Tokyo Korean Elementary School’s Excellent English Immersion Program    [04-04-2009] On March 11, The Kids Times had a chance to visit Tokyo Korean Elementary School in Japan. The school is famous for its excellent English Immersion programs. We met up with an English teacher at the school, Mark Valens. He explained to us about the school’s language programs. We were very surprised to learn about the school’s effective English learning system. Tokyo Korean Elementary School’s language program provides an excellent curriculum, conforming to Korean and western education standards. The school adheres to the highest academic standards to develop the students’ abilities to speak, read, and write in English, Japanese, and Korean. “It is our goal to help students become fluent in English as part of their overall education,” said Mr. Valens. “To achieve this goal, the Tokyo Korean Elementary School has established an Immersion English Education Program.” The English program is designed for children whose first language is not English. The school teaches subjects such as mathematics, science, and music in English. “The more students are exposed to English in real-life situations, the better their English will become,” he added. At the school, English is used for one half of the day for all grades. In grades 1 and 2, students learn mathematics, science, art, physical education, and music in English. Grade 3 students learn science, physical education, and music in English. In grades 4 and 5, students receive a total of 11 classes per week in English. The courses include language arts, science and music. The grades 3-5 program is called the “Modified English Immersion Program.” The grade 6 program is called the “Intensive English Program.” The English programs are made up of 4 sections: oral communication, listening, reading, and writing. Oral communication helps students develop the oral communication skills. The development of oral language provides the foundation needed to enable students to learn to read and write. Listening and speaking skills are developed together in the classroom. This is because they are inseparable in real-life situations. In order to help students develop a rich English vocabulary, the school provides them with many opportunities to read a wide variety of books. Lastly, the school’s English Immersion program gives the students many chances to write for various purposes to master writing skills. “Basic writing skills such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation are important. So, we are focusing on teaching basic skills,” said Mr. Valens.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)