Lower School

The Lower School Spanish Language Program is designed for the girls to develop an appreciation for Spanish language and culture. Language is contextualized and interdisciplinarily linked with other subjects that the students are currently exploring. Kindergarten and 1st grade students become familiar with the basics of the language through music, puppets, and games. 2nd grade girls continue to build their oral, listening, and written proficiency through games, songs, and books. 3rd and 4th grade students start to develop reading and writing skills at the sentence level, while strengthening their spoken communication skills in class with various conversation activities.

Middle School

The Middle School Spanish Language program is designed to help students develop a solid foundation and self-confidence with the language, as well as to gain an understanding and an appreciation for the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Each grade level continues to strengthen the skills acquired in the Lower School courses, while focusing more deeply on the details of grammar and communication. 5th grade students explore the conjugation of verbs and practice answering questions about a variety of authentic situations. 6th graders learn to conjugate all present tense verbs, practice maintaining a five-minute conversation, and generate written responses to simple questions in paragraph form. The 7th and 8th grade Spanish program is a two-year equivalent to high school Spanish I. Students read, write, speak, and even sing in Spanish on a daily basis. Covering the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary of Spanish I prepares most students to continue with Spanish II when they enter 9th grade.