Spanish is offered to all students. Those students who plan to continue their education beyond the high school level will find it advantageous to take Spanish. Many college and university departments have a world language requirement for their degree programs. It is often easier to fulfill this requirement (or a portion of the requirement) through high school study rather than college study. Generally, one year of high school world language is roughly equivalent to half a semester of college-level world language. Students planning to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln must successfully complete Spanish II in order to meet entrance requirements. Students should also be aware that UNL requires a minimum of four years of world language in over 45 degree programs. It is highly recommended that students research world language requirements at prospective colleges and universities to ensure world language requirements are met.
The study of a world language can increase students' knowledge of the world around them while providing another positive way for students to successfully communicate in our ever-changing global society. Knowing how to speak Spanish--even basic survival Spanish--is an asset as well as a useful skill for students to possess. In addition, research suggests that students who learn a world language tend to improve their performance in English and Math classes.
All Spanish classes will focus on several educational goals. Primary focus will be given to the five goals of language learning as are prescribed by the Nebraska Department of Education. The five goals of language learning are:
1. Communication--communicate in languages other than English;
2. Cultures--gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures;
3. Connections--connect with other disciplines and acquire information;
4. Comparisons--develop insight into the nature of language and culture;
5. Communities--participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
To achieve these goals several methods of teaching will be used. Scaffolding, total physical response, contextualized input, output and interaction, story-based approaches and community-based learning are some of these methods. Focus, will also be on increasing students' knowledge of grammar, phonetics, and other linguistic structures in their native language. Second language acquisition improves when students understand the conventions, features, and universal grammar of their native language.