Registration is now open for Spanish classes for the 2016-17 academic year at the University Language Academy for Children for pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade, as well as middle school. The latter program is now in its second year for the academy, which opened in 2010.
For pre-K through fifth grade, classes meet four times a week, Monday-Thursday from 3:15-4:10 p.m. or 4:20-5:15 p.m. Classes are at the University Primary School (Children’s Research Center), 51 E. Gerty Drive, Champaign.
For middle school, classes are offered three times a week, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 3:45-5 p.m. Classes are at the Foreign Languages Building, 707 S. Mathew Ave., Urbana.
The academy’s academic year begins Sept. 6 and ends May 20.
Classes are taught entirely in the second language and are available for all levels, including beginners with no prior experience and students who grew up with the language in the household. The academy is a university-based laboratory school that facilitates teaching and research as an initiative of the department of Spanish and Portuguese.
At the end of the academic year, students receive a certificate of completion.
“We have highly experienced teachers, fluent in their language of instruction, who serve as models for successful language exposure,” said professor Silvina Montrul, the academy founder and director, a professor of Spanish and linguistics, and the director of the Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Lab at Illinois. “Our classes immerse children in a new language, fostering an appreciation for different cultures while deepening the understanding of their native language.”
The program approaches language learning with content-based projects in which students are exposed to the Spanish language through the exploration of themes such as the natural world, music and art.
The cost for the pre-K through fifth grade program is $75 for the application fee and $219 per month for classes. The cost for the middle school program is $75 for the application fee and $170 per month for classes. A sibling discount is offered. Registration is for the entire year and three payment options are available: year in full, by semester or monthly.
For more information, including curriculum, philosophy and staff biographies, visit http://www.languageacademy.illinois.edu/, email languageacademy@illinois.edu or call 217-265-9002.
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