Children are receptive to language acquisition at an early age, and the program seeks to inspire and excite younger students through active learning, music and body movement. Songs composed for the purposes of language acquisition provide children with vocabulary, proper pronunciation and a comfort level with Spanish that create natural transitions to the spoken language, whether used to narrate or to converse. Memorization in the context of a song is fun, and serves the children well as they progress in the program.
At the Pre-school level, basic Spanish words and language structures are taught through songs, action games, and activities both oral and written. Children focus on themes such as the following:
food
animals
colors
family holiday celebrations
Movement is a particularly useful tool in many Spanish lessons. Spanish songs or phrases may form the verbal structure for a dance routine or sports game. In warm weather, for example, you might find a group of intent students jumping rope in rhythm to a Spanish song they are singing.
In addition to participating in these Spanish activities, elementary students are exposed to written language. We begin to read simple sentences and texts in Spanish and incorporate phrases and sentences into creative work such as drawings or photo collages of families, pets and familiar environments. At every level of the early Spanish curriculum, the emphasis is on the beauty and joy of language, the child's natural abilities and her desire to describe and communicate with the world around her.
Through presentations of dialogues, projects, and short stories, the Elementary program accomplishes four key aims:
to introduce the students to Spanish grammar
to elaborate on language structures
to increase students' vocabulary
to improve their oral expression
Children are encouraged to speak in Spanish. They are also encouraged to participate as much as possible to gain confidence and achieve success.
