How Long Does It Take?

Tamales

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Levels of Language Proficiency


Basic Social Language

Like the leaves of a tamale, which are most visible and the easiest part of the tamale to prepare, social language is

  • Most visible
  • Easiest to learn (usually within 2 years) because it is everyday, concrete language
  • Conversational, play ground language

Academic Language

Like the dough of the tamale, which is the sustenance and  hardest to prepare, academic language:

  • Is sustenance for and fundamental to school environment, requiring academic  vocabulary for science, geography, social studies
  • More complex language, abstract ideas
  • Requires 5 – 7 years to learn

Stages of Learning to Speak a Second Language

Stages of Lang Learning

Your children are not only learning the academic material but also learning English.  It is important to be patient and remember: while it takes 2 years for social language to develop it can take 5-7  years for them to read at grade level.

With permission from Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado.  Multicultural Student Services 2006