IN THE CLASSROOM: Spanish acquisition

¡Aprendamos Español!

A new program at Andersen Elementary in Newport Beach is teaching kids Spanish through a fun after-school curriculum that incorporates songs, stories and dialogue.

“Let’s Learn Spanish” is sponsored by the school’s Dads Eliminating Andersen’s Needs, or DEANs. The dads provide for teachers and teacher aides, technology, classroom supplies and capital improvement projects at the 477-student school.

The group’s foundation raised more than $500,000 in the 2007-08 school year, through memberships, corporate matches and fundraising events.

“The DEANs have been wanting a good-quality after-school Spanish program for a long time,” kindergarten teacher and program coordinator Kimberly Wells said.

Kids can participate in any of three after-school sessions on Wednesdays, and are grouped by grade level.

The most popular session is immediately after school; the latest, from 4 to 5 p.m., isn’t as full, but allows for more one-on-one time with the three bilingual teachers, Carol Bryan, Araceli Justiniani and Wells.

“We had so many kids in the first class,” Justiniani said. “It was so beautiful.”

“There’s been a lot of enthusiasm on the part of the children,” Wells said. “We’ve had over 135 kids try to get in; we have waiting lists for the other sections.”

Parents pay $75 per semester to sign their kids up in classes of between 10 and 15 students.

“I think it’s so important for them to learn Spanish in Southern California, and I think it’s much easier to learn as a child than as an adult,” mother Karen Green said.

At the first session Wednesday, kids created puppets that they used to practice dialogue. They also learned a song in Spanish and played a guessing game.

“It’s more experiential,” Wells said. “It’s not something that’s hard to do after school, because it’s a fun activity.”

The goal is that the program will be a foundation for future study in middle and high school, while teaching about different cultures.

KIDS TALK BACK

What did you do on the first day of the after-school Spanish program?

“I played a game in Spanish.”

— Siena Secrist, 8

?

“I learned how to say my numbers in Spanish.”

— Ashley Humphries, 9

?

“I learned different words in Spanish.”

— Reilly Hamilton, 9

?

“We made puppets and talked with them.”

— Maddie Green, 9

CANDICE BAKER may be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at candice.baker@latimes.com.