5th grade
Students come to Orchard House with a variety of second language experience. For this reason, the 5th grade Foundations of Spanish class serves as an introduction to the basic vocabulary and grammatical features of the Spanish language to prepare students for Spanish I. During this course, students develop listening comprehension and basic conversational skills, as well as begin to build a solid vocabulary base related to everyday topics of conversation. Students are introduced to fundamental grammatical topics such as gender of nouns, correct adjective placement and noun-adjective agreement.
6th grade
Orchard House students begin taking Spanish I for high school credit in the 6th grade. The content of Spanish I is taught over two years so that students gain a firm understanding of the fundamental vocabulary and grammatical structures of the language while building confidence in their communicative skills. During Spanish IA, students learn to discuss a variety of topics related to food, nutrition, school activities and classes, sports and extracurricular activities, the community, personal descriptions, and cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries. Students learn and demonstrate their understanding of the content through individual and group presentations, songs, webquests, role plays, essays, and student-generated movies.
7th grade
Beginning in the year 2012-2013, students will complete the second half of Spanish I for high school credit during the 7th grade. By the end of Spanish IB, students have greatly expanded their vocabulary and are able to discuss their families, homes, cultural celebrations, and the media. Students also demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge to practical situations such as ordering food in a restaurant, bartering at a local market, traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, and volunteering in the community. Students learn and demonstrate their understanding of the content through individual and group presentations, songs, webquests, role plays, essays, story-telling, and student-generated movies.
8th grade
Currently, students complete the second half of Spanish I for high school credit during the 8th grade. By the end of Spanish IB, students have greatly expanded their vocabulary and are able to discuss their families, homes, cultural celebrations, and the media. Students also demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge to practical situations such as ordering food in a restaurant, bartering at a local market, traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, and volunteering in the community. Students learn and demonstrate their understanding of the content through individual and group presentations, songs, webquests, role plays, essays, story-telling, and student-generated movies. Beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, students will complete Spanish II for high school credit in the 8th grade.