Spanish

EARLY CHILDHOOD

The Early Childhood Spanish program introduces children to the enjoyment of another language. Through a variety of games, activities, and songs they begin to build a vocabulary base of comprehension and speaking. They learn what language is and where Spanish is spoken. Much of the Early Childhood curriculum is in tandem with the concepts and content taught in the classroom's units of study.

LOWER SCHOOL

The goals of the Lower School program are to promote the expansion of the students’ Spanish vocabulary, to provide an environment in which the students feel safe to explore another language, and to promote the love of language and the appreciation of other cultures. Along with continued expansion of their speaking and listening skills, we work to improve the students’ writing and reading comprehension. We expand their cultural competence by extensive study of Spanish speaking countries and their peoples. Emphasis at this level continues to be on oral proficiency and communicative skills.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Middle School Spanish curriculum at Sycamore is interdisciplinary and culture-based, as students study every Spanish-speaking country in the world over the course of 7th and 8th grade. There is a strong emphasis on spontaneous and conversational use of the language, with a main goal of students communicating fully—in reading, writing, listening, and speaking—in Spanish.

All Sycamore students complete the second year of high school Spanish, and several complete third-year high school Spanish and are prepared to begin high school in fourth-year Spanish. Students are exposed to and guided through reading that is at the Advanced Placement (AP) level in addition to Spanish-language music (listening and the study of lyrics), short stories and poetry, historical documents, and other primary sources. In addition to such classroom opportunities, students have the option to participate in a summer immersion trip to Ecuador.