Spanish Instruction
At The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori (GSCM), we offer an in-depth foreign language program, with carefully-planned instruction and ample time for children to truly begin to understand and speak Spanish. Beginning at age three, every GSCM student has three Spanish classes per week with one of our full-time Spanish teachers. See the GSCM Spanish Curriculum Guide for more information.
HABLAMOS ESPANOL!
In-Depth Spanish Instruction at The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori
By Senora Ximena Flores, The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori Lower El Spanish Teacher
Buenos Dias! Hola! Como estas? Que tal? Muy bien.
These are some of the expressions you can hear walking through the halls at The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori. Spanish classes, in addition to teaching a different way to communicate, also provide the students an opportunity to learn about other cultures, foods, music, places and people. This experience can help open our hearts to what is different or unfamiliar; hopefully leading us to appreciate these differences and to even discover our similarities!
Learning a second language at a young age is the best time to start. The students and I sing songs, play games, create study materials, make art projects and even dance. All of these activities make the Spanish classes interesting and effective. The students learn while having fun and that is an important first step in developing the curiosity and enthusiasm necessary to pursue further language studies later on in life. Middle school students are also being prepared to study at the high school level, so they will be able to continue to study without difficulty.
Come and visit! "Nuestra casa es su casa."
Below: A group of upper elementary students enjoy the model city which they created and then labeled in Spanish class.
An anecdote from one of our lower elementary teachers: The church, which is adjacent to our playground, was having a new roof installed by a crew that consisted of Hispanic workers. As the teacher led the children back to school at the end of recess, the workers called down to her, "Who is teaching your kids Spanish? They speak very well!" During recess, a number of the children had been exchanging Spanish words and phrases with the workers up on the roof!