World Language Program

Welcome to the World Language Program for 2007-2008!
Henson Valley offers the following language classes:

  • ARABIC
  • CHINESE
  • FRENCH
  • SPANISH

Elementary Education

Our school is always in pursuit of engaging and challenging our students in new ways. Learning another language is one way to culturally immerse our students and an opportunity for them to practice and develop new skills.

To maximize the learning capabilities of students, the school uses two well-respected educational methods to teach languages:

    Total Physical Response (TPR) or Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS)

TPR helps students learn in several ways:

  • Promotes active language learning that is meaningful and context-driven
  • TPR cues allow for immediate understanding
  • Appealing stories that are rich in comprehensible input and easy to internalize
  • Multiple opportunities to prove comprehension and feel successful
  • Long-term retention of language
    Accelerative Integrated Methods (AIM)

AIM provides a selection of original audio recordings and plays specifically designed for beginning and intermediate language learning students. Students learn through:

  • Gestures, music, dance and theater
  • Songs and plays, which are highly motivational and offer emotional “hooks” to facilitate language acquisition
  • Retention of vocabulary and structures
Each language is taught progressively through each level with the goal that students would have a good command of the language by the end of our Middle School program.



World Language Students

PRIMARY

Students are introduced to the basic language and are asked to respond to certain commands using their body movements. Students also learn through audio recordings and play specifically designed for their age group. They are introduced to common courtesies, numbers, colors, physical descriptions, the calendar, animal names, opposites, food and nature. Students also play games and perform visual activities.

LOWER ELEMENTARY

Students are exposed to commands that are assimilated into short stories. Students are asked personalized questions in that language to help the teacher build a story using their answers. Students continue the language learning process and acquire phrases related to food and eating, school and family, shopping and clothing, weather and seasons, countries and continents, travel and transportation, cultures and nationalities. Students sing, play games and write simple exercises.

UPPER ELEMENTARY

World Language Students

Students learn grammar and vocabulary to build their daily conversation skills. At this point, conversations between teacher and students are achieved. The language learning process takes place at this stage. Words, commands and stories are also being learned and applied through a variety of language manipulation activities. Listening, speaking and writing skills are developed and assessed through TPR, TPRS and AIM approaches.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students are ready to use the language in reading, writing and speaking activities. Students learn advance grammar and vocabulary and are introduced to longer stories. They are exposed to story writing and oral presentations to complete the grammar and vocabulary necessary for the basic utilization of the language. Activities include retelling stories in their own words and inventing new stories.