Take a Target Lanugage Field Trip
In order to raise the "power" of the non-dominate language, it is important to take field trips in that language. Staff at the location can be contacted prior to your visit if necessary. They must be open to providing this experience for your students. You may have to visit the site, or take the tour that your class will receive in order to plan for their time there. It is essential that the day is completely in the target language rather than just dialog that is translated from English.
Here are some suggestions for possible locations to visit.
Environmental Park
A nature park provides an outdoor experience that is vocabulary rich. Have a sheet made up for a scavenger hunt. After touring the park, students can go off in groups or pairs to try to locate all of the
Historical Sites
Visiting a historical site is especially powerful after studying a period of time in history. Make sure that your students know the vocabulary that will be used before venturing to your destination. This type of trip will most likely require a visit prior to your field trip unless they have staff available to lead tours in your target language.
Zoo
Visiting the zoo is one of the easiest field trips for a dual language program. You will most likely not need any prior authorization. Your students will be put with a chaperone that speaks the non-English language. It is important that you stress to the adults that everyone speaks in the target language for the durartion of the experience.
Botanical Garden
After a plant or botany unit, a trip to a botanical garden can be a great way to reinforce what has been learned in the classroom.
Ethnic Experiences
If you are close to a large city, a trip to an ethnic part of town can be a powerful experience for your students. Arranging for the students to eat lunch at an ethnic restaurant is also a great idea for a field trip of this kind. If this type of experience is not possible where you live, a trip to an ethnic grocery store / restaurant can be a good alternative.
Dance Performance
Check with theaters in your area that host dance troupes. These performances are sometimes done in their native language. If you cannot find one in your area, consider having a group come to you. Explain that you would like to have the experience in the target language. Most groups are quite responsive to these requests.
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