Spanish becomes an integral part of the students' experience at Greene Street Friends right from the start. In Lower School, the goal is to encourage and nurture
students’ enthusiasm and passion for the Spanish language as well as to build a
strong foundation of skills and vocabulary to support Spanish learning. The
Spanish Program uses many kinds of tools to build students’ abilities and
skills. The students engage in dancing,
active games, singing, writing, reading, listening, role-playing, and
interaction with puppets, so that they view second language acquisition as fun
and fulfilling.
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Cultural awareness is integrated in the curriculum in the form of songs, storytelling, the Cultural Exchange Program, and activities that teach students about the diversity and many gifts of the Latino community in and outside of the United States. In addition, the program promotes a strong foundation in pronunciation and phonetics, as well as simple listening and conversational skills while students explore the beginnings of reading and writing.In Pre-K and K, students experience an integrated class of Spanish, Music and Movement that meets twice a week. Besides learning Spanish vocabulary and songs, the students are introduced to classical music and dance using a program called “Move it” by Peggy Lyman and John M. Feierabend in which the students learn expressive movements. In addition through singing and rhythmic games they learn and practice basic musical concepts like tempo, volume, and pitch. The students also begin to identify instruments by name through sight and sound.
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