I believe childhood is an ideal time to begin the study of
another language. Starting to learn a foreign language at a young age plays
a critical role in the development of the high levels of language proficiency
required to meet our nation’s needs. Learning a language well takes time. Students
who begin early in their schooling have the opportunity to develop a wide–ranging
vocabulary and to master the syntax required for effective communication. In
addition, the elementary grades are an excellent time to begin to develop positive
cross-cultural attitudes. The students’ knowledge of Spanish will also be an asset
for them in a wide variety of careers and will be a source of enrichment for the
rest of their life.
The goal of the program is to develop proficiency in the Spanish language, as Spanish
is a fast growing second language in the United States. At Holy Family, the Spanish
program starts in 1st grade, giving the students the opportunity to study the language
for eight years. At the completion of their 8th grade year, many students are testing
into Spanish II at the high school level. The primary focus of instruction is on what
the students are able to do with the language when the activity is completed. Culture
is always embedded in the instruction, helping students to understand and appreciate
the way of life, customs, values, and cultures of people from the many different
Spanish-speaking areas of the world. I am a native Spanish speaker from México,
so I will primarily focus on México. In addition, we do crafts, learn songs, watch
videos and taste authentic Latin-American food.
|
Grades 1 – 4
The students in grades 1 through 4 learn Spanish primarily through oral conversation.
They will acquire vocabulary as they learn the following:
- To identify numbers, colors, family, days of the week, months, weather, seasons,
body parts, clothing, sports
- To talk about feelings, likes and dislikes
- To ask and give information about themselves and their families, to tell the date and time
- To use pronouns correctly
- To use the verb “to be” to indicate location
Grades 5 – 8
In the 5th through 8th grade, we focus more on proper grammar, correct spelling and pronunciation.
The students will learn:
- To ask and give information about themselves and their family, their likes and dislikes
- To tell time
- To talk about school and school activities, schedules, subjects and school supplies
- To talk about health, food and body
- To ask for information, and directions, to accept or decline invitations, to give
reasons and to contradict or express preferences
- To use verbs in past tense
|