Spanish in Lower School
Students in grades 1-5 are introduced to a variety of situations revolving around the daily activities of a typical family. They acquire the basic vocabulary and structure necessary to engage in conversation. Reading is stressed at all levels, beginning with learning phonics in grade 1 to reading stories from grade 2 on. Other skills are introduced as they become appropriate at various grade levels.

Due to the emphasis on phonics in grade 1, all students are placed at the same level. Beginning in grade 2, students are placed according to their language experience and level of mastery. Students in grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 can be placed at any of the three proficiency levels.
In Lower School the levels are as follows:

First grade Spanish
Grade 2/3 Beginners
Grade 2/3 Intermediate
Grade 3 Advanced
Grade 4/5 Beginners
Grade 4/5 Intermediate
Grade 5 Advanced

Spanish in Upper School

Spanish Level I
This course is designed for students with limited or no previous knowledge of the language. Students are expected to master basic grammatical concepts and begin to develop reading, writing and vocabulary building skills. Testing will be administered on a regular basis on the following skill areas: Speaking/Listening, Vocabulary/Spelling, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Composition and Memorization.

Spanish Level II
This course is designed for students with a certain level of proficiency in Spanish including a working knowledge of basic grammatical concepts and vocabulary. Students will also start to develop bilingual dictionary skills. In addition to the continued study of grammatical concepts, students will improve reading and writing skills. Students will be expected to speak in the target language. Testing will be administered on a regular basis on the following skill areas: Speaking/Listening, Vocabulary/Spelling, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Composition and Memorization.

Spanish Level III
This course is designed for students with a certain level of proficiency in Spanish including a working knowledge of basic grammatical concepts and vocabulary. Students will also start to develop bilingual dictionary skills. In addition to the continued study of grammatical concepts, students will improve reading and writing skills. They will continue using a bilingual dictionary. Students will be expected to speak in the target language. Testing will be administered on a regular basis on the following skill areas: Speaking/Listening, Vocabulary/Spelling, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Composition and Memorization.

Spanish Level IV
Students will refine and build upon the skills acquired in Levels I, II and III. Greater emphasis is placed on reading, writing and oral skills. Use of the monolingual dictionary is introduced. Testing will be administered on a regular basis on the following skill areas: Speaking/Listening, Vocabulary/Spelling, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Composition and Memorization.

Spanish Level V
At this level students will have acquired a functional mastery of the skills developed throughout the course sequence and will be able to explore language and literature in greater detail. Students will be expected to speak in the target language at all times. Testing will be administered on a regular basis on the following skill areas: Speaking/Listening, Vocabulary/Spelling, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Composition and Memorization.

AP Spanish Language
Students will develop the ability to read a variety of texts and learn to discriminate between different registers of language (e.g. formal/informal, literary/familiar or colloquial, written/conversational). They will be expected to identify and use grammatical concepts at random, expand their vocabulary by working on family words according to topics. This class will familiarize students with Advance Placement requirements in composition. Students will need to gain a good control of most grammatical forms and writing processes and a solid knowledge of vocabulary. Students will work on writing in Spanish precisely, convincingly, and correctly on topics of general interest. Students will listen to recorded conversations between native speakers. They will familiarize themselves with the nuances of Spanish intonation and patterns, and understand the content. In addition, students will work on attaining a speaking proficiency.

AP Spanish Literature
This is a serious introduction to representative works of prose poetry and drama from different periods. Two years are required to prepare for the AP Spanish Literature exam.