We have a fun curriculum that teaches several themes throughout the year .
We strive to be a Spanish Immersion Program, which means that our lessons begin the year in English and teach the Spanish vocabulary, but then we move to teaching the lessons mostly in Spanish so that the students are exposed fully to the Spanish language. We make the content comprehensible by using manipulatives, gestures, pictures and lots of repetition (we may use English to clear up confusion).
We believe that in order for children to learn a language, they must be able to experience it in numerous ways that engage different areas of multiple intelligence.
That is why our curriculum uses several different methods to reinforce target vocabulary for each unit. For example, we might play a game that is centered around the theme and uses manipulatives that reinforce target vocabulary. Then we have a lesson in which the students engage in hands-on activities with the target vocabulary. And finally, we conclude the lesson with a craft activity to help children remember the target vocabulary.
With every themed unit that we cover throughout the year, students receive vocabulary cards to take home. That way, parents can practice the target vocabulary with their children to help reinforce the new language that they are learning.
The once-weekly Spanish classes are designed to expose the children to simple vocabulary in a fun and non-threatening way. Since the classes only meet once a week, we do not expect the children to become bilingual in a short amount of time. We simply want them to learn basic vocabulary and to cultivate a love of learning Spanish. Becoming fluent in a second language requires much time (often multiple years) and much exposure to the language.