BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Salvador Rodriguez, 9, of Bloomington loved going to the zoo during a summer school field trip.
He made a poster about it, and spoke perfect English explaining what he liked best.
"He told me everything they did. He said it's wonderful. This summer he is so happy," said his mom, Juana Rodriguez.
Salvador, whose mom is from Mexico and whose dad is from El Salvador, speaks Spanish. His summer school classmates spoke Cantonese, Chinese, Navajo, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish and Vietnamese and, with the help of teachers and new friends, Salvador can now say "hello" in four languages.
The "English Alive" program in District 87 was aimed for students learning English as a second language. Each day during the three-week program, the 14 K-3 students learned a lesson, and then visited an example: learn about animals, visit the zoo; learn about community helpers, visit police and firefighters.
"We used our eyes, nose, mouths, ears and our language to learn," said Anne Holdren, one of two Stevenson Elementary teachers who developed the program for English language learners at Stevenson and Oakland elementary schools.
It "makes language come to life," she said.
Without such an opportunity, the children would have "limited exposure" to typical summer activities and programs that can help them maintain the English they learned during the school year, said co-teacher Katie Largent, who co-created the program.
"This program was designed with those students' needs in mind," she said.
Japanese siblings Sayato, 6, and Souke Hara, 9, were in the teachers' thoughts when they created the program: How could the children, newly arrived from Okazaki, Japan, be introduced to social and cultural aspects of the community and encouraged to use language in a fun way.
Among the lessons were healthy eating, which included a trip to the grocery store, and American culture and an Independence Day party.
The teachers said they saw significant improvement in the children's knowledge compared to the start of the program.
A finale let the children show off for their parents. Each child spoke and wrote about the program, and parents watched a video of their children at the library, the zoo, a museum and other locations.
Superintendent Barry Reilly said the district would like to offer the program next summer, if funding is available. This year's program was funded through a federal grant.
Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com