High School Spanish
In Spanish II, students are continuing to build upon and grow their Spanish grammar knowledge, introduced the year prior. The Spanish II curriculum unpacks the details of various written grammar concepts, along with oral aspects of the language. As students sharpen their skills, these complex concepts begin to connect and form a web of understanding—students are starting to build a comprehensive understanding of the language.
Along with these efforts, students have spent a significant time understanding how to identify parts of speech and comparing and contrasting different expressions in English and Spanish. As we close out the school year, we will continue to draw on our prior knowledge and combine it with new skills in order to communicate more authentically.
The Spanish III students recently finished their studies on a particularly challenging concept and are beginning their final—and most complex—unit of study this year. These students have “graduated” to higher-level Spanish and possess a vast knowledge of Spanish grammar and vocabulary. Spanish III students can identify and demonstrate understanding of many nuances of the Spanish language.
Additionally, Spanish III students are becoming accustomed to a class that can operate in the target language. With the exception of complex concepts that require clarification, students have experienced a significant portion of the second semester curriculum in Spanish and are further expected to conduct themselves using Spanish. Listening skills are continually developed as students also focus on their writing and reading during the last half of Spanish III.
Spanish IV students have been hard at work, as well. Earlier this year, students read the short story, Cajas de Cartón by Francisco Jiménez. Along with that story, students participated in oral vocabulary quizzes that allowed them to practice their ability to communicate with precision in Spanish. Students also presented on, discussed, and debated the theses of their persuasive essays that were thematically related to our unit of study.
These debates and discussions were conducted in Spanish, along with other longer pieces of critical literary analysis. In their final year of Spanish, students are expected to conduct themselves in Spanish regularly. The target language becomes less of a performance and adopts a central role as a daily expectation.