Spanish Schoolwide

Research shows that learning a language at an early age is the best way to become proficient. Thus, at St. Michael's, students begin taking Spanish as toddlers. We expose our two-year-olds to the Spanish language, and students continue this study all the way through eighth grade. 

Even from the earliest age, learning a language is about communication. The younger students at St. Michael’s focus on listening and speaking. As these skills develop, reading and writing skills are incorporated. All four skills are key to language development. From age two to 8th grade, students at St. Michael’s develop confidence to become lifelong language learners. 

The Early Childhood and Lower School language programs share two common goals: the first is to understand spoken Spanish, and the second is to improve each student’s ability to communicate in the Spanish language. 

We believe that meaningful interaction in Spanish results in language acquisition. This is accomplished through grade-level listening and reading comprehension activities that build language foundation. Then, students are given a leadership role in their own education, encouraging them to apply and demonstrate their skills through project-based learning. Students are given the confidence and encouragement to personalize their projects through creative, summative assessment projects. 

As students move through each level, the emphasis is on increasing their interpersonal speaking/writing and presentational speaking/writing skills. Students will naturally carry over skills that can be recycled in their language use, adding depth to newly learned material. All the while, they’re exposed to the culture and history of Spanish-speaking peoples. 

Middle School begins a more formal language program. Students start to take notes, expand on vocabulary topics, and focus on accuracy in the use of grammar and different tenses presented. Oral production incorporates all of these new competencies.

Classroom time focuses on oral practice. Students work in pairs and small groups to practice current grammar structures and vocabulary in different scenarios. 

With every unit of study, cultural projects are incorporated. For instance, students have created theme-specific tours of Costa Rica, presentations on selling a house in Ecuador, the cuisine of Argentina, and an introduction to Spanish artists. Students also learn about important celebrations, like the Day of the Dead.