Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 2 North Vista Elementary students learn about different cultures At North Vista Elementary, students benefit from access to at least one different language, and as a result, benefit from learning about different cultures and perspectives. In all PYP schools, students have the opportunity to learn a second language from at least the age of seven. At North Vista, students in grades 2-6 take a Spanish class. Fifth grader Desmond Williams, II, explains that Spanish is his favorite part of being in PYP at North Vista. “I’m excited to be learning Spanish and just about different cultures,” says Desmond. “It’s challenging, but also a lot of fun.” He, as well as other North Vista students, love the various activities and songs they learn in Spanish. Spanish teacher Sandra Salcedo moved here with her family from the country of Columbia. Mrs. Salcedo is excited about this opportunity to work with young learners who are eager to lean a new language. Students go to Spanish class as a pull out period (45 minutes a week). Most grade levels are starting with the basics of language. However, many of her 5th and 6th grade students are retaining language skills quickly and will be having conversations in Spanish soon. “We are so lucky to have Mrs. Salcedo,” said North Vista Principal Sharon Dixon. “Our students are able to experience the world and understand that there’s more out there than our community here in Florence.” Mrs. Salcedo describes how she includes much song and dance in her instruction, as that is how students learn language best. “I’m happy because they seem to really like learning Spanish.” She taught in Columbia, and often tells her students about what it’s like for students there to learn English. She tells her students at North Vista that learning another language gives you many more opportunities to travel and helps when you are getting a job. Learning a new language encourages our students to be openminded and global citizens. The PYP Language Scope and Sequence explains that “effective language teaching and learning are social acts, dependent on relationships with others, with context, with the environment, with the world, and with the self.” Mrs. Salcedo describes how excited her students are to return to class with news that they taught their families how to say something in Spanish. And she laughs as she tells of parents who ask her what different phrases mean, as they want to learn what their child is learning. She explains that we are teaching students how to express themselves when we teach a new language. Mrs. Salcedo believes that this language instruction is helping all of her students in grades 2-6 build social and academic confidence. When students learn how to express something in Spanish, they are also practicing correct semantics in their first language, English. Students will say a sentence correctly in English, then in Spanish. At North Vista, we are thrilled to offer this new language program. When exposed to languages, with all the richness and diversity, students become more inquisitive about the world around them. As an IB Candidate School, North Vista uses language acquisition as a vehicle for “I’m excited to be learning Spanish and just about different cultures. It’s challenging but also a lot of fun.” —Desmond Williams, North Vista 5th grade learners to engage with the world, and to be a part of the mission of the IB program to “help create a better and more peaceful world.”
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