The foreign language program at the School of Saint Mary is an introduction to the culture and history of Spanish-speaking people. The program is for students in grades 1-8. In these grades, students practice speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. Students work on basic vocabulary, grammar and idioms which are relevant to their daily lives. The program increases in difficulty from 5th to 8th grade and many of our 8th graders test out of Spanish I in high school after completing our course of study.
The 1st through 4th grade students meet four times a week for a total of sixty minutes per week. The 5th grade meets four days a week for a total of eighty minutes a week. Middle school students (grades 6-8) meet five days a week for a total of 225 minutes a week for one semester.
Curriculum
Grades 1-2
- Learn vocabulary by thematic units with the addition of vocabulary to the units each year
- Compose simple sentences with learned vocabulary by the end of 2nd grade
- Participate in celebrations of Hispanic holidays, feast days, songs, legends and traditions
Grades 3-5
- Read, write and speak in Spanish
- Cross-curricular units with homeroom teachers
- Verb conjugation and other grammar aspects in grade 5
- Use conversational Spanish
Grade 6
- Conjugate and use irregular verbs
- Read, write and speak in Spanish
- Study cultural references through the Media Center
- Study Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures
Grade 7
- Use thematic based vocabulary
- Conjugate regular and irregular verbs
- Use grammar applications (number and gender)
- Use conversational Spanish in “real life” applications
Grade 8
- Use thematic based vocabulary
- Conjugate regular and irregular verbs present tense, past tense and imperfect tense
- Conjugate reflexive verbs
- Use grammar applications (direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, etc.)
- Use conversational Spanish