This is an introductory Spanish language and culture course and is designed for students who have had little or no previous Spanish study. With culture as the foundation, the students will work with the three primary modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Within these various modes, students will listen, view, and read a variety of authentic materials from the Hispanic world and will learn to decipher meaning and communicate their thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. Students will be strongly encouraged to speak and write to communicate with other audiences within and beyond the walls of the classroom. Students will also be encouraged to seek out words and phrases that are purposeful and interesting as a means to personalize their learning experience.

This course is designed for students who have completed one year of Spanish instruction at the high school level or equivalent. Continuing with culture as the foundation, the students will continue their work with the three primary modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Students will continue to enrich their vocabulary and utilize it in more complex written and spoken contexts for a variety of audiences. Instruction will primarily occur in Spanish in order to help students acclimate to higher levels of language instruction and further develop their interpretive skills. A wide variety of texts and authentic resources will be utilized as springboards for discussion and interpretation. Students will also be encouraged to seek out words and phrases that are purposeful and interesting as a means to personalize their learning experience.

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed two years of Spanish instruction at the high school level or equivalent. Utilizing multiple authentic cultural resources, the students will continue their work with the three primary modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Students will continue to enrich their vocabulary and utilize it in more complex written and spoken contexts with a variety of audiences. Instruction will primarily occur in Spanish, and student production is expected to occur in the target language as well. A wide variety of texts, media, and audio/video resources will be utilized as springboards for discussion, interpretation, and analysis. Students will also be encouraged to seek out words and phrases that are purposeful and interesting as a means to personalize their learning experience as they explore the Spanish-speaking world and its wonders in more depth.

Spanish 4 is a language and culture course that is designed for students who have successfully completed three years of high school Spanish, the equivalent, or who have placed into this level through examination. Utilizing multiple authentic cultural resources, the students will continue their work with the three primary modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. This course will continue to review the basic grammatical structures and will teach the more complex structures formally. The main goals of this course are to expand students’ vocabulary and to refine their skills in reading and understanding in authentic contexts. Students will read Hispanic literary and nonfiction texts, improve their formal writing, speak on a variety of topics, and improve their understanding of spoken Spanish. For students to be immersed in meaningful language, this course is conducted almost exclusively in Spanish to provide authentic input.

The AP Spanish Language & Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication to real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The course is structured around six themes: beauty and aesthetics, contemporary life, families and communities, global challenges, personal and public identities, and science and technology. Students are expected to engage in spoken and written interpersonal communication; synthesize information from a variety of authentic print and audiovisual resources; and plan, produce, and present spoken and written presentational communication. To best facilitate the study of language and culture, the course is taught entirely in Spanish.

The AP Spanish Literature & Culture course uses a thematic approach to introduce students to representative texts (short stories, novels, poetry, testimonies, and essays) from Peninsular and Latin American Spanish as well as Hispanic literature of the United States. The readings span from medieval to modern times, allowing students to examine the universality of literature and make comparisons and connections through historical and contemporary cultural contexts. Students will explore the interdisciplinary connections between literary works and other artistic forms of expression, such as music, painting, architecture, and film. Students will focus on mastering and applying the terminology that textual analysis of literature requires and producing the analysis and interpretation of texts in both oral and written expressions of academic Spanish. All of the works from the required reading list for the AP Spanish Literature and Culture exam are read in full text form. All instruction, discussion, and writing are in Spanish in order to support the development of students’ language proficiency necessary for success in the AP Spanish Literature & Culture course and exam and beyond.