• The Elementary Spanish Homepage

     

    Señor Mansbach
    POMPTON LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

    POMPTON LAKES, NJ

       Lenox School                                                                       Lincoln School

     

    ¡ Bienvenidos !   Welcome to the Elementary Spanish Homepage for both Lenox and Lincoln Schools!  Please check here for news and information on what is happening in our World Language classes. 

     

    Scroll down to see the following:

    I.       General information about the program; the importance of learning a new language

    II.      Areas of study for each grade level

    III.     Homework

     

     

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    I.

    Elementary World Language

     

                                 A. State Mandate

     

    The early start to learning a new language is part of the State of New Jersey mandate to offer World Languages to all elementary school children.  Students at both Lenox and Lincoln take Spanish from Kindergarten through Grade 5.  However, don’t expect to see the children memorizing long lists of words or complex verb conjugations.  Instead, they are engaged in activities to help them learn the language naturally.  In World Language classes you might see the students following directions entirely in Spanish, walking around the classroom to identify objects, shapes, or colors.  You might see the children playing games or singing songs to help them learn a new language.

                                 B. The Benefits of Learning a New Language

    Research has shown the many benefits of learning a language at an early age.  The younger children start to learn a new language, the more naturally it will occur, similarly to the way they learned their first language as an infant.  This will also allow the students to continue to learn the language over a longer period of time in order to achieve proficiency. Research has also shown that younger children are more open to learning about other cultures.  Research has shown that learning a new language has had positive results in boosting scores on standardized tests such as the SAT.  This is related to the contribution of language learning towards brain development in the areas of creativity and logic.  Some of the other benefits of starting language learning early include: greater achievement in other subject areas, stronger communication skills, a competitive edge in today’s global economy, as well as highly demanded skills for local and regional job markets.        

                                                                      More information here:     plps.schoolwires.net/Page/763

                                 C. Learning a new language supports other subject areas.

    Elementary level Spanish classes often include activities used to support and reinforce the other subject areas.  For example, students learning about a topic such as the Solar System in science class will draw and label the sun, planets, and Earth’s moon in Spanish.    Social Studies units dealing with geography such as world continents are reinforced with Spanish vocabulary and conversation.  Spanish number games reinforce Math content.  Students learn Spanish words for Math terms and numbers and practice Math skills in the World Language class.  Spanish language lessons also reinforce understanding of English language structures.  English vocabulary development is even reinforced through related words in Spanish.    This approach helps to establish connections in students’ minds to make the learning more meaningful and longer lasting.

                                 D. Speaking more than one language is a useful life skill.

    As our students progress from elementary school to high school and beyond, learning a new language will help them develop important skills to be successful in a rapidly changing global society.

     

               

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    II.     Areas of study for each grade level

    Grade 1

    Grade 2

    Grade 3
     Grade 4
    Grade 5

               

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    III.     Homework

     

    Homework / Tarea

    Students, remember to tell your parents your words and sentences of the day!
    Parents, if there are no written assignments for the week your children should tell you words or sentences of the day that they have learned or practiced in Spanish class.  Periodically, students in several grade levels will take home written work to show parents what they have been learning.

     

     

    Palabras / oraciones / frases
     Did you tell your words or sentences of the day to your parents?

     

     
     
       Grading and expectations
     
          Grading in the elementary World Language classes reflects the importance of best practices for the early language acquisition process.  At this age level there is an emphasis on listening and speaking first, then reading and writing, similar to the natural order in which children acquire their first language(s).  Thus, the grading system reflects the importance of participation and involvement in all Spanish class activities.  Students who participate more will earn a higher grade than those who participate less.  Students may earn a top grade of 3 down to a lowest grade of 1.