Foreign Language
At St. Cecilia Catholic School, we understand the vital importance of cross-cultural communication. Our Spanish Program is designed to teach children the fundamentals of the language, as well as give them a better understanding of the Spanish speaking cultures. St. Cecilia Catholic School offers Spanish classes to all PK3 through Eighth grade students. Conversational Spanish, vocabulary and grammar are highlighted as students progress through the years.
In addition to our regular Spanish classes, we offer a Spanish for Spanish Speakers class for students in Kinder through Eighth grade. The Spanish for Spanish Speakers class allows our program to challenge our native Spanish speaking students.
Curriculum Overview
Our preschool, elementary, and middle school curriculum is designed to offer young students a positive world language experience as well as language acquisition.
The curriculum is aligned with the “World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages” developed out of a collaboration among ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and numerous other national associations.
Students participating in our Spanish program are exposed to all facets of the language. We believe that learning a language is much more than just memorizing vocabulary lists. The general objectives of the Spanish Program at St. Cecilia Catholic School are to:
- Provide an activity-rich, non-threatening environment for children to channel their natural curiosity as they begin to learn Spanish.
- Train children’s ears to recognize the sounds of Spanish.
- Have the students comprehend the spoken language in the form of directions, commands, questions, and structured conversations.
- Participate in brief conversations over familiar topics using simple sentences.
Our instructors highlight the following skills at each level:
Early Childhood
- Exposure to the Spanish language through songs, stories, games, pictures, and group activities.
- Build vocabulary through thematic units.
- Explore beginning, basic grammar concepts.
- Exposure to a variety of Hispanic cultural events, centered around holidays and cultural customs.
- Make comparisons between English and Spanish cultures which fosters cultural awareness, mutual respect, and tolerance.
Elementary
- Demonstrate mastery of basic vocabulary previously covered.
- Exposure to the Spanish language through songs, stories, games, pictures, puzzles, and group activities.
- Build and expand vocabulary through thematic units.
- Explore basic grammar concepts.
- Read and understand basic vocabulary.
- Exposure to a variety of Hispanic cultural events, centered around holidays and cultural customs.
- Make comparisons between English and Spanish cultures which fosters cultural awareness, mutual respect, and tolerance.
Middle School
6th and 7th Grade:
- 6th grade covers the first half of Spanish 1.
- 7th Grade covers the second half of Spanish 1.
- In depth review of vocabulary and grammar concepts covered Elementary School.
- Vocabulary and grammar concepts are expanded upon.
- Learn strategies to assist in building vocabulary.
- Continue to build upon the foundation of oral and written communication in alignment with the national standards set by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
- Develop cultural awareness as we explore Hispanic Countries and their culture.
- Make connections between Spanish and other subjects to enhance their knowledge.
8th Grade:
- Covers the first half of Spanish 2.
- In depth review of vocabulary and grammar concepts covered in Spanish 1.
- Vocabulary and grammar concepts are expanded upon.
- Learn strategies to assist in building vocabulary.
- Continue to build upon the foundation of oral and written communication in alignment with the national standards set by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
- Develop cultural awareness as we explore Hispanic Countries and their culture.
- Make connections between Spanish and other subjects to enhance their knowledge.
