FUSD K-12 SPANISH PROGRAM: Beginning at Puente de Hózhó

 

Vision: The FUSD Spanish program empowers students to be global citizens and proactive stewards in a linguistically and culturally diverse world.

Mission: The mission of the FUSD Spanish program is to facilitate language acquisition opportunities so students can pursue the goals of:

Academic excellence: students will meet or exceed state and national academic standards.

Bilingualism: students will achieve their highest potential as speakers, readers, and writers of the Spanish language.

Culture: students will affirm their cultural identity and explore other cultures in a 21st century world.

Diversity: students will be encouraged to become global citizens who are open-minded and value multiculturalism and multilingualism.

  

PdH Spanish Program Description

PdH Elementary School's Spanish/English program is Kindergarten through fifth grade. 50% of the day is immersion in Spanish, and 50% of the day is immersion in English in all grade-levels. 

 

Spanish Program Philosophy

With over 572 million speakers, including 53 million in the United States, Spanish is the second most influential language on Earth. It is the common heart linking the many varieties of Spanish-speaking cultures throughout the world. It is also the primary access to the rich traditions, knowledge, and literature produced in Spanish. Learning Spanish is not only a door to new cultures and people, it is also an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how languages work and how to best communicate in one’s first language. Learning multiple languages has been shown to create positive cognitive and social advantages for learners. It sharpens the mind and language skills in all languages being learned. It fosters an open mindedness to other peoples’ perspectives and promotes respect for other cultures.

Mastering the Spanish language and achieving multicultural proficiency are life-time endeavors that are influenced by the individual learner’s attitude, motivation, aptitude, home/parental support, and time on task. It is best to teach language in real-life contexts in which meaning and understanding are constructed by the students through relevant and purposeful communication activities in collaboration with other learners. However, a thorough command of academic Spanish and its cultural nuances is essential to be fully proficient in the language and to maximize professional opportunities. Hence, students also require formal instruction in grammar, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural competence.

The language teacher’s primary responsibility for language learners is to instill within them a deep and abiding love of the language. To this end, language teachers utilize developmentally appropriate pedagogies, curricula, and materials for language acquisition and learning. They create a classroom environment that promotes a growth mindset, risk-taking applications of language, identity affirmation, and cross-cultural transactions. Teachers also provide opportunities for students to practice, produce, and enjoy language both in and out of the classroom. They model academic as well as conversational Spanish. The teachers’ goal is to “stay in the target language” and encourage their students to do the same. It is imperative that language teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with other language teachers and receive continuous professional development to perfect their craft. Assessments should evaluate listening, speaking, reading and writing. FUSD

Spanish courses will allow students to fulfill the college entrance requirement for foreign language. Students that reach proficiency by graduation can earn the seal of bi-literacy on their transcript and diploma.

The FUSD Spanish Program helps students reach their highest language potential as speakers, readers, and writers of Spanish while acquiring a multicultural and multilingual vision of the world. For native English-speaking students who are learning Spanish our program represents a passport to explore and experience countries and cultures throughout the world. For native Spanish-speaking students, it provides an opportunity to master their mother tongue at an academic level and reaffirm or connect with their cultural identities. For children of Hispanic descent, it is an opportunity to strengthen linguistic and cultural bridges binding families through the generations. For all three groups, our program is an opportunity for students to experience a rich interchange of language, culture, ideas, and friendship. At the same time, our students develop not only an awareness and appreciation of the power and beauty of diversity, but also a firm conviction that it is one of our greatest sources of strength as human beings.