Unique dual-language study: Spanish and Mandarin
Children develop contrasts in linguistics and culture. Early lessons are filled with songs, poetry, stories, and rhymes that help children absorb the feeling of the language, and understand and honor the cultures of those who speak the languages. Meaning is acquired slowly through repetition and accompanying visuals, gestures, intonations, and body language.
Second graders begin to respond conversationally, and third graders put pencil to paper, recording the story of elefante or mariposa. Students discover the Old Chinese characters from the pictures they draw and explore the progression to the modern characters. Stroke ordering is taught with colors of the rainbow: first a stroke of red, then orange, yellow, and so on.
Fourth grade marks an important curricular change. Oral language acquisition is enhanced through reading, writing, dictation, and written exploration of grammatical structures. Students have the capacity to identify parts of speech and are able to make written and oral presentations of their cultural studies. This process deepens and expands throughout fifth grade, where grammatical instruction in Spanish includes verb conjugation, personal pronouns, and gender agreement.
Middle school students have new abilities to think conceptually. They choose to specialize in either Spanish or Mandarin beginning in Seventh Grade, doubling instructional time. Language classes become skill-based classes which require practice, consistency, and analytical thinking. Selected biographies and works of literature, such as Don Quijote de la Mancha, inspire students of this age.