Spanish

Kindergarten through 5th Grade
The overall objective in Spanish class from Kindergarten through 2nd grade is to develop listening and speaking proficiency. The students will comprehend basic vocabluary, structures, and expressions essential for everyday communication. The students in 3rd through 5th grades will acquire language proficenecy through speaking, reading, and writing. They will study the diversity of cultures in the Spanish-speaking world.

6th Grade
Sixth grade students meet with me, four times a week for one semester. I assess their level of proficiency and bring them all to the same page with an evaluation exam at the end of the semester. We do several projects, including, piata and quesadilla parties (Christmas or 5 de Mayo).

7th Grade
Seventh grade students meet throughout the year four times a week. We start our textbook Paso a Paso and we will cover the first half of it during this year. This is a High School textbook, corresponding to Spanish 1. Great emphasis is placed on speaking and listening Spanish using videos, music and paired and group activities. 80% of the language spoken by the teacher in the classroom is Spanish, individual attention is given via tutoring and student-teacher conferences, my main objective is to make the student feel secure to step out of his comfort zone and express herself in the foreign language. An individual or group project is required at the end of each chapter. There is ample opportunity for celebrating Spanish culture and holidays.

8th Grade
Eighth grade students meet all year, 3 times a week. We continue using Paso a Paso textbook, preparing the students to take the placing exam for High School, which will determine whether or not they will be taking Spanish II in their freshman year. We follow the pace set during 7th grade.

"The Family"
Students are assigned ramdomly to a "family' (4-5). The students themselves will decide their role in the family; mother, father, child, etc. They will be working with their family for a semester; they will develop a Spanish last name, pick which country their family comes from, coat of arms, house size and type, professions, ages, likes and dislikes, favorite vacation spots, etc., in a nut shell every thing that a regular family will do, but in Spanish. The students seem to like the idea, they love to work in groups and be able to have a say in what they are doing, I am very excited about this approach since I see the students are enthusiastic and willing to try it.