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In Middle School Spanish we strive to deepen interest in and appreciation of the Spanish language and the varied Spanish-speaking cultures and countries. In an effort to work with the varying levels of Spanish speaking proficiency, the Middle School Spanish program divides students into three separate groupings per grade level for 6th and 7th grade. Students are divided based on their level of Spanish speaking ability. One class is for new/beginning speaking Spanish students, the second class is for intermediate Spanish speaking students, and the third class if for native/almost fluent speaking Spanish students. These classes are determined by the school’s Spanish teachers in conjunction with the Assistant Head. So that the students have some time to work in mixed groupings, at least once a week, the various levels come together to work on a group project and/or assignment. Although the 8th grade Spanish class remains a mixed group of students, special attention is given to those students who are at a high level of Spanish speaking proficiency.
In all of our Spanish classes, the focus is on developing students' fluency. Students learn to produce questions, answers, commands, and target vocabulary with good pronunciation. Once students have understood the relationship between letters and their sounds, they read and write Spanish. We teach the basic grammatical constructs through experiential learning and direct instruction.
Our middle school program not only encourages that the students' approach the language on an academic level but also reaches out to tap the extraordinary resources the Latino community offers. Spanish television, radio, audio and video cassettes, and cultural celebrations are all part of the middle school program.
The SF School Spanish program is designed to meet the full range of student language proficiency and to prepare students who are developmentally ready to master Spanish in 8th grade to pass into a High School Spanish II course. Furthermore, it aims to build a strong foundation for all to be enthusiastic language learners and to succeed in a High School language course.
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