Specials
World Language
World language instruction begins in preschool with alternating French and Spanish classes. Experiential in nature, students grow to be comfortable hearing and imitating other languages through songs, stories, and crafts. Through repetition and taking turns, students repeat common greetings, sing, and follow simple commands in the language. Exposure at a young age is shown to enable competency in the future.
Preschool
World language instruction begins in preschool with French or Spanish class weekly.
The preschool program at BCD aims to be experiential in nature and provides an exposure to world languages. The preschool program encourages students to be comfortable hearing and imitating another language through songs, stories, and crafts. Repetition and taking turns represent key skills at this young age as the students repeat common greetings, sing, and follow simple commands in the language.
World Language classes are literacy-based and well-known storybooks provide themes for the lessons. Language exposure at a young age allows for higher world language competence in the future.
Elementary
In elementary, students continue their study of French and Spanish alternating between French half the year and Spanish the other half. Teachers use the Foreign Language Exploratory (FLEX) model as a framework to introduce a foundational level of language learning and to produce emerging language skills such as listening comprehension and response in both spoken and written words. In upper elementary, students begin reading comprehension and writing practice.
Middle School
In Middle school, students choose to pursue either French or Spanish daily as a core subject as well as begin Latin instruction.
In the International Baccalaureate program, the ability to communicate in a variety of modes, in more than one language, is essential to the concept of an international education. Course objectives at the middle school level focus on vocabulary acquisition, grammatical knowledge, and communicative proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and complex grammatical and syntactical structures as well as increasing insight into the cultures and communities where the language is used. Latin classes focus on grammar translation with a particular emphasis on syntax and word derivation.
Why world languages?
World language instruction represents an opportunity for students to develop skills central to a well-rounded, classical education. BCD students learn communication strategies and gain cultural appreciation that will aid them in their futures participating in an ever-increasing global community. Research shows that learning world languages benefits students in many ways:
- helps young students to develop a more native-like pronunciation
- enhances listening skills and memory
- boosts problem-solving skills
- improves overall school performance
- contributes to higher standardized test scores
- draws attention to how language works
Learning how to learn another language carries as much weight as the communication skills and cultural knowledge students gain.
Boulder Country Day School 4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School is a leading private school serving students 2 ½ years old - 8th grade. In partnership with our outstanding faculty and committed families, we uphold the highest standard for our balanced educational experience. Through small class sizes and innovative engagement in a supportive environment, students at BCD learn to explore their strengths and apply them to the world. Guided by our values, we believe the empowered minds that graduate from BCD will be the ones to ignite global change.
