|
Elementary Spanish Program 1919 14th Street, Suite 421, Boulder, CO 80302303-440-7196 kidsspeakspanish@gmail.com |
Watch the |
Curriculum Information
Auditory I and II Programs
ESP offers two years of auditory curriculum so that young children may have the opportunity to develop strong listening and speaking skills before beginning literacy instruction in Spanish.
- Auditory I is for all students in grades K-2 who have never taken Spanish classes or for students who begin Auditory 1 in Kindergarten and will take Auditory 1 again to reinforce and further develop the skills they learned in Kindergarten.
- Auditory I O (Older) is for students in grades 3-5 who have never taken Spanish classes. Third and fourth grade students in this program will go on to Reading and Writing after completing a year of Auditory 1 O classes.
- Auditory II is for second grade students who have completed the Auditory I program.
The classes consist of songs, games, and other lively activities as well as a workbook from the ¡Viva el Español! series (McGraw-Hill). In addition, this year we are adding an approach called Teaching Proficiency through Storytelling (TPR/S) to our existing program. Students will learn, act out, and create mini-cuentos, or short stories, that help them to put together the vocabulary in fun, interesting, and often silly ways.
Reading and Writing Program
Each child that has completed the Auditory level and is at least in the third grade will automatically be enrolled in Introduction to Reading and Writing. If your child has had Spanish through a different program and is in at least third grade, ESP will also consider enrolling him or her in this level after a more formal assessment.
Introduction to Reading and Writing continues to incorporate games and other activities. For this level, however, the activities will be based on the introduction of culturally rich beginning chapter books. There are four books in the series and they are about a precocious grade school child who has adventures in Mexico and Costa Rica. This level will focus in large part on pre-teaching key vocabulary and structures for the first book, Las aventuras de Isabela, through stories, skits, beginning writing activities, and then introducing and analyzing each chapter.
The strength of the Isabela series is that it is based on the most current research on language acquisition and provides grade school characters that students can relate to. The series also provides natural cultural connections to explore in class because the books are set in Spanish-speaking countries and the characters interact with the people and places throughout the books.
Spanish Literature Program
Students begin Spanish Literature with the same Isabela series as the Reading and Writing this year only (Fall, 2011) because this series is completely new to all students in the ESP program. However, teachers will differentiate instruction by providing more challenging written activities when/if students are ready to do them. In 2012, students in this level will begin with the book Isabela captura un congo, the second book in the series. Hands-on activities such as more complex storytelling and short skits will become a part of this program, and well as weekly journal and free-writing activities that reinforce a student’s understanding of the vocabulary, structures, and content of the Isabela books.
Home | Curriculum | Registration | Fun at Home | Administration | Faculty | Employment | Teacher Zone
Please send comments or suggestions to Elementary Spanish Program at kidsspeakspanish@gmail.com.