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IN THE CLASSROOM: MUSICALLY LEARNING ARMENIAN
Glendale News Press
Sept 21 2009
Third-graders at Jefferson Elementary learn the language and culture
as part of district program.
The students in Hasmik Chobanyan's third-grade Armenian-language class
at Jefferson Elementary School are often working on their assignments
one minute and singing and clapping the next.
The song the kids are singing is roughly translated to "Armenia,
My Father Land." Three students take the lead at the front of the
class and lead their classmates into it. Soon, the classroom takes
on a sort of party atmosphere.
All of the kids in this class are part of the Glendale Unified School
District's intercultural education program, which has Foreign Language
Academies as one of its programs. The program's aim is to teach
the kids to speak a higher-level, academic language, said Jefferson
Elementary Principal Greg Mooshagian.
"[The students receive] a high level of literacy in two languages,"
Mooshagian said. The program is beneficial to the school because it
is able to maintain a high population and high test scores, he added.
"Students are happy with the program," he said.
The program is several years old and offers instruction in Spanish,
German, Korean, Italian and Armenian at other schools throughout
the district. The program was awarded two rare grants by the
U.S. Department of Education to allow the program to offer education
in Spanish at Toll Middle School and Korean at another middle school
campus by 2013.
Students enrolled in the FLAG Armenian program are part of the
Heritage Language Magnet Program. All students are assessed before
enrolling in the program to determine their success level, due to the
rigorousness of the program and the requirement of having to learn
a different alphabet.
Instruction is also given in English, which occurs in the latter part
of the students' day. The children in Chobanyan's class learn through
storytelling, writing assignments, reading assignments and music --
all in Armenian. Students are given homework to do each night, are
given spelling tests each week and also work with their parents at
home. Students enroll in the program in kindergarten.
Overall, Chobanyan said, her kids are excited to learn the Armenian
language, history and culture.
Students are also able to connect with their heritage and maintain
their identity, she said.
Singing "Armenia, My Father Land" is just one example of that, she
added. Her goal is to give her students the ability to maintain ties
with Armenia and to contribute to its development.
"We have an oral expression period where they get to speak Armenian,
so they learn many new words," Chobanyan said.
KIDS TALK BACK
The Glendale News-Press visited Hasmik Chobanyan's third-grade
Armenian-language class, offered as part of the Foreign Language
Academies program, Monday afternoon at Jefferson Elementary School,
where students were busy learning and improving their knowledge of
the language. We asked, "What is your favorite thing about being
enrolled in the Armenian-language class?"
"The best part is story time."
DAVID AKCHARIAN, 8
"I like stories, especially the one about the donkey."
ANTHONY GHADINI, 7
"I like everything. My instructor is really nice."
KRISTOPHER CODY AZIZKHANI, 8
"We have this reading book; it's in Armenian. We read it. I also like
the story and the songs."
LISA GHARIBIAN, 8
Glendale News Press
Sept 21 2009
Third-graders at Jefferson Elementary learn the language and culture
as part of district program.
The students in Hasmik Chobanyan's third-grade Armenian-language class
at Jefferson Elementary School are often working on their assignments
one minute and singing and clapping the next.
The song the kids are singing is roughly translated to "Armenia,
My Father Land." Three students take the lead at the front of the
class and lead their classmates into it. Soon, the classroom takes
on a sort of party atmosphere.
All of the kids in this class are part of the Glendale Unified School
District's intercultural education program, which has Foreign Language
Academies as one of its programs. The program's aim is to teach
the kids to speak a higher-level, academic language, said Jefferson
Elementary Principal Greg Mooshagian.
"[The students receive] a high level of literacy in two languages,"
Mooshagian said. The program is beneficial to the school because it
is able to maintain a high population and high test scores, he added.
"Students are happy with the program," he said.
The program is several years old and offers instruction in Spanish,
German, Korean, Italian and Armenian at other schools throughout
the district. The program was awarded two rare grants by the
U.S. Department of Education to allow the program to offer education
in Spanish at Toll Middle School and Korean at another middle school
campus by 2013.
Students enrolled in the FLAG Armenian program are part of the
Heritage Language Magnet Program. All students are assessed before
enrolling in the program to determine their success level, due to the
rigorousness of the program and the requirement of having to learn
a different alphabet.
Instruction is also given in English, which occurs in the latter part
of the students' day. The children in Chobanyan's class learn through
storytelling, writing assignments, reading assignments and music --
all in Armenian. Students are given homework to do each night, are
given spelling tests each week and also work with their parents at
home. Students enroll in the program in kindergarten.
Overall, Chobanyan said, her kids are excited to learn the Armenian
language, history and culture.
Students are also able to connect with their heritage and maintain
their identity, she said.
Singing "Armenia, My Father Land" is just one example of that, she
added. Her goal is to give her students the ability to maintain ties
with Armenia and to contribute to its development.
"We have an oral expression period where they get to speak Armenian,
so they learn many new words," Chobanyan said.
KIDS TALK BACK
The Glendale News-Press visited Hasmik Chobanyan's third-grade
Armenian-language class, offered as part of the Foreign Language
Academies program, Monday afternoon at Jefferson Elementary School,
where students were busy learning and improving their knowledge of
the language. We asked, "What is your favorite thing about being
enrolled in the Armenian-language class?"
"The best part is story time."
DAVID AKCHARIAN, 8
"I like stories, especially the one about the donkey."
ANTHONY GHADINI, 7
"I like everything. My instructor is really nice."
KRISTOPHER CODY AZIZKHANI, 8
"We have this reading book; it's in Armenian. We read it. I also like
the story and the songs."
LISA GHARIBIAN, 8