St. Anne's School of Annapolis - Where Success Starts

Spanish

The Middle School Spanish Program is centered on three questions:

  • “How does one really come to understand other cultures and perspectives?”
  • “How does the study of foreign languages improve human understanding throughout the world?”
  • “How are we enriched by the study of foreign languages?

These questions provide the framework for our purpose in teaching foreign language. With these broader purposes in mind, Fifth Grade students continue to build upon the vocabulary and communication skills taught in the Lower School Spanish Program.

Fifth Grade students have an opportunity to listen to and read simple stories using Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS), as well as have the opportunity to prepare skits, create stories and dialogues, sing, dance, play games and learn about Hispanic culture. Students explore the significance of Hispanic holidays, traditions and culture throughout the year with stories and crafts.Fifth Graders also begin the acquisition process of basic linguistic structures such as expressing preferences and states of being; recognizing and using first and third person singular verb forms, prepositional phrases and object pronouns; and understanding the concept and implications of gender. Formal grammar explanations are very brief; emphasis is placed on repetition and internalization of contextualized vocabulary and basic structures, communication, and the importance of understanding other languages, cultures and points of view.

The following skills are part of the Fifth Grade Spanish Program:

  • Reacting to an oral command of request using physical movement (TPR)
  • Initiating conversation, exchanging information
  • Expressing preferences and states of being
  • Asking and answering simple questions
  • Reading and telling simple stories
  • Following basic classroom commands and directions
  • Following instructions in basic classroom games
  • Practicing numbers, the date and the alphabet
  • Comparing and contrasting Hispanic and American holidays and traditions
  • Reflecting on a variety of perspectives through studying other cultures
  • Sharing observations about trips students and teachers make to other countries
  • Realizing languages have similarities and differences in structure