Spanish at Montessori Community School
The Spanish program at Montessori Community School is an integrated program that seeks to
encourage students to read, write, speak and listen in Spanish. As a child progresses through the
levels at MCS, their exposure to the Spanish language and culture builds on what they have
learned.
Toddler: At this level, Spanish is introduced in the toddler environment once a week for 30
minutes. The students start the year building a routine where they learn vocabulary to greet
others (hola, adios, hasta manana) and then they move into learning numbers, colors (azul,
amarillo, verde, rojo), directions (arriba, abajo), body parts (la cabeza, los ojos, la nariz), and
feelings (estoy feliz, tengo calor, tengo miedo). The students learn this vocabulary through a
variety of songs, games, and activities.
Primary: In primary, Spanish is also organized around vocabulary “units” such as colors,
classroom objects, etc. Much like the toddler program, this approach is introductory in nature
and as such the main goal is to expose children to Spanish. Spanish circle time takes place once
per week, for 20 minutes in the classrooms. Students in each classroom are invited to participate
and the younger students benefit from the presence of the “elders” who have an additional 30minute lesson on Tuesday afternoons. A typical lesson has three periods: an introductory active
period when students are invited to join the teacher in singing songs and in doing activities that
require them to follow commands in Spanish and to move their bodies. The same activities are
used in every lesson to aid students' transition to a lesson that includes a foreign language. The
active period is followed by the teacher presentation of the vocabulary unit using the Montessori
3-period lesson structure (1. Naming/ Introduction "This is a yellow", 2. Recognizing/
Identification "Show me yellow", and 3. Remembering/ Cognition "What is this?") and
employing 3-part material, i.e., (1) the object and the written word, (2) the object, (3) the
written word, with real objects, to the extent possible. Puppets and action are used to illustrate
abstract vocabulary and dialogues. During the teacher presentation students are engaged by
repeating the vocabulary and volunteering to take a role in an activity or answer a question. The
lesson usually ends by saying “Adios” (goodbye) to the objects used during the lesson, and
singing a Spanish goodbye song. Storytelling and cultural exposure is also an important
component of the lessons. To the extent possible any interaction with class "guests" (including
dolls and puppets) brings introductory knowledge of the facts and traditions of various Spanish
speaking countries. A short illustrated book in Spanish is a frequent visitor during the lessons
and a good way to end the lesson.
Lower Elementary: At this level, the teacher meets with the students twice per week (1) during
a 30-minute morning circle time with all the students and (2) during afternoon group work with
smaller teams of students grouped by school year and their verbal and reading/writing abilities.
In the afternoon, the teacher works for 45- minutes with each team. Lessons in the afternoon start
with circle time, using the 3-period lesson structure, introduced in primary. New topics are
usually introduced during circle time using 3-part material, which lends to the development of
matching games (i.e., the identification period of the lesson). By popular demand, Bingo is a
good example of a matching game. Emphasis is made on the identification of the written word as
students use it later in the lesson to complete reading and writing exercises. Morning circle time
is used to continue with the identification and cognition periods of the lessons. Listening and
speaking are the main skills employed during the morning lessons. Students are often asked to
present their afternoon work to the rest of the class and to participate in command activities
where the teacher ask the student to perform various actions related to the work that they did,
e.g., a command activity used while learning the "classroom objects" included the command
"look for a classroom chair and bring it to the center of the room". Games such as "mystery bag",
where the students are asked to blindly choose from various tasks, including mimicking an action
or answering a question are also commonly used. The lesson usually ends by saying “Adios”
(goodbye) to the objects used during the lesson and reading a short book in Spanish. There are
scheduled times when Spanish speaking guests visit the classroom and share facts and traditions
from their Hispanic heritage. Short videos are also used, where appropriate, as tools to enhance
cultural exposure.
Upper Elementary: The students at this level the Spanish teacher comes to their classroom
twice a week for 30 or 45-minute lessons. At this age, the children are divided into 4 groups of 68 students by their Spanish ability, not necessarily by grade: Beginners, Intermediate, Upper
Intermediate, and Advanced. As is common in a Montessori environment, the older students will
assist the younger students with their work. When students are ready to advance to the next level
they generally do that at the start of a semester. As with previous levels, the students continue to
build their Spanish through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. During the week, they will
focus one lesson on reading and writing and the introduction of the concepts of grammar. The
second lesson of the week will be as a group where they work on listening and speaking Spanish
through games and songs. The students also learn about the culture of the many Spanish
speaking countries through Cultural Projects. This helps them to learn about the world around
them and the rich traditions that exist. The Advanced level students are responsible for the
Spanish board that is on display in the Spark Center foyer. This board consists of reports written
in Spanish as well as photos of the various Cultural Projects the students have worked on.
Adolescent: During the two-year cycle, students continue to develop their beginning to
intermediate Spanish skills consistent with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages’ 5 goal areas: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and
Communities. In order to meet these standards, the curriculum integrates grammar, vocabulary,
and cultural studies and multi-modal lessons to increase fluency. The adolescent students are
divided into two groups by ability and meet with their teacher 4 times each week for 45 minute
lessons. There is a definite routine to their week’s lessons. Day 1 - the students focus on reading
and writing. They are asked to read a book and answer questions about that book. Day 2 - the
students focus on grammar and generally have in-class time to complete the lesson and clarify
any questions they may have. They work through a Spanish grammar book that involves learning
a lesson and completing a work sheet. Day 3 - the students work on a Cultural Project. They
choose a topic to research and then prepare a lesson to present to their classmates, and often
prepare projects to present to other classrooms. Day 4 - the students work by speaking Spanish in
groups, generally through interesting and engaging games. Lessons and follow-up work are
structured to develop verbal and written communication as well as reading and aural
comprehension. The majority of students leave MCS well-prepared to continue their studies in
high school at Spanish Level II.
Ingrid Hester, Spanish Specialist - Toddler, Upper Elementary, Adolescent
Alexandra Zapata, Spanish Specialist - Primary and Lower Elementary
Updated November 17, 2016