world languages

Spanish Iii Honors

Prerequisites: Spanish II, recommendation from the student’s previous Spanish teacher or approval by the Department Chair. Designed for those students who have shown superior aptitude and interest in the study of Spanish.

The goal of this course is to bridge the gap between elementary and advanced levels in the further development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students will be encouraged to attach meaning directly to Spanish without depending on English for understanding. For this reason, Spanish will be the language used for communication at all times. Students should continue to become better learners of language by continuing to apply useful learning strategies to their work. They read, write and converse in a variety of situations through the use of extensive, theme-based vocabulary and advanced grammar concepts, and learn to synthesize ideas in a variety of forms. In addition, students will be exposed to cultural, political and social information from throughout the Spanish-speaking world and will be expected to acquire an appreciation of the diversity and richness of Hispanic culture by means of directed reading assignments and creative projects. Broadening students’ knowledge and exposing them to a more in-depth view into Spanish-speaking countries and their cultures is accomplished with a college-level textbook and corresponding web-based materials.

Spanish Iv

Prerequisites: Spanish III or approval from the Department Chair based on testing. Offered to students who have demonstrated continued excellence and interest in the study of Spanish.

In this course, Spanish is used almost exclusively as a means of communication to help students transition into a college-level environment with greater ease and to prepare them for progression into the AP Spanish Language & Culture course the following year. Students complete a thorough review of complex grammatical structures, idiomatic expressions and vocabulary as well as explore a variety of historical, political, literary and cultural movements in the Spanish-speaking world. A college-level text is used, supplemented by a variety of web-based materials and authentic resources to support and guide progress. Formal and informal writing, literary analysis, organized debates, projects and conversational exchange (both prepared and spontaneous) are many of the activities used to engage students and help them to develop a greater proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing.