Braden River Elementary dual-language programs sees success in first year in east Bradenton

Frances Vila, a kindergarten teacher at Braden River Elementary School, instructed her class in Spanish to pick up their red crayons and use it to color a crocodile. 

An echo of “rojo” came from the students as they found their red crayons and filled in their crocodiles on a worksheet where they wrote “Yo veo un cocodrilo,” which means “I see a crocodile” in English. 

Once they finished their writing assignment, Vila had her students singing and dancing to a song that taught them how to say numbers in Spanish. 

Her class spent the morning of Jan. 21 learning all their lessons in Spanish before switching to Kaehla Eidson, another kindergarten teacher, to spend the rest of the day learning in English as part of the school’s dual-language program. 

Braden River Elementary is the third school in the School District of Manatee County and the only school in East County to implement a dual-language program that teaches students English and Spanish. 

Two kindergarten classes with a total of 30 students are a part of the dual-language program at Braden River Elementary. 

Vila teaches her students entirely in Spanish while Eidson teaches solely in English. 

Joshua Bennett, the principal at Braden River Elementary, said the dual-language program, which starts in kindergarten and will continue through fifth grade, will help students become bilingual, learn about different cultures and to become lifelong learners.

Arika DeLazzer, the mother of kindergartener Addison DeLazzer, said her daughter is doing fantastic in the program. 

“She loves going to the two different teachers and the two different dynamics of it,” DeLazzer said. “She loves all the songs she’s learning. She’s just grasped onto it so quickly, it’s amazing.”

DeLazzer was hesitant to enroll her daughter in the program because she knew the transition from pre-K to kindergarten itself could be overwhelming, but after hearing about the program from the school and the district, she decided to enroll Addison. She’s glad she did.

Bennett, Vila and Eidson all said the students in the dual-language program are doing well on assessments. The data shows they are learning at the same rate as the students in the school’s regular kindergarten classes. 

Bennett said kindergarteners are at the right age to be able to master the basics in both languages and they need it so they’re able to tackle more complex texts in English and Spanish in second and third grade. 

Courtney Titus, the mother of kindergartener Lilly Titus, was apprehensive to enroll her daughter because she didn't want having to learn two languages delay her learning. 

"Now looking back and having gone through it for this many months, she has flourished," Titus said. "It has added so much interest to her kindergarten experience. It's been amazing. She loves learning a new language, and it's given her a lot of confidence in herself and her abilities. She loves sharing with us all the new words she's learned. I don't feel like the program took away anything. I feel like it added to her education."

The whole Titus family has taken an interest in learning Spanish. Every morning before school, the family uses Duolingo to practice Spanish together.

"It's just been a wonderful addition to the house because it gives her something that's special for her," Titus said. "She can teach us something at the dinner table and tell us about what words she knows."

DeLazzer said her daughter comes home sharing everything she’s learned that day. 

“I just love that she’s learning two different languages,” DeLazzer said. “It’s a great time for her to learn that, and she’s just caught onto it. It’s awesome to see she can do colors, letters, words and she can sing songs in Spanish.”

Vila and Eidson said their students are eager to learn each day.

Students know their colors, numbers, letters and sounds in both languages now, Vila said. They’re working on learning letters, then syllables followed by words and eventually sentences.

“They’re constantly asking, ‘How do you say this in Spanish? How do you say this in English?’” Vila said. “They want to know the language.”

“They’re thriving and have this passion for wanting to know more,” Eidson added. “It makes our job easier, and it makes our job fun to see those lightbulbs going off.”

Do you know some Spanish? Connect the words below to their Spanish translation! Story continues below.

Vila and Eidson are in constant communication with each other on their lesson plans and how their students are doing in their respective classes. They also work with the other kindergarten teachers to ensure they all are teaching the standards in the same timeline, and they also get support from the dual language staff at the district level.

Students spend half the day learning in English and the other half in Spanish. They alternate each week in terms of which class comes first. 

“The kids are constantly immersed every single day so they get to practice every day,” Vila said. 

Eidson and Vila said repetition is key to helping students understand concepts in both languages. Vila uses hand motions and expressions to help students visually understand what she’s saying. For example, when she asked students to color their crocodiles red, she picked up the red crayon and showed the class as she said, ‘Crayola roja.’ 

Vila also incorporates songs and music into her lessons. She created a song to remind students to put their names at the top of their worksheets. 

Next year, the kindergarteners will continue the program in first grade, and another group of kindergarteners will start in the program.

Parents will be able to register their kindergarteners for the dual-language program during the school’s Kindergarten Round Up in the spring.

Titus is excited to see her daughter progress in the program. 

"I can't wait to see her learn more and for her to progress through the Spanish language and actually be able to speak in full sentences and paragraphs," Titus said. "I can't wait for her to have a conversation in Spanish. That will probably be the pinnacle of my excitement because I see it blooming right now."