All Lower School students study Spanish five days a week, and classes address the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and also incorporate in-depth historical, cultural and geographic studeis of several Spanish-speaking countries. The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Spanish students are divided into two groups: beginning-to-intermediate and intermediate-to-advanced.

Foreign language instructors at Madison Country Day School are native speakers who grew up in the foreign cultures that they are teaching.

Program Goals

• To introduce students to the discipline and joys of learning foreign languages
• To develop grade-appropriate proficiency in listening, speaking, and writing foreign languages
• To promote the relationship of language to "everyday life" and thus motivate students to use the languages in real life situations
• To increase knowledge and awareness of the richness and variety of foreign cultures

Program Organization

• Songs: reinforces vocabulary through repetition and memorization
• Tapes: reinforces in-class learning at home
• Notebooks: vocabulary development through "word banks" and building understanding of the grammatical structure of the foreign language; in Japanese, this also includes calligraphy practice
• Dialogue: reinforces the rhythm and accent of natural conversations
• Textbooks: lesson introduction and basic instruction
• Workbook: lesson practice, repetition, and homework
• Short stories: promotes understanding and appreciation of Spanish and Japanese literature and culture
• Country Project: in-depth study of the country and its culture

Grade 1
SThe goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students at the beginning level of Spanish focus on speaking and listening the first half of the year and basic reading and writing in the second half of the year. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building vocabulary through children’s poetry, songs, role playing and puppetry. Topics include greetings, expressions of emotions, people and things in the classroom, numbers, colors, buildings, animals and days of the week, months of the year, classes and school, modes of transportation, rooms and furnishings of the home, food, animals, time and the family. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a school-wide event such as “Carnaval.”

Grade 2
The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Spanish students are divided into two groups: beginning-to-intermediate and intermediate-to-advanced. Students at the beginning-to-intermediate level focus on speaking and listening and basic reading and writing. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs, role playing and puppetry. Topics include greetings, people and things in the classroom, numbers from one to 100, colors and shapes, animals, days of the week, months of the year, seasons and weather, places in the community, classes and school, likes and dislikes, time, songs and the family. The intermediate-to-advanced class continues to build vocabulary and study sentence construction. Topics include parts of the body, clothing, calendar, rooms and furnishings of the house, entertainment, appliances and toys, and names of fruits and foods. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a school-wide event.

Grade 3
The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Spanish students are divided into two groups: beginning-to-intermediate and intermediate-to-advanced. Students of Spanish at the beginning-to-intermediate level focus on speaking and listening and basic reading and writing. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs, role playing, and puppetry. Topics include greetings, people and things in the classroom, numbers from one to 100, colors and shapes, animals, days of the week, months of the year, seasons and weather, places in the community, classes and school, likes and dislikes, time, songs and the family. The intermediate-to-advanced class continues to build vocabulary and study sentence construction. Topics include parts of the body, clothing, calendar, rooms and furnishings of the house, entertainment, appliances and toys, and names of foods. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a school-wide event.

Grade 4
The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Spanish students are divided into two groups: beginning-to-intermediate and intermediate-to-advanced. Students at the beginning-to-intermediate level focuses on speaking and listening and basic reading and writing. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs, role playing, and puppetry. Topics include greetings, people and things in the classroom, numbers from one to 100, colors and shapes, animals, days of the week, months of the year, seasons and weather, places in the community, classes and school, likes and dislikes, time, and family. The intermediate-to-advanced class continues to build vocabulary and pay special attention to grammatical accuracy and verb usage. Topics include parts of the body, clothing, descriptions of people, making comparisons, rooms and objects in them, songs, eating in a restaurant, and daily routines. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a school-wide event.