Spanish

      The Spanish curriculum at the Campus School has three central goals. First, students study Spanish to develop confidence and beginning skills in Spanish and to experience the intellectual pleasure that can come from the study of a foreign language. Secondly, we want students to understand that language is an important means of understanding and appreciating another culture. And finally, we believe that the study of a foreign language helps children understand that all languages have a structure, that there is a general set of rules that are common to all languages, and that understanding these rules can help us understand not only Spanish but other languages, including English, as well.

      Children in grades three through six participate in the Spanish program. The program begins with oral language study designed to help children develop an “ear” for the sounds of Spanish. Students learn common phrases and essential vocabulary through classroom conversations, drama, role-playing, games, and singing. In the fifth and sixth grade students continue building oral language skills, begin work with written Spanish, and are introduced formally to the grammatical structure of the language.

     The Spanish curriculum includes opportunities to learn about some aspects of Spanish and Latino history and culture. Students are introduced to art and literature from Spanish speaking countries, learn a variety of traditional and contemporary songs, and are introduced to native speakers through both visitors and pen-pals. In addition, the content of the Spanish curriculum is integrated with the schools social studies program through the study of the “geography” of the Spanish language, medieval Spain, Spanish colonization of the Americas and the ways in which immigrants from Spanish speaking countries are currently influencing our language and our culture.