• Over 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish and it is one of the official languages of the United Nations

  Spanish is the second most used language in the United States.

• The Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States

• Spanish-language radio and television stations, as well as pod casts, are readily available for access for learning and personal interest

• Instructions for a various services are often offered through a variety of media in Spanish

• Spanish-speaking countries or territories include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela.

• More and more college students are experiencing study abroad and with the large number of Spanish speaking countries, knowing the language can help immensely!

• Since Spanish is a Romance Language, it will help you in understanding French, Portuguese, Romanian, Italian and English

• Many employers seek candidates who are bilingual

• Latino consumers are the fastest growing market segment in North America.  Their population in the U.S.A. has grown by 60% in just one decade and their buying power is expected to exceed 1.3 billion by 2013.

Passport
Companion sights for our textbook, for helping students
with the practice of newly learned material.

MSN Latino
An all-in-one Spanish Internet portal, including daily news, sports and more information

LatinArt
Latin Art.com presents comprehensive information on artists and exhibitions.
The artists section features biographies and interviews with established and
emerging artists from around the world. The exhibitions section reviews major international exhibitions. 

Spanish Arts
Spanish culture at your fingertips is a good way to describe this web site.
From artists to literary figures to Don Quixote this web site
contains links to major Spanish cultural periods and key people in Spanish cultural history.

Univision and Telemundo and CNN En Español
TV channels that show Spanish programs 24 hours a day.

GuideLatinMusic
Guide to Latin music.

Discovery in Spanish

Online French, Italian and Spanish Dictionary

A matching “Concentration”-like game for younger students.

PDictionary
An internet picture dictionary in English, Spanish, German, Italian and French. 
Dictionary is divided by themes such as animals, body parts, numbers, school etc.

Flashcards in Spanish

Foreign Language news and newspapers

ABC World Fact Book
A site with extensive information about countries of the world including their
flags, maps, economy, geography, climate and much more.

The Spanish I course is the first level of a sequential program in the study of Spanish, with a focus on the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural analysis.  There will be a strong emphasis on the interpretive skills which include listening and reading. Students will participate in the target language by responding with gestures or a few words to demonstrate comprehension, reading short stories and novels, writing brief responses, and comparing and contrasting cultural beliefs and practices.  The primary goal of the course is to provide students with a foundation and appreciation for Spanish learning, allowing students to develop communication skills inside the classroom and within their multi-cultural community.  Within the framework of the six AP-based themes, students will explore topics based on Family and School, Physical Characteristics and Personality Traits, Daily Life, Personal Information and Cultural themes related to those topics.  

The Spanish II  course is the second level in a sequential program of Spanish in which students will continue to increase their proficiency in the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Additionally at the second level, students are introduced to communication using the two simple past tenses through a variety of reading and listening materials.  At the end of this course students are expected to function at a Novice-Mid proficiency level according to the ACTFL guidelines.

The Spanish III course is the third level in a sequential program of Spanish in which students will continue and increase their proficiency in the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  They continue to strengthen their skills in these areas using the three modes of learning: interpersonal, interpretational and presentational.  The goals of these modes are to have students interacting, interviewing, listening to music and other audio, reading and then presenting their personal ideas and/or information acquired from various resources.   As they work in these specific areas, they will learn to distinguish between the two main simple, past tenses in Spanish, the preterit and imperfect.  Additionally, they will be introduced to more complex grammar.

The Spanish IV course is the fourth level in a sequential program of Spanish in which students will continue and increase their proficiency in the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  They will continue to strengthen their skills in these areas using the three modes of learning interpersonal, interpretational and presentational.  The goals of these modes are to have students interacting with extended discourse, interviewing, listening to music and other audio, reading and then presenting their personal ideas and/or information acquired from various resources.   As they work in these specific areas, they will learn to distinguish between and use more complicated grammatical structures and modes beyond the scope of Spanish III.

In AP Spanish, students will use authentic reading and audio-visual resources to further develop their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational written, aural, and oral communication abilities.  Students will be expected to communicate primarily in the target language so that these skills are developed to their maximum potential. The primary texts are based on the themes and learning objectives outlined by AP Central.  Huellas 2 is thematically based on various print and audio resources for students to use and help them practice the tasks as well as work through the different learning objectives for each mode they will need to perform on the exam itself. The AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Preparation is a task-based workbook to help students achieve success on the Advanced Placement Exam.

Spanish for Heritage Learners: Students have the option of taking this course for one or as many as four years. The course will enable the student to capitalize upon his/her existing language skills, expand his/her knowledge base and develop his/her ability to read, write and communicate more effectively in the language. The student will recognize regional and dialectal differences, describing varieties of Spanish spoken in the U.S. and throughout the world. The student will also be able to discern cultural differences in the Spanish-speaking community within the U.S. and abroad. The student must demonstrate some proficiency in speaking the language even though he/she has not yet mastered all aspects of grammar and the written language.  Native/heritage students will develop strategic Spanish reading skills, while investigating the literary genres of expository essay, myths, fables, legends, poetry, short stories, and novels. Extended reading and literary selections are taken from adopted texts and recommended reading. Students will produce writing in various formats and genres including well-developed paragraphs, literary response items, expository essays, short stories (narrative), historical documents, and technical documents, while continuing to develop skills in the correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Middle School: This two year course offered in 7th and 8th grade, is the first level of a sequential program in the study of Spanish, with a focus on the skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural analysis.  There will be a strong emphasis on the interpretive skills which include listening and reading. Students will participate in the target language by responding with gestures or a few words to demonstrate comprehension, reading short stories and novels, writing brief responses, and comparing and contrasting cultural beliefs and practices.  The primary goal of the course is to provide students with a foundation and appreciation for Spanish learning, allowing students to develop communication skills inside the classroom and within their multi-cultural community.  Within the framework of the six AP-based themes, students will explore topics based on Family and School, Physical Characteristics and Personality Traits, Daily Life, Personal Information and Cultural themes related to those topics.  

The introductory Grade 3 Spanish course is designed for beginning students with little or no previous knowledge or exposure to Spanish. Students will be introduced to the sound system and some novice level grammatical structures of the target language, This interactive class will focus on age appropriate thematic units that include high frequency vocabulary and structures. Additionally, this course will focus on developing skills in the areas of listening, speaking, basic reading, and writing. Students will be provided with opportunities to strengthen their communicative abilities in Spanish by learning question words, being able to respond to simple yes/no questions, and applying memorized or familiar words and phrases in context. Some example topics of study include everyday vocabulary related to the calendar and time (e.g. days of the week, months of the year, numbers, etc.), high frequency vocabulary with an emphasis on common nouns, verbs, and conjunctions (i.e. sight words), and highly engaging, age-appropriate themes (e.g. greeting others, classroom vocabulary, life at school, animals, places, foods/beverages, etc.) 

Throughout the course, students will also be provided with opportunities to explore topics related to the geography, culture, and people of the Spanish speaking world. The primary goal of the Intermediate School Spanish program is to provide students with a strong foundation and appreciation for language learning while helping students to understand the value of building communications skills in Spanish inside the classroom and within their multicultural community.

The introductory Grade 4 Spanish course is the second year of the Intermediate School Spanish program and is designed for students with some previous knowledge or exposure to Spanish. Students will continue to build on their understanding of the sound system and some novice level grammatical structures of the target language, This interactive class will expand upon previously learned thematic units that include high frequency vocabulary and structures. Additionally, this course will focus on continuing to develop skills in the areas of listening, speaking, basic reading, and writing. Students will be provided with opportunities to strengthen their communicative abilities in Spanish by expanding on what they already know and also learning some common rejoinders and expressions, being able to respond to simple either/or questions, and applying memorized or familiar words and phrases in context. Some example topics of study include everyday vocabulary related to the calendar and time (e.g. dates, times of day, seasons, etc.), high frequency vocabulary with an emphasis on common nouns, verbs, and conjunctions (i.e. sight words), and age-appropriate themes (e.g. making introductions, personal information, emotions, family, etc.) 

Throughout the course, students will also continue to explore topics related to the geography, culture, and people of the Spanish speaking world. The primary goal of the Intermediate School Spanish program is to provide students with a strong foundation and appreciation for language learning while helping students to understand the value of building communications skills in Spanish inside the classroom and within their multicultural community.

The introductory Grade 5 Spanish course is the third year of the Intermediate School Spanish program and is designed for students with some previous knowledge or exposure to Spanish. Students will continue to build on their understanding of the sound system and some novice level grammatical structures of the target language, This interactive class will expand upon previously learned thematic units that include high frequency vocabulary and structures. Additionally, this course will focus on strengthening skills in the areas of listening, speaking, basic reading, and writing. Students will be provided with opportunities to apply their communicative abilities in Spanish by expanding on what they already know and engaging in simple conversations on a variety of topics. Some example topics of study include everyday vocabulary related to the calendar and time (e.g. dates, 12-hour and 24-hour time, schedules, etc.), high frequency vocabulary with an emphasis on common nouns, verbs, and conjunctions (i.e. sight words), and age-appropriate themes (e.g. making introductions, describing self and others, personal hobbies, daily schedules, life at school, likes/dislikes, etc.) 

Throughout the course, students will develop a stronger understanding and awareness of the geography and culture of Spanish speakers around the world and in the United States. The primary goal of the Intermediate School Spanish program is to provide students with a strong foundation and appreciation for language learning while helping students to understand the value of building communications skills in Spanish inside the classroom and within their multicultural community.

Materials: 

Core Resources: 
Somos level 1, The Comprehensible Classroom, 2021

Ancillary Resources:  
Leveled readers 
Garbanzo 
El Mundo en tus Manos (Cultural current events supplement)