LCC  World  Languages 

LCCHS provides an outstanding World Languages program which includes French, American Sign Language, and Spanish. If your student has no experience, has taken previous classes, is a native speaker, or part of the DLI program, LCC has the classes, staff, and rigorous curriculum to make World Languages a satisfying part of your student’s high school experience. Our World Language classes prepare students to transition from high school to higher education and careers. All classes are college prep and satisfy the UC/CSU requirements. The following is a description of our Spanish classes:

Spanish I: A fast paced course in which students cover a wide variety of material in order to develop a strong foundation for speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish at a basic level. At the end of the first semester, students will be able to communicate at the novice level within the range of the following topics: greetings & introductions, numbers, time, body parts, alphabet, class supplies, days & months, weather & seasons, likes & dislikes, activities & pastimes, personality traits, class schedule, food & drinks, health & exercise, locations, after-school activities & sports, and asking questions. Second semester students will be able to communicate about the following topics: declining & accepting invitations, families, parties & celebrations, age, restaurant items, ordering food, bedroom items, electronic equipment, colors, comparisons, chores, rooms of a house, giving commands, clothes, shopping, prices, stores, things done in the past, use of direct object pronouns, travel & vacations.

Spanish II: This course builds upon the topics and skills developed in Spanish I so students can communicate at a more functional level. First semester topics include personal descriptions, talking about where people are from, asking questions, talking about activities, describing classroom objects & activities, talk about classroom rules, expressing affirmative and negative ideas, school schedule, describing classes, sports and extracurricular activities, talking about places, comparing people and things, say what people know or what they know how to do, say with whom or what people are familiar with, asking & telling how long something has been going on, describe getting ready for a special event, describe people and things, express possession, body parts, numbers, describe clothing & fashion, talk about going shopping, describe events in the past, point out specific objects, avoid repetition when comparing similar things. Second semester topics include when and where you did/bought things, give polite excuses, give/understand directions for getting places, discuss good driving habits, discuss childhood toys & games, describe what you were like as a child, talk about childhood activities, discuss to or for whom something is done, describe holiday celebrations, talk about your family and relatives, describe people, places, and situations in the past, talk about how people interact, discuss emergencies, disasters, rescues & heroic acts, describe settings, weather, time & physical/emotional states in the past, describe an accident scene & emergency room, talk about injuries and treatments, talk about what you were doing when an accident occurred.

Spanish III: This course is the first intermediate-level in Spanish. In this level students review and learn new grammar, verb tenses, vocabulary; and develop verbal, listening, reading and writing communication skills. They also develop a basic understanding of, and appreciation for, Spanish speaking countries. In this level students learn more advanced grammar such as the present-tense subjunctive, the distinction between the use of the preterite and imperfect, the use of direct- and indirect-object pronouns, comparisons, superlatives, the use of interrogatives, negative expressions and prepositions.  Vocabulary topics include countries; personal care and routines; personality descriptions; professions; health, food and exercise; travel; community service, the arts. Students will read authentic texts and apply various reading comprehension strategies. Spanish will be used for most of class instruction and interaction. At the end of this course, the student will be able to understand, speak, read and write for self-expression and about the Spanish speaking world, making him/herself understood by a sympathetic native speaker. There are many opportunities after Spanish III: The majority of students continue to Spanish IV while others enroll in Spanish for Pro Com.

Spanish for Spanish Speakers:  This course is designed to build on a student’s existing communicative fluency in order to develop confidence and proficiency in the reading, writing and presentational skills necessary for further study.  It is intended for students with a native speaker, heritage speaker or DLI background in the language.  In the course, students will further develop communicative skills through exploration of a variety of text types and literary genres, participation in formal and informal presentational tasks, and writing in different registers and styles.  Explanation and application of grammar and vocabulary at the intermediate level is integral to the course as a tool to enrich and refine academic and professional communication.  In addition, texts, audio, video or other media are selected and analyzed as a means to introduce students to the diversity of the Spanish speaking world and familiarize them with different accents, dialects and other forms of colloquial language.  Discussions, activities and projects will allow more in-depth investigation of particular aspects of the Spanish speaking world, including what it means to be bi-lingual.  Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared for Spanish IV, an intermediate-advanced level course, and encouraged to continue their studies in Pro-Com, AP or IB Spanish as Juniors or Seniors.

Spanish IV: At this level students continue to get experience with the language, further developing their skills in reading, writing and understanding Spanish. The course is based on readings and short stories by original Spanish speaking authors. The grammar and structure are studied mostly in context with regular reviews of the main grammatical points. Assessment is done through both tests, writing, and group and individual presentations. This highly communicative course is designed to give students more practice with Spanish before going into the AP and IB classes. After Spanish IV, students are encouraged to continue to either AP Spanish Language, the first year of IB, or Spanish for Pro Com.

Spanish for Professional Communication: A practical course that offers students the necessary oral and written communication skills and cultural background to conduct professional activities in Spanish.  Offered is an expanded study of geography, politics, cultural traditions and lifestyles. The language functions taught in class will be embedded in professional situations. Students will compose formal business communication for various circumstances, i.e. resume, receipt of an item, requests, cover letters, marketing and promotional materials. The majority of instruction and classroom interaction is conducted in Spanish. LCC is the only school in the SDUHSD to currently run this class.

AP Spanish Language & Culture: This course is the equivalent of a third-year college course in advanced Spanish writing and conversation. The goal of the Spanish Language class is to help students improve their writing and oral skills, aural comprehension, grammar use, and depth of vocabulary. Students will explore concepts of cultural significance, including social issues within the target culture. Students will develop the skills necessary to analyze a variety of written texts and communicate their ideas through discussion and in writing. Conversational skills are practiced daily while discussing assigned readings and in general classroom interactions. This course is designed to prepare students for success on the AP Spanish Language examination.

IB Standard/Higher Level Programme of Study: The IB level course work is equivalent to a third year college Spanish writing, literature and conversation course. Students develop literacy and conversational skills through reading and writing a variety of text types. Tasks include analysis of literature, cultural comparisons, and production of written documents in a variety of styles and registers. Class is led in Spanish and all reading materials are authentic. This is a rigorous programme of study covering five distinct themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, Sharing the Planet. Cumulative testing occurs in the second year of study.  Grammar is reviewed thoroughly and applied in writing and speech in the first year; use of stylistic conventions and vocabulary are expanded in both years of study.  Literature, music, and movie analysis are integral to enhancing cultural knowledge and increasing advanced understanding and use of Spanish.

Spanish Course Pathways @ LCC

• IB Spanish is a 2 year course.           * Courses unique to LCC
• Students choose between IBSL & IBHL by November of their senior year.
• IB2 is weighted.
• It’s recommended that AP & IB students take Spanish in Middle School.
• **Completion of Spanish III or IV is highly recommended before starting the IB sequence.
  Note: If you are currently taking Spanish and have an A or B, then please continue to the next level.