Eighth graders speaking different language
By Erika Massek
September 19, 2006
"Cuando puedo tomar las clases de español?" (When can I take Spanish classes?)
The answer has changed recently because the eighth graders are now able to enroll in a Spanish class.
This is the first year that the Silver Lake school district is offering Spanish class to the eighth graders. The eighth graders are in the same class as the high school Spanish 1 students and have the same curriculum as the high school students.
Larry Winter, SLHS principal, commented that the eighth graders needed more elective classes and so they decided to offer the Spanish class.
"It came about because we needed additional classes for junior high students that are electives. So, we considered offering a separate Spanish class. However, talking with other schools, we decided our best option would be to let them take Spanish 1 versus a separate junior high Spanish class.
"It is the same as Spanish 1, just like in high school offering Algebra 1 to eighth graders. It is the same concept, so they can be in it for just a semester if they want, but hopefully they would like to take it a full year, so there isn't an issue," he said.
Pat Bonine, Spanish teacher, stated the students could benefit from the Spanish classes by using the language for work.
"As with any Spanish student, they will benefit by being a more valuable employee. With the ever-increasing Hispanic population, speaking Spanish is a valuable commodity," she said.
Winter explained how although Silver Lake has no foreign language requirement, some colleges do.
"As a high school, we do not require a foreign language to graduate. Some colleges do require a couple years of foreign language, but most are colleges out of state. The other kicker is the board of regents requirements is based on you taking two years of a foreign language to qualify for their scholarship," he said.
Eighth graders speaking different language
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| Date | Subject | Posted by: |
|---|---|---|
| 05/09/2007 | I enjoyed reading about the Spanish... | Mrs. Frownfelter |
