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UST Education Students Promote Literacy, Parental Involvement
4/30/2010
 Students in University of St. Thomas Dual Language and Spanish language arts programs presented literacy activities to students and parents of Wharton Dual Language Academy on Tuesday, April 20. The event was organized and planned by these students as a service learning project.
Built in the 1920s, Wharton is one of the oldest schools in Houston, and well as the only Pre-K to eighth grade Dual Language school in the area.
“Dual language programs are growing in popularity in Texas and the Houston area due to the success of this innovative methodology,” said Dr. Ginny Torres-Rimbau, director of Bilingual and Dual Language Education at UST. “Both English-speaking and Spanish -speaking students are integrated in the same classroom from the time they enroll in school and are immersed in both languages with the goal of becoming bilingual and biliterate.”
 The school’s cafeteria was transformed into a “Magical Forest” to follow the event’s theme. UST students read books related to the theme to the students of Wharton, rewarding them with prizes for their participation in the literacy activities.
UST students demonstrated reading comprehension activities that could be implemented at home by the parents to help their children improve reading and writing skills.
“I am extremely pleased to see these future teachers understand the importance of parental involvement in an effort to bring parents and students from different language and cultural groups together,” Torres-Rimbau said. “Although reading was the goal, the students at Wharton Dual Language Academy were engaged and entertained as well.”
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