Course Overview
In this expanding engagement with Spanish, students deepen their focus on four key skills in foreign language acquisition: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, students read significant works of literature in Spanish, and respond orally or in writing to these works. Students master common and some specialized vocabulary terms and phrases; comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns; instigate and continue increasingly involved conversations, and respond appropriately to increasingly involved or open conversational prompts; generate language incorporating basic and some specialized vocabulary and a range of grammar patterns; recognize and respond to significant works of literature in Spanish; analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various Spanish-speaking countries; and regularly assess progress in proficiency through quizzes, tests, and speaking/writing submissions. Continuing the pattern, and building on what students encountered in the first two years, each week consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, numerous interactive games reinforcing vocabulary and grammar, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, and multimedia cultural presentations covering major Spanish-speaking areas in Europe and the Americas. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).