The Spanish program at St. Paul of the Cross School is designed to develop basic communication skills, with a final goal of confidently communicating in Spanish. The Spanish curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of both the National and State Foreign Language Learning standards. Thematic units integrate both culture and vocabulary. This approach also aids students in listening, reading and writing skills.

The same curriculum is used with all students, but adjusted to meet the needs of students in a particular grade. These thematic units are designed to build on knowledge obtained from the previous school year. Using Total Physical Response (TPR) as a method for long term retention of vocabulary, students acquire vocabulary in a manner similar to how a child learns their first language.  In TPR, the teacher models actions and students mimic as they hear, in the target language.  When the students reach fifth grade, TPR Storytelling is introduced. This method provides opportunities for utilizing and expanding vocabulary. High interest stories enable students to hear and see a story, and then act out, retell, revise, and rewrite it.

In seventh and eighth grades, students use a book as their main tool to polish their grammar and spelling.  We continue however, with TPR and story telling.

The goal is language acquisition, which happens through comprehensive input with a variety of fun and interesting activities. The key to learning a foreign language is that it must be made comprehensible, while at the same time being interesting to the student.

 
The exposure to a foreign language helps students develop an awareness of other cultures, preparing them not only to interact with other people, but to increase sensitivity to and understanding of values, customs, and traditions of others. All students are encouraged to participate in class to help them acquire not only language proficiency, but comprehension as well. Students are further encouraged to make an effort to study the language outside of class to further hone their skills.