acquisition.
- take advantage of the time when they are more receptive to learning about other cultures.
- increase achievement in all other subject areas, thus increasing test scores.
- develop stronger communication skills in their own language.
- broaden their career possibilities.
Research and Bilingualism |
Positive cognitive gains are associated with learning a second language in childhood.
Bialystok, author of Language Processing in Bilingual Children
Bilingual individuals by knowing two or more words for one object or idea, may possess an added cognitive flexibility.
Baker, author of Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
…the power to learn language is so great in the young child that it does not seem to matter how many languages you throw their way. They can learn as many as you can allow them to hear systematically and regularly at the same time, Their brain is just ripe to do this.
Dr. Susan Curtiws Professor of Linguistics, UCLA
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