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The St.
Mary’s Spanish program serves students in grades K-8. Senora
Lisbeth Klebba is our
full-time Spanish teacher.
The
Spanish program is based on the distinctive characteristics and needs found
at each level of cognitive, social, psychomotor, and educational
development, as well as the insights of second language acquisition research
and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Some specific
applications implemented in our Spanish program are:
* Curriculum and instruction are
organized according to a communicative syllabus rather than a grammatical
syllabus. Grammar is presented for usage rather than analysis; grammar for
its own sake is not the object of instruction.
* Instruction is affectively engaging,
made meaningful and memorable through the use of story form and activities
such as storytelling, music, games, rituals, drama, and celebrations.
* Assessment of learning is frequent,
regular, and ongoing in a manner that is consistent with targeted standards,
program goals, and teaching strategies.
* Mrs. Klebba conducts short
instructions in the target language with minimal use of the native language.
To
supplement these applications, we strive to find relevant cultural
activities to add spice and flavor to the average class day. For example,
our second through sixth grade classes spend a unit studying the Day of the
Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in Mexico. They thoroughly enjoy it!
Students
are also taught some basic Catholic prayers in Spanish such as the Sign of
the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Glory Be.
Curriculum
for the year 2008-2009
Spanish
K-6
Spanish is
taught in grades K-6 once a week for fifty minutes.
K + 1st grade
students study Greetings/Farewells, Colors, Numbers, Animals, Days of the
Week, Expressions of Courtesy, (Please, Thank You, and You Are Welcome), How
to ask how someone feels, and tell how they feel in Spanish.
2nd + 3rd
grade students study all of the above plus the Body Parts, Times of Day
(Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night), Ask someone’s name, Give their
names, and some basic communicative sentences and commands such as, “May I
use the restroom?, Get a drink of water?, Repeat, and I don’t understand?”
4th,
5th, and 6th grade students study all of the above
plus Ask someone for a third party’s name, Tell a third party’s name,
Identify classroom objects, Inquire about someone, Identify numbers 1-29
and Use numbers in everyday situations.
Middle
School Spanish
7th
and 8th grade students are taught on a quarterly schedule.
Students in middle school may take Spanish for one quarter during the school
year. Spanish is taught everyday for 50 minutes for 9 weeks.
Most of our
middle school students have had little or no exposure to the Spanish
language, therefore the 9 week quarters take on a very fast-paced
“crash-course” to a High School level Introductory Spanish I course.
The students
study Cognates, Greetings/Farewells, Courtesy Phrases, Introductions,
Spanish Names, Numbers 0-100, Spanish-Speaking Countries of the World, The
Spanish Alphabet, Teen Life in other cultures, Likes and Dislikes, Time,
Days of the Week, Months of the Year, Seasons, Weather, Parts of the Body,
Spanish Music, and Restaurant Etiquette.
The 7th
grade students are given a culture poster/presentation project where they
are required to research a Spanish Speaking Country and present a poster
with pictures, maps, and descriptions of various criteria.
The 8th
grade students are given a menu/restaurant project where they are to learn
the Spanish names for common foods, translate a Spanish menu, and be able to
order and communicate the most common restaurant-related dialogue in
Spanish. They are taken on a field trip to a Spanish/Mexican restaurant on
their last day to use their skills.
Graduates of the
St. Mary’s program are competent in basic Spanish communication and in some
cases are prepared to enter Spanish II in High School. More importantly,
our graduates are aware of the many dimensions that make up the web of
culture and community.
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