Spanish Language Program

Welcome!
Welcome to the Spanish page!  The purpose of this page is to serve as resource for parents and students to learn about the Spanish Language Program at Nord Country School.  If you have any questions about the Spanish classroom, feel free to get in touch with Maestra Chang.

About Maestra Chang
I am so excited to spend time with your students this year as we explore the exciting world of Spanish in Room 5.  Although I am a Chico native, I began my teaching career in Sonoma County in 2008, where I taught fourth grade in a Spanish Dual Immersion Program.  In 2010, my husband and I relocated to Chico, and I began teaching English Language Development (ELD) and art at Nord Country School. I love teaching at NCS, and am so thankful to be part of the dedicated teaching staff at this school.  I taught third grade at NCS for several years, and am excited to now be teaching Spanish to students from kindergarten through fifth grade! In addition to teaching at Nord Country School, I am also a mom to Abby and Tanner, and I enjoy spending time with then when I am not teaching.  Please feel free to drop by and say hello in Room 5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I am on campus.

K-5 Spanish Enrichment Program
The goal of the Spanish Language Program at Nord Country School is to provide language enrichment through songs, games, literature and cultural experiences.  Students who participate in the K-5 Spanish Program will learn basic conversation skills, vocabulary, and grammar through thematic instruction. Students will receive two thirty minute Spanish classes per week.  Additionally, we believe that learning Spanish should be fun and interactive! Nord Country School seeks to help students develop a global perspective and learning Spanish is one of the ways that students are allowed to become citizens who are think more globally.

Why Spanish?
Research shows that when students are exposed to a second language an early age, they are more likely to reach native levels of fluency in a second language be able to learn a second language.  Additionally, learning about cultures where Spanish language is spoken provides students with rich opportunities to explore social studies in elementary school. Furthermore, research has also shown that participating in a language enrichment program also supports students in developing greater literacy in English language arts and mathematics.  A recent study about the benefits of learning a second language at an early age was recently published in Time Magazine.  Check out the article here!

What Will My Child Be Learning in Spanish?
Each year students are introduced to new vocabulary, grammar, and conversational phrases through literature, calendar activities, games and cultural celebrations.  This coming year, our calendar activities will be based around games that are played by children in the Spanish speaking world. Below is a brief description of what you can expect your child to learn about according to their grade level.

Kindergarten:
In kindergarten students will learn colors, numbers and family member vocabulary.  Additionally, they will be introduced to basic me gusta conversational phrases.  Some of the literature units that they will be studying are Oso Café, Diez Patitos de Goma  and Mi Libro de Familias.

First Grade:
First graders continue to build their Spanish language by learning parts of the body, basic adjectives, and weather and food vocabulary.  In first grade we begin the year with the literature unit De Cabeza a Los Pies.  Then, we will learn to describe ourselves and in writing and through presentations using the book Yo Soy Una Persona Especial.  Lastly the year ends by studying the foods from Latin America.

Second Grade:
Second graders will learn Spanish animal vocabulary, basic verb conjugations, and will also learn about countries in Latin America.  They will begin the year studying the book El Mono Dice, ¡Hola!, then create a book verb book based on actions, and end the year exploring travel in Central America.

Third Grade:
In third grade students begin the year by creating a Libro de Sílabas (Syllable Book) where they develop a greater awareness of how to manipulate Spanish language and sounds.  Third graders build upon their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and conversation in order to apply what they know about Spanish language in more independent reading and writing.  Additionally, third graders will extend their knowledge of Spanish verb conjugations. The year culminates in a Mercado unit where they get to imagine that they are shopping in an international marketplace.

Fourth Grade:
Fourth grade students dive deep into Hispanic culture by participating in a year long unit which explores culture and language.  This year fourth grade students will study celebrations from the Latin American world. Additionally, fourth grade students will participate in a Dr. Seuss reader’s theater in the spring where they will be presenting Hay Un Mollillo en Mi Bosillo (There’s a Wocket in My Pocket) in conjunction with NCS’s annual Dr. Seuss Day celebration.

Fifth Grade:
Fifth graders also deepen their knowledge of Hispanic culture through a year long unit where they student language through cultural celebrations.  They will explore celebrations which take place in the Spanish speaking world. In the spring fifth graders will also present Huevos Verdes Con Jamón (Green Eggs and Ham) to help our school celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  

References:

Blackford, K., Olmstead, G.; Stegman, C. (2012). Spanish as a Second Language for
Elementary Students: A Study of Participation on Literacy Benchmark Scores. Journal of
Modern Education Review (v2 n2 p77-89 Feb 2012)
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED534452.pdf

Ducharme, J. (2018). Why It’s So Hard to Learn Another Language After Childhood. Time (May
2018).

Hartshore, J. K., Tenenbaum, J.B., Pinker, S. (2017).  A Critical Period for Second Language
Acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers.  Cognition (v177 p263-277 Aug 2018).

Helms, R. G., Ankenbauer, M. (2009). People, Places, and Environments: Social Studies and
Spanish Cultural Enrichment. Social Studies and the Young Learner, v22 n1 p4-7
Sep-Oct 2009.