Lower School Spanish
Practice the Spanish song for Revels!
Practice the Spanish song!
Revels is next week. Here you can find a few files with the words and the song. Have fun!
MS student from Guatemala visits fourth grade Spanish.
Fun visit from Guatemalan MS student
An exchange student from Guatemala visited our fourth grade class on Friday November 19th, 2010.
We learned about the Geography of Central America and about the "capiruchos", a toy the Mayans used to play with thousands of years ago. Then we got to make our own "capirucho"!
Now, that was a fun class!
Our exceptional MS exchange student quizzed our fourth graders on Central America and Caribbean geography
¿Cuál es la capital de Guatemala?
We learned about Guatemalan history and culture
He showed us a game Mayans used to play thousands of years ago...
...and then we got to make our own!
"Capiruchos" is the name of the game.
Fun!
Almost got it! ...it's not easy!
He also plays guitar!
Can't wait to get it done so I can play!
There... almost ready...
Guatemala MS exchange student visits third grade Spanish
Third graders visited by MS Guatemala exchange student
On Thursday November 18th, our third graders had a pleasant surprise. One of our MS exchange students from Guatemala visited us and taught us about the "quetzal", the national bird of Guatemala. Then we got to build our own quetzal and we also got Guaemalan bookmarks and friendship bracelets! How fun!
We learned all about the "quetzal"
Now, that's "attention"
Quetzal building!
Thank you! Muchas gracias!
...wow... and we also got bracelets!
Spanish 1
¡Bienvenidos!.jpg)
What a fun adventure it is to learn new languages!
Welcome to our first grade Spanish class.
Our first grade students are starting to build their arsenal of vocabulary words and expressions in Spanish with games, songs and projects. Classroom objects, greetings, colors, numbers, weather expressions and clothing... ask your kid about them! More information on curriculum contents coming up in our Moodle page.
Please visit the link below to play with some fun review activities!
Click here to visit our Moodle page (log in required)
Spanish 2
¡Bienvenidos!
In second grade we continue to build up our vocabulary and expressions in Spanish.
To play with some fun review activities, please click the link below:
Click here to visit our Moodle page (log in required)
Spanish 3
Bienvenidos - Welcome
Click here to play fun games and review everything we learn in class!
Spanish 4
Spanish 4
Bienvenidos - Welcome
Click here to visit our Moodle page (log in required)
Spanish 5
Spanish 5
Bienvenidos - Welcome
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We have recently added expressions of permission to our game boards ("Can I...?", "May we...?") and students are learning how to build sentences that have more than one verb.
Spanish
Welcome to Catlin Gabel!
Spanish
Revels Song 2012
Hola amigos!
Here's the Spanish song (half in Spanish and half in Catalonian). Please listen to it (mp3 format) and practice it at home (lyrics included in PDF format). Revels is next week!
All files are at the bottom of this page. Have fun!
Lower School Spanish
"Learning to speak another language means taking one’s place in the human community. It means reaching out to others across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Language is far more than a system to be explained. It is our most important link to the world around us. Language is culture in motion. It is people interacting with people."
Sandra Savignon Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice. Reading, MA Addison Wesley, 1983, p. 187 .
Are there different programs for modern languages?
Which language program does Catlin Gabel offer?
How often do students meet for language class?
What are the goals for language learning?
What is the curricular foundation?
Communication: Communicate in Languages Other Than English
Cultures: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
Connections: Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information
Comparisons: Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture
Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World
Why learning a foreign language?
Children
- Enjoy learning a foreign language
- Are curious about strange sounds and secret codes
- Are curious about customs in other countries
- Are excellent mimics and are less self-conscious about using authentic pronunciation than adolescents or adults
- Enjoy correlating the study of a foreign language with other areas of the school curriculum
- Begin to master the sound system of the foreign language and develop a feeling of “at-homeness” with the language
- Begin to comprehend that knowing a second language may help them in their future careers
Foreign language exposure
- Helps them develop openness to other people, cultures and ways of life
- Helps them attain greater academic achievement in other areas of study
- Develops clearer understanding of the English language and greater sensitivity to structure, vocabulary and syntax
- Improves knowledge of Geography
- Improves their SATs (especially in the verbal area)
- Fosters a sense of humanity and friendship
- Increases students’ adaptability to different environments and modes of acting and thinking
- Provides insights into the human mind and language itself
- Develops the skills and habits essential to the learning process, creative inquiry and critical thinking
- Leads the students to discover and examine their own personal values and civic responsibilities
Lower School Languages
The Lower School Philosophy of Modern Language Instruction
We believe that:
*Acquiring a second language emerges slowly and naturally, and at different rates for different children.
*Words and expressions must be taught in context, not in isolation. Children strive to MAKE SENSE out of new language instruction.
*Children go through several predictable stages as they acquire a second language.
*Children acquire a second language through active engagement.
*The teacher's role is to encourage and guide the student to produce language but should never force performance.
*Language is culture.
*The second language experience can contribute directly to the mastery of first language concepts in the curriculum.
*Elementary students who study another language gain insight and appreciate for other peoples and cultures and a better understanding of their own language and culture.
*Vocabulary should be taught in context, never in lists. Many repetitions of vocabulary are necessary, in the same lesson and in subsequent lessons. We believe this repetition should involve different modalities of learning to assist youngsters with different learning styles.
*Using a "deductive" approach is more natural and holistic than teaching grammar for grammar's sake.
*Using a variety of approaches, methods, materials, and strategies helps students acquire a second language and helps keep interest high.
*Students who study another language show greater cognitive development in such areas as mental flexibility, creativity, divergent thinking, and higher order thinking skills.
*Our students will have a better chance at any job in the future if they have knowledge of another language.
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