Spanish

The Spanish program in Middle School follows from students’ introduction to language in earlier grades. Beginning in fifth and sixth grades, students delve into basic vocabulary and grammar in a curriculum that emphasizes conversation, games, and group interactions. A hallmark of the Green Acres language program is learning about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, and students study geography, differentiating various countries and societies, from Spain itself to European-influenced Latin America to native peoples of Central and South America.

In seventh and eighth grades, most classes are held in Spanish, as students are able communicate in Spanish much more readily. As in earlier grades, the program comprises both language and culture study as students create their own cities, develop travel brochures, and delve much further into geography of Spanish-speaking countries.

The Green Acres seventh graders participate each winter in a three-week exchange with students from the Leonardo da Vinci School in Líma, Peru. Begun in 1998, the program matches visitors and hosts in a joyful and fulfiling cultural exchange involving special class events, language and food, and sometimes (if nature cooperates) the first snowfall some Peruanos have experienced! In the summer, several Green Acres students visit Líma to complete the exchange.

Green Acres graduates continue their language study in high school, and often take on other languages as well. Language study at Green Acres presents opportunities for students to broaden their view of the world, to expand their knowledge of humanity’s broad similarities and differences, and to open options for their own lives.