Our Spanish program is all about giving students the skills they need to become confident, effective language learners. From day one, students are in an interactive environment that takes them from practicing the basics to using the language naturally in authentic situations. They work on each core language skill: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with tools that help them understand how to approach new material and express their own ideas.

We do not focus exclusively on vocabulary or grammar. Instead, we dive into how language really works—helping students understand that each word carries meaning based on the context and the words around it. In this way, our program emphasizes not just language skills but also cultural understanding. 

Our curriculum explores essential and interdisciplinary concepts, like recognizing patterns, choosing the right words for the message, understanding how context changes meaning, and considering the audience when speaking or writing. These are concepts that students can transfer to new situations, which prepares them to use Spanish in real-world scenarios and across different contexts. By learning these concepts, they are not just learning a set of rules—they are adapting language use to suit their communication needs.

In our Spanish program, we understand that language learning is a skill-based journey, so we emphasize performance and proficiency as key indicators of student growth. To capture each student’s progress in a meaningful and well-rounded way, we use a variety of communicative assessments that give students multiple, authentic ways to show what they know and can do in all the core skills.

Self-evaluations and peer assessments also play a role, as they help students develop self-awareness, give feedback, and reflect on their learning with a sense of responsibility and personal growth.

Throughout each unit, students’ competencies in reading, writing, listening, and speaking are assessed in ways that reflect their unique progress and strengths. Sometimes students will choose or be given tasks that allow them to shine, whether it’s through a recorded audio response, a written composition, a live presentation, or an interactive dialogue. By working with a range of formats, students not only show their knowledge but also practice using the language in contexts that mimic real-life situations.

Grade 6

Students have the opportunity to build on the language skills they acquired in Primary School. They will delve into vocabulary within the broad concepts of identities, learning to discuss who they are, their relationships, the interests that shape their uniqueness, and how they express their identities to the world. This exploration will cover the following units and topics:

Who I am: my personal information, my personality and appearance.  

The people around me: my family and friends

My interests: leisure, hobbies and interests

Fashion as a reflection of identity: clothing, styles, description

In Grade 6, our focus is on the linguistic concepts of grammatical patterns, word choice, messaging, and structure. Students will understand that grammar is not random but consists of recurring patterns. 

Students will learn about the notions of gender and number in nouns, the concept of agreement (both adjective/noun and subject/verb), and the idea of tense. By the end of the year, they will be able to express ideas related to the previous topics in the present tense in Spanish. Additionally, they will learn about sentence structure, Spanish word order, and how to make negative statements.

At the core of our curriculum is the development of intercultural understanding. Each unit will offer opportunities to reflect on and compare students' personal experiences and traditions with those of Hispanic cultures.

Grade 7

Our focus here is on how places shape our experiences of the world. In this context, students will continue to expand their knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language and culture by exploring spaces that are part of their daily lives and experiences. The units they will explore include:

Welcome to My Crib (My House)

My Second Home (School)

What makes my city a fun place to live

Amazing Race (Places Around the World)

Students will broaden and deepen their understanding of grammatical structures, covering the differences between the verbs ‘to be’ (ser and estar), the consolidation of the present tense when referring to daily activities, and the introduction to the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs, reflexive verbs and pronouns, demonstrative adjectives, and comparisons. Additionally, we will delve deeper into learning the specific structures and features of various types of texts, such as emails, blogs, and brochures. 

Similarly, our curriculum emphasizes on developing intercultural understanding. Each unit will provide students with opportunities to reflect on and compare their own experiences and traditions with those of Hispanic cultures, striving to create genuine everyday life experiences.

Grade 8

In Grade 8, students will deepen their Spanish language skills to communicate more effectively in a variety of real-world, casual situations. The overarching theme for the year is "How Do I Interact with the World?," focusing on the choices students make and their impacts. These dynamic units delve into relevant and evolving topics based on culture, customs, and personal decisions, building on the language foundations from previous years. Students will explore complex themes such as social organization, human ingenuity, and sharing the planet through the following topics:

Maintaining a Healthy and Balanced Life

Communication Then and Now: The Internet and Social Media

My career choices and my future

Sustainable Development

Students will refine previously studied grammatical structures and learn new ones, including present, past, and future tenses, regular and irregular verbs, modal verbs, infinitive structures, indirect objects and indirect object pronouns, the impersonal pronoun "se," and the past participle with adjectives. They will also engage with more formal types of texts, such as cover letters and discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of various choices, infographics, and publicity campaigns. These activities will require a more complex vocabulary and a deeper understanding of tone, structure, and purpose in language use.

At the heart of our curriculum is the development of intercultural understanding. Each unit will provide opportunities for students to reflect on and compare their personal experiences and traditions with those of Hispanic cultures, fostering a deeper appreciation and genuine connection to everyday life.