Like most sixth-graders, Nageli Lozano and her classmates at Anacapa Middle School in Ventura read about the Mexican revolution, the Aztecs, Mayans and other ancient civilizations. Her class even wrote to pen pals in Mexico as part of a class project.

But unlike many students, Nageli and classmates read those stories and wrote those letters in Spanish.

"Our teacher did everything possible to practice our Spanish as well as our reading and writing," said Nageli, who will enter the seventh grade at Anacapa in the fall. "I really like it because I can communicate with my friends in English and Spanish. My vocabulary is already as high as what they teach in a high school Spanish class."

As part of the Ventura Unified School District's Two Way Immersion Program, Nageli and about 30 of her classmates have listened to their lessons in both English and Spanish since they were kindergartners at Montalvo School. The students can stay in the program through middle school.

Now, plans are under way to expand the program through high school. The district recently received a $181,000 federal grant for its Expanded Language Opportunities project.

Some of that money will be used to bring the immersion program to Buena, Ventura and Foothill Technology high schools and serve about 750 students.

"We're hoping this approach will benefit a lot of kids and open up career opportunities," said Jennifer Robles, the district's bilingual education program coordinator.

Definition of immersion

Ventura Unified's immersion program began seven years ago at Montalvo with 20 kindergarten students in two classes. That year, teachers taught 90 percent of lessons in Spanish and 10 percent in English.

Parents had to agree for their children to participate in the program. The first classes were a diverse group of bilingual, Spanish-speaking and English-only students, Robles said.

By fifth grade, students were taught 50 percent in English and 50 percent in Spanish.

Robles said the key was teaching students at an early age. "It's pretty phenomenal when you see their literacy level by the time they finish fifth grade," Robles said.

In Nageli's sixth-grade class, for example, social studies was taught completely in Spanish and math in English.

Montalvo Principal Michele Dean, who recently completed California Lutheran University doctorate research on teachers in dual-language programs, said there are currently 321 similar programs nationwide. And the number keeps growing.

The nationwide push for school foreign language programs stems partly from President Bush's National Security Language Initiative, which was the source of Ventura's latest grant.

According to the State Department, less than 1 percent of American high school students study Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Russian or Urdu. Less than 8 percent of U.S. college undergraduates take foreign language courses and less than 2 percent study abroad.

Foreign language emphasis

The goal of the National Security Language Initiative is to increase the number of Americans who study foreign languages in grades K-12.

The Hueneme School District also has an immersion program, and the Rio School District is seeking students to participate in its Dual Immersion Magnet Program, which will open at Rio Real School in the fall.

"As people understand that we live in a global society, and the need for second language acquisition, these types of programs will continue to grow," Dean said. "Children are like sponges, and we need to start them earlier than having them sitting down with a language textbook in the seventh or eighth grade."

Ventura's grant also will help the district expand its immersion program to another elementary school and develop a new middle school program.

Once the students reach high school, there are also plans to offer classes that could lead them to careers such as language interpreters in court, hospitals, police departments, banks, telephone companies and Spanish media.

This summer, some Ventura Unified teachers will shadow professionals in those fields, Robles said.

Eloise Castañeda said granddaughter Nageli has flourished in the program. Castañeda, a teacher specialist in Ventura's migrant education program, said Nageli has a deeper appreciation for Spanish and American culture through the program.

Nageli said she plans to become a math or Spanish teacher.

"I really like it because I also continue my family tradition by speaking Spanish," she said.