糖心Vlog

List of 2 items.

• JUNIOR SCHOOL LANGUAGE PROGRAM

  At WPGA, language is approached from a holistic and global perspective. Students not only learn vocabulary and syntax but also explore and celebrate the cultural practices, art, music and landscape of the countries whose people speak that language.
  
  

  Our junior school teachers use pedagogy (Accelerative Integrated Methodology) as their principal teaching method for French, Spanish and Mandarin; AIM uses gestures, storytelling and word associations for rapid comprehension of high-frequency vocabulary. Our languages teachers all receive training in AIM, which is research based and proven to facilitate second/third language learning more effectively than other methods.

  
  From junior kindergarten, students take French, Mandarin and Spanish. The focus is on exposure and creating maximum familiarity with the language—instructional minutes increase for each language each year. In grade 2, students select a third language stream (Mandarin or Spanish) and are encouraged to choose a language separate from their home language.* Exemptions are permitted in certain cases; these students receive extra skills support in lieu of language block.

  
  Beginning in grade 7, students can join study clubs for international language exams such as the Diploma of French Language Studies (DELF) and Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE).

• SENIOR SCHOOL LANGUAGE PROGRAM

  In the Senior School, French is a requirement through grade 10; third language learning is optional. Foundational, standard and enriched-level programs in French are offered in grade 8; standard and enriched classes are offered in grades 9 and 10. Spanish and Mandarin follow one stream; for Mandarin, both heritage (Mandarin as the language spoken at home) and non-heritage tracks are offered. Students may take AP classes in all three languages.
  
  

  The emphasis is on enjoyment and mastery of language, not speed of learning, and reflects teachers’ focus on comprehensive input (CI), an immersive approach that includes all forms of expression and maximizes exposure to the target language. This method increases confidence and comprehension by making language learning as fun, frequent and accessible as possible.  

  
  The Senior School offers practice clubs in French and Spanish, and opportunities to interact with their teachers in the target language at any point. Spanish Club includes a service aspect, teaching children in Guatemala – our students love connecting with their younger peers in Spanish to facilitate their learning of the English language.