Our Immersion Program

Immersion Model at McDonald International Elementary School

McDonald International Elementary School is a language immersion school offering a curriculum infused with global awareness and cultural competence at every grade level. Our students receive instruction for half the day in English and half the day in either Spanish or Japanese. Mathematics and science are taught in Japanese or Spanish, while reading, writing, and social studies are taught in English.

For more information about the curriculum at McDonald International Elementary School, please visit the school site hosted by Seattle Public Schools here. 

Benefits of Language Learning 

Learning a second language is incredibly powerful for boosting brain development and leads to greater mental flexibility. As the brain adapts to new tools for communicating, it learns new ways of

  • problem solving

  • understanding math concepts and

  • increasing memory, focus, and decision-making.

Learning a second language also makes it easier to learn even more languages in the future.

Benefits of Maintaining a Native Language

Students who are native speakers of Spanish or Japanese benefit from the program in additional ways. By nurturing their English language skills, they enjoy all the same language learning benefits of native English speakers. Further, the school’s ability to foster their native language development creates:

  • Strong connections with family and culture and

  • A sense of identity and pride. 

Even more powerfully, for students who are not yet fluent in English, the ability to communicate in their native language opens up the possibility of:

  • Deeper conversations and connections with adults and peers who speak their native language, which allows for

  • Uninterrupted emotional and intellectual development.

When children are asked to communicate only in a language they are not fluent in, their ability to practice social skills and intellectual reasoning is limited by their language proficiency, rather than their social, emotional, and intellectual abilities. 

Global Mindset at McDonald International Elementary School

In addition to learning the language itself, McDonald students (& families) learn about the music, dances, food, games, holidays, & cultures more broadly of our highlighted languages, as well as from the incredibly diverse & global community that chooses to attend. It would be impossible to leave the school without understanding that our world is rich with variety in how we can communicate, celebrate, play, nourish, & learn. 

This global mindset is integrated into the McDonald experience through:

  • Activities & lessons in the classrooms - celebrating holidays, making food, singing songs, and learning about customs;

  • Friendships with families that include native speakers who bring their cultural expertise; and 

  • Tentpole school events, including Dia De Los Muertos/Obon in the Fall and International Night in the Spring. Both events include crafts, games, food, and student performances that highlight the cultures represented. 

Sources

  • Ellen Bialystok (2012). Bilingualism: Consequences for mind and brain.

  • Jim Cummins (2001). Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue.

  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017). Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English.