Our language program at Cascade Canyon arises out of our mission to help our students develop the foundational skills and awareness to assume active roles in our global community, and to appreciate diversity. In alignment with the linguistic diversity of our surrounding communities, we implemented a Spanish program in 2008, in lieu of our former French program. We offer both Spanish and Sign Language studies within our curriculum. Devin Eckert, also our Kindergarten science teacher, is our Spanish Specialist, and Peggy Tunder, our Kindergarten teacher, is our Sign Specialist. Both teachers are fluent in their language, and engage students through highly interactive, thoughtfully designed lessons.
|
|
I am extremely
excited to bring our elementary Spanish curriculum to life. Both the linguistic and cultural
elements inherent in studying a new language are important to me personally,
and are central to this Spanish curriculum. Language acquisition goals will be
achieved largely through activities contextualized in Latino culture and the
immigrant experience. I look forward to seeing functional language development
as well as growing respect for and understanding of the beautiful cultures that
personify the Spanish language in the Americas.
A description of our curriculum follows.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
In middle school Spanish, we will be living la
vida latina as we work through practical
situations and traditional experiences in the Spanish-speaking world. Both the
linguistic and cultural elements inherent in studying a new language are
important to me personally, and are central to our middle school Spanish
curriculum. As we work through this curriculum, students will gain useful,
functional language skills to support their continued journey toward fluency
and success in high school Spanish, as well as develop a deepening
understanding of Latin America as dynamic, diverse place.
A description of our curriuclum follows.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Sign Language is a formal gesture language. It began as a manual
alphabet in the Italian monasteries of the fifteenth century as an
acceptable means of communication between monks who were under vows of
silence. Since that time, sign language has been used to teach the
deaf. Our own sign language is a mixture of French, English, and
Native American signs. In this year’s sign language class, I am
teaching “Signing Exact English” which is the current language used in
the education of the deaf and follows our spoken English syntax.
However, I also expose the students to American Sign Language, which is
a natural language of the deaf community in America and has its own
sentence structure, grammatical rules and semantics.
A description of our curriculum follows.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Our Program 
