Spanish

All Kazoo School K-8 students participate in Spanish classes two days per week. On any given day in a Kazoo School Spanish class, an observer may hear students conversing in Spanish dialogue, singing songs in Spanish, or playing games that reinforce vocabulary development. Children joyfully learn folk dances, practice plays, and construct art projects representative of different Spanish speaking cultures. The emphasis of our program is on communication and the development of a multicultural perspective.

GOALS OF THE SPANISH PROGRAM

• To provide an introduction to and basic instruction in the Spanish language.
• To foster appreciation and respect for other peoples and cultures.
• To create a foundation for later language learning.
• To develop positive attitudes towards another language.
• To begin to develop listening, Spanish speaking and communication skills.
• To give insight for wise choices in future language studies.
• To enrich other curricular areas and interrelate disciplines.

There is a growing appreciation of the role that multilingual individuals can play in an increasingly diverse society, and there is also a greater understanding of the academic and cognitive benefits that result from learning another language.

BENEFITS OF SPANISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

Personal Benefits

An advantage of knowing more than one language is having expanded access to people and resources. Introducing students to alternative ways of expressing themselves and to different cultures gives greater depth to their understanding of human experience by fostering appreciation for the customs and achievements of people beyond their own communities. Individuals who can converse and read more than one language have the
ability to communicate with more people, read more literature, and benefit more fully from travel to other countries. Ultimately, knowing a second languages can also give people a competitive advantage in the work force by opening up additional job opportunities.

Cognitive Benefits

Research suggests that students who receive second language instruction are more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who do not. (Bamford and Mizokawa, 1991)

Academic Benefits

Studies have found that students who learn foreign languages score statistically higher on standardized college entrance exams than those who do not. (College Entrance Examination Board, 1992)