Linette Perez - ES Spanish lperez@wcsmiami.org

In the Elementary School, Spanish is offered to students in grades K through 5. In Kindergarten through second grade, the focus is primarily on acquiring new vocabulary through songs and games. Students are introduced to writing words in Spanish with easy and fun writing activities. In third and fourth grades, the curriculum becomes more structured as the students begin working in books. In these books they continue building their vocabulary and are introduced to grammatical rules. Games continue to be a big part of Spanish in the third and fourth grades as they make learning easier and definitely more fun! There are two instruction levels in fifth grade that serve native and non-native speakers. The students are assessed at the beginning of the school year, and based on these results, are placed in either the native or non-native program. Students also have the opportunity to move into or out of either program as the year progresses. Each fifth grade program has a specific book and workbook that introduced more grammatical concepts to students. The program also offers a stronger focus on the cultures and customs of Spanish speaking countries, as well as group activities where students have the opportunity to converse in Spanish.