Welcome to our Elementary World Language Program

Vision

Our vision directly ties in with Milford Public Schools’ commitment to foster “an environment of unity that addresses race, equity, and social justice in a safe and supportive learning environment,” as outlined in the MPS Board of Education’s 2021 Mission, Vision, Commitments, and Goals document.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Therefore, the Elementary World Language Program aims to cultivate life-long learning, as we prepare our students to consider a range of perspectives in order to develop a moral worldview that helps to create a compassionate, inclusive, and socially just community.

We seek to broaden our students' communication skills, fostering their ability to communicate in culturally appropriate ways in order to succeed in a multilingual and multicultural society as global citizens. 

 Mission 

At the elementary level, we focus on forming strong relationships, building confidence, and positive attitudes amongst our students. We strive to cultivate a life-long understanding of and appreciation for the rich traditions and diverse perspectives of cultures and languages in our own communities and around the world.

With ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages) core practices at the center of our instruction, our Elementary (K-5) curriculum is standards and proficiency based, grounded in culture, and focused on communication (what students can do with the language), with high frequency language as our target vocabulary. 

We create a language-rich environment that embraces diversity and includes high amounts of relevant and repetitive comprehensible input through stories, songs, gestures, props, and interactive activities, bringing Spanish to life. 

These techniques and strategies allow us to use 90+ %  natural language (as per the ACTFL recommendation) in a way that is comprehensible, personalized, and meaningful to students. Authentic language and culture is contextualized through recurring themes of identity, families and community, discovering our world, and healthy living. These themes reflect the interdisciplinary nature of world language, and align with multiple curriculums to support and enrich the discussions being held in MPS elementary classrooms.  

Our use of repetition, personalization, and creativity aims to engage all students; they internalize Spanish without realizing it. As a result, students acquire vocabulary, grammar, and a technical understanding of the language in context.

With a solid elementary world language foundation, students will be well-prepared to transition to our middle school program and continue to engage in multiple perspectives and deepen their role as global citizens, as well as progress along the levels of language proficiency as defined by ACTFL.