Spanish

Señora Beatriz Cortez truly believes in the gift of language and structures her curriculum by grade level to engage our emerging Spanish speakers.

Research shows the earlier children start learning a second language, the more likely they are to become fluent in that language. Children are most likely to develop fluency if they begin in elementary school and continue their studies for six to eight years. St. Gabriel begins Spanish Language learning with our youngest learners!

Kinder - 2nd grade

Children will be exposed to the new sounds of the Spanish Language through games, singing songs, visual aids and stories read in both languages. They will learn basic Spanish phrases for directions, colors, numbers, days of the week, through gestures, dance and song.

3rd – 5th grade

Students will continue to hear the sounds and structures of the Spanish language. Grammar is introduced through articles, the gender of the words (masculine and feminine) and the plural form of vocabulary words. Students will ask and answer questions in Spanish as they increase their understanding of basic expressions of Spanish grammar. In class, they will expand their vocabulary through the use of adjectives, nouns, singular/plural, articles and feminine/masculine to form complete sentences.

6th – 8th grade

Students deepen their understanding of basic Spanish grammar skills. Vocabulary development continues. Verb conjugation begins. Regular verb conjugation begins. Students are introduced to the conjugations of the 2 main verbs “to be,” ser and estar. Participation includes conversation, independent exercises, games and projects.