Compass School Spanish Program

Why we offer only Spanish at Compass

• Based on one of our Essential School Philosophies that “Less is more,” it makes sense with our size and resources, to create one strong language program rather than two weaker ones. Having two language teachers enables collaborative teaching.
• A shared curriculum and language builds community within the school.
• Spanish is a relevant language to learn. It is an “American” language spoken by a substantial portion of the population in our own country, and is the third most commonly spoken language in the world.

Students are required to take Spanish, unless they qualify and choose Special Education support during the language time, or if they have demonstrated proficiency through the Division II level. All seniors have the option to choose between language and another offered elective. If students wish to take another language, they must set this program up themselves and find either an accredited language course or a qualified language teacher that meets with that student for the entire year. Through the Compass independent study process, a teacher team needs to approve the language learning program alternative.

There are three divisions one can pass through during their time at Compass in Spanish. Each division should take on an average of two years to complete. Depending on the individual, it could take less or more than two years to complete a division cycle. It is very possible that a student could pass and do good work in a class, but still need to repeat a year of a division before moving on to the next.

Please see attached for what content each division covers. Seventh graders take an “Introductory to Spanish” class which emphasizes conversation, vocabulary, basic grammar, and cultural studies. This does not count as an official division, but will provide 7th grade students with a foundation, and hopefully enthusiasm to begin Division I.Each division is lined up directly with a two year curriculum. At the end of each division cycle, teachers will determine, based on a variety of assessments, whether or not the student is adequately prepared to move on to the next division, or if it would benefit them to repeat a year.

A typical student’s list of Spanish courses throughout their Compass years would look like
Introduction to Spanish = 7th grade Spanish and Culture
Division I
Division II
Division III

*Students who begin Spanish after 7th grade will begin with Division I and take Spanish exploratory classes if needed until they are caught up.

Core Values of Compass Spanish Program

• Active use of Spanish We encourage the use of Spanish in the classroom as teachers and students with the knowledge that the best way to learn the language is to use it and listen to it being spoken.
• Personalization We consider the needs of individual students. Although we created two year cycles for students to complete a division, we realize some students will need more years, and others less to do so. Assignments can be modified for students with special needs. A variety of activities and language learning strategies are used.
• Focus on Communication: Language with a purpose We have developed the curriculum so the content is relevant to students, and they have opportunities for real communication with each other.
• Using a variety of activities and language learning strategies. These are up to the specific teacher, but they must use a variety of approaches that benefit diverse learning styles.

• Balanced integration of five skills to communicate Our program integrates the five skills of speaking, writing, reading, listening, and an awareness of the diverse Hispanic culture to be able to communicate in the target language. As the levels get higher, more reading and writing is integrated into the program. The reading and writing assignments reflect the grammar and vocabulary levels of the Division. More specifically:
  

Curriculum for Divisions:

7th Grade-Introduction to Spanish
(An activity-based curriculum focusing on basic conversation, Hispanic culture, and introduction to grammar)
Grammar:
Basic English grammar review
Present tense –ar verbs
Articles
Adjective rules
Numbers 1-100
Conjunctions
Simple prepositions
Personal pronouns
Vowel and consonant sounds
Vocabulary and Expressions:
Basic greetings and other basic expressions
School
Family
Emotions
Personality descriptions
Physical description
Days of the week
Months of the year
Basic classroom expressions
Telling time
Culture:
Geography of Latin America
Geography of Spain
Races of the Hispanic World
*Additional cultural units rotate on a multi-yearly basis. See “Rotating Cultural Units” for more information
Culture project of choice

By the end of Introduction to Spanish, students will be able to:

• Engage in basic conversations about the vocabulary studied
• Write short sentences and journal entries
• Read simplified readings written for the language learner

Division I: (Based on an average of a two-year cycle)
In addition to a thorough review of Introduction to Spanish grammar and vocabulary, they will learn…
Grammar:
Present tense (regular)
Present tense (irregular)
Present tense (stem-changing)
Future with “ir a “
Future
Present progressive
Gustar
Reflexive verbs
Estar vs. ser
Possessive articles
Interrogatives
Negative words
Numbers 100-1,000,000
Ordinal numbers
More prepositions
Idioms of tener
Idioms of hacer
Accentuation
Adverb formation
Demonstrative adjectives
Complex prepositions
Adjectives with –ísimo, ito
Vocabulary and Expressions:
Cognates
Travel
Restaurant
House
Town
Food
Animals
Professions
Seasons
Weather
Nature
Parts of the body
Health
Holidays
Transportation
Clothes
Sports and leisure
Culture:
Immigration and Chicano culture
Rigoberta Menchú (indigenous rights)
*Additional cultural units rotate on a multi-yearly basis. See “Rotating Cultural Units” for more information

By the end of Division I, students will be able to

• Converse in the present and future tenses and have the ability to discuss topics both learned in class as well as new topics on a limited level. In other words, they will begin to be capable of engaging in spontaneous conversation.
• Write in a variety of genres such as essays, short stories, song lyrics, plays, poetry and formal letters
• Read some authentic texts, but focus primarily on intermediate- level readings designed for the language learner

Division II (Based on an average of a two year cycle)

In addition to review as needed…

Grammar:
Preterit
Imperfect
Conditional
Imperative
Present perfect
Past participle (and passive voice)
Indirect object pronouns
Direct object pronouns
Por vs. para
“A” personal
Degrees of comparison
Apocopated adjectives (el buen libro, el primer señor, una gran mujer)
Passive voice

Expressions/Vocabulary:
Daily Routine
Expressions with ¡Que!
Based on books, projects, and themes that students and teachers choose to explore.

Culture:
Globalization issues in Hispanic world
Latin American and Spanish Art
*Additional cultural units rotate on a multi-yearly basis. See “Rotating Cultural Units” for more information

By the end of Division II, students will be able to

• Converse in every verb tense in the indicative mode. They will be able to speak about abstract ideas and hypothetical situations.
• Write in the aforementioned genres (mentioned in Division I) but will write in longer, more complex, fluid sentences.
• Read more authentic texts written by Hispanic writers

Division III
Grammar:
Review of Division II grammar
Present Subjunctive

Formal Commands

Past Subjunctive

Vocabulary:
Based on books, projects, and themes that students and teachers choose to explore.

Culture:
*Rotating Cultural Units (These can apply to all levels of Spanish
History of Latin America
History of Spain
Festivals of the Spanish-speaking world (Day of the Dead, Cinco de Mayo, Fallas, etc.)
In- depth studies of individual Spanish-speaking countries (México, Argentina, Spain, Guatemala, Cuba, Bolivia, etc.)

By the end of Division III, students will be able to

• Converse about almost any subject with a Spanish speaker without having to rely on English in any way
• Write in the aforementioned genres (mentioned in Division I) but will write in longer, more complex, fluid sentences.
• Read more authentic texts written by Hispanic writers.
• Students enrolled in Division III will have the choice to take the Spanish SAT, Spanish AP, or a Spanish independent study.