Our Program
ESL's long-term objective for each of its students is fluency in Spanish. That long-term goal is broken down into several smaller steps.
Attaining fluency is a many-step process that requires frequent exposure to and varied experiences with the target language. Consequently, ESL uses many different teaching methods and activities throughout the year. Each aspect of ESL's program plays an important role in helping students acquire Spanish.
- Initially the goal is to expose students to the Spanish language and culture and to foster genuine interest in and excitement for learning Spanish.
- Grammar is taught as a tool for fluency, a systematic study of how words are put together to form sentences.
- The next objective is to have students begin to understand basic spoken Spanish, to respond to instructions given in Spanish, to produce Spanish phrases such as greetings, instructions, and simple sentences.
- This leads to students developing the ability to express facts, needs, thoughts, and opinions in spoken and written Spanish. Students also improve reading comprehension and use reading as a tool for practice, as a way to increase vocabulary and to help internalize the structure of the target language. Students also use writing as a means of practice and a valuable aid in conversation.
- Finally, students acquire enough skills to converse in Spanish. They then build proficiency through usage, practice, reading, writing, etc.
Attaining fluency is a many-step process that requires frequent exposure to and varied experiences with the target language. Consequently, ESL uses many different teaching methods and activities throughout the year. Each aspect of ESL's program plays an important role in helping students acquire Spanish.
- Structure of a Year - There are three sessions per year: fall, spring, and summer. During the fall and spring semester months ESL classes will follow a monthly theme that provides the framework for vocabulary building games and activities.
- During these months, students in all five levels receive detailed lessons and corresponding practice and homework. In April and May, students begin special projects to review and practice what has been learned. The two main projects are Show-and-Tell and story writing. During the summer session, students' language development is not based on specific lessons as is the case in the fall and the spring sessions. Rather students get whole language exposure through keeping a journal, playing games, reading comprehension activities, following directions, songs and conversations.
- Classes - All our classes are one-on-one online classes. They are either 50 or 25 minutes long and take place once a week.
- The cost is: $25.00 USD for a 50-minute class or $12.50 USD for a 25-minute class.
- We don’t have a contract and you can stop at anytime. We ask for a monthly commitment for fall and spring semesters. In other words, you pay monthly and you will receive a make-up class for any classes missed.
- Our program has 5 levels. We would informally assess your child to see what level is adequate.
- The fall and spring semesters are academic in nature.
Please note: Learning a second language is a long and difficult process. Please be realistic about the progress you expect you or your children to make. At times, they may need encouragement to keep from feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. One hour per week of instruction is a very modest amount of time to spend on becoming fluent in a foreign language. Babies learn their native tongues through immersion and, they learn it in stages, at first understanding much more than they can express. Developing Spanish fluency will take time, patience, and effort. Remember that students will progress in Spanish in proportion to the effort and time they put into learning it. If you would like to see more or faster progress in Spanish acquisition, consider reviewing more at home, attending an additional class per week, or discussing other options with us.