Heritage and Native Spanish Course

Native and Heritage courses are designed to meet the linguistic and cultural needs of the Thompson School District Spanish native and heritage learners with a language capacity in at least one area of communication in Spanish. 

Spanish for Native and Heritage courses are specially designed for students who have primarily learned their Spanish either at home or living within a Spanish-speaking community. Heritage learners’ needs are different from traditional second language learners, who have not been in constant contact with Spanish while growing up. We offer these separate courses as recognition of native and heritage learners’ unique abilities and needs within our classrooms.

Native and Heritage Spanish learners:

• Expand their oral and written skills in the Spanish language

• Build community with other native and heritage learners and expand their Spanish-speaking community network

• Learn more about Spanish-speaking cultural heritages in the United States and other countries

• Broaden their personal histories by learning about the cultural experiences of U.S. Latinos, this meeting the intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural needs of Latino students

• Develop a critical understanding of issues surrounding bilingualism, biliteracy, and Latino heritage and language in the U.S. and other Spanish-speaking countries in the world

Educational and social benefits of these courses for Heritage and Native Learners of Spanish:

• Study Spanish in an academic setting in the same way that native English-speakers study English with a focus on Spanish literacy.

• The study of Spanish literacy will also increase English language literacy.

• Learn more about their language and their cultural heritages.

• Gain awareness and understanding of the Hispanic and Latino cultures: i.e., Hispanic and Latino identity and communities in the US and around the world language variation, geography, history, customs and traditions, current events, music, arts and food.

• Increase career opportunities since being multilingual and multiliterate are essential skills, both in our community and beyond.

 

Spanish for Heritage and Native Learners I

Designed specifically for native and heritage Spanish learners who are able to read, write, speak with proficiency in Spanish. The purpose of this course is to enable students whose heritage or native language is Spanish to develop, strengthen and maintain Spanish literacy skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) in Spanish using authentic resources such as videos, novels, informational texts, podcasts, and music that highlight the breadth and depth of the variety of cultures of the countries in the Spanish-speaking world. The course is not designed to teach Spanish, but rather to improve upon skills. (Loveland High School - IB MYP, Mountain View High School, Thompson Valley High School)

Spanish for Heritage and Native Learners II

Designed specifically for native and heritage Spanish learners who already have some oral and written proficiency in Spanish that they will develop further. The purpose of this course is to enable students whose heritage or native language is Spanish to continue to develop, strengthen and maintain Spanish literacy skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) in Spanish using authentic resources such as videos, novels, informational texts, podcasts, and music that highlight the breadth and depth of the variety of cultures of the countries in the Spanish-speaking world. This is Level II of two courses.  (Loveland High School - IB MYP, Thompson Valley High School)