Course Outline

The Spanish program offered at the grades 10–12 level is a three-year program. Although it deals with the fundamentals of Spanish grammar and syntax, the main emphasis is on learning to understand and to speak Spanish. Students spend much time practising the basic patterns of Spanish speech. Students also gain some insight into the cultural achievements of Spain and Latin America: they have opportunities to listen to and sing Spanish songs, read simple Spanish stories and poems, listen to Spanish radio programs, and watch Spanish films. Students are also encouraged to correspond with penpals in Spain and/or Latin America.

In Spanish 10, students learn to understand and to communicate in Spanish with a minimum of grammar. They spend much time acquiring vocabulary and practising essential language patterns.

The greatest emphasis at this level is on comprehension and pronunciation skills so students can learn to hear speech patterns and to imitate them as accurately as possible. After correcting errors and practising pronunciation drills, students progress to the directed dialogues. These provide practice for groups of students in the most frequently used expressions of the language. Songs, classroom visits by Hispanics, slide-show presentations and computer vocabulary games help keep the program interesting and limit the emphasis on grammar.