Spanish Immersion

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•	Course Overview
•	About Chacala
•	Course Description
•	Course Schedule
•	General Info
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•	Tuition

Course Credit
In the Spanish Immersion course, students can earn high school credit for 3 different courses: Spanish IA & IB (or higher level if the student is already studying Spanish) and Spanish Immersion IA. At this time, Classroom with a View does not issue transcripts; courses are parent graded.

The at-home coursework is complemented by a hands-on cultural-immersion experience in Chacala, a sleepy fishing village in Mexico.

Previous Requirements
Students need not have any Spanish experience at the time of application. During the fall semester, students complete Spanish IA at home (or higher if Spanish IA is already completed). During the field course, students complete 1/2 credit "Spanish Immersion."

Students will earn credit in 3 courses:

Spanish IA & IB (1 credit foreign language)
No previous courses in Spanish are required to enroll. At home, before traveling to Chacala, students will study Spanish in the fall. Most students will be studying Spanish IA & IB. Some students may be at higher levels. One of the Classroom with a View instructors will be assigned as your “Spanish coach.” S/he will help prepare you for success in Chacala by reviewing short written assignments that you prepare and also by touching base over the phone. S/he is available to help you with any questions as you study Spanish at home. CWAV will provide the Rosetta Stone curriculum, supplemented with other assignments. Www.rosettastone.com If you wish to use an alternative curriculum, you may do so with approval from CWAV staff and at your own expense.

Spanish Immersion (1/2 credit elective)
This course uses the student's vocabulary base, knowledge of grammar and communicative structures to focus on oral communication. This course is individually tailored to each student's level of Spanish proficiency. Students apply familiar grammar functions to new communicative tasks, cement proper usage of grammar and vocabulary and markedly improve in communication. Students are immersed in a Spanish language environment for an extended period of time in which they will complete their daily tasks in Spanish. Students are also immersed in the culture. They receive language lessons from a local Native teacher, cultural lessons in Spanish from locals, and they build friendships with the youth in the local community.

Learning takes place in many formats throughout the field course:

	•	Spanish Lessons with Trini – Students receive conversational Spanish lessons in Chacala daily from Trini, the local Spanish instructor who is dynamic, fun and full of life. In small groups in Trini’s home, she instructs them in conversational Spanish at the level of Spanish they need. The focus is speaking and listening. After lessons, students get the chance to go out and practice their Spanish by interacting with the village.
	•	Cultural Exchanges - These are very informal times set up for students to have rich cultural interaction. Examples: visiting a family's home, learning how to cook a meal (using Spanish, of course), attending a traditional birthday party, etc.
	•	Student Presentations – Each student will give one 15 minute presentation (in English) on a topic he or she chooses. We will provide a list of topics to choose from that range from geography of Mexico to Latin American literature to holidays in Mexico to sports in Mexico. It is the student's chance to research and master a topic he or she finds interesting. During the field course in Chacala, each student will give the presentation on their topic, creating an environment in which we all teach and learn cooperatively.
	•	Hands-on Experience - This is the bulk of how learning unfolds. We take advantage of the countless teachable moments that arise to learn Spanish and experience culture while doing them: buying fish at the pier, asking directions to someone's house, meeting someone, ordering dinner, bargaining, greeting a new friend, etc.
	•	Interaction with EBACH - We spend lots of time with the EBACH (scholarship) students. We develop close friendships through supervised social time, organized activities, and lessons with them. By building friendships, we not only learn about the culture, but our students have a great motivation to practice and improve their Spanish. And it works. This is the most successful thing we do to improve our Spanish. We have a great time while making lifelong friends. For more information about EBACH, visit http://www.chacala.org/
	•	Interaction with elementary-age students - We spend time at the after school program. This is an opportunity for our students to casually interact with young children in the community: helping them with homework, taking part in the craft project, playing basketball, or playing cards. Not only do we enjoy this, but it also pulls us further into the community.
	•	Observation - We see and reflect on how a different culture lives, eats, thinks, acts and much more.
	•	Meals - We have many, many opportunities to eat out - a time to learn language and culture. We also cook at home, which is a learning experience in working with others, planning ahead, shopping at the local grocery store to buy supplies, and cooking for a large group.
	•	Other - A considerable amount of time is dedicated to other activities: a hike into the forest, shopping at the local market, swimming at the beach, playing volleyball, teambuilding, a boat ride, and free time.

Independent Study
Students must adequately complete all assignments. Once enrolled, students receive course materials, detailed information on course assignments, a suggested timeline for completing assignments, and due dates. Since each 1/2 credit encompasses a minimum of 90 hours of work, most of the coursework is done before the field course. There are many assignments, but students have the entire fall semester to complete them. The field course is designed to be the hands-on culmination and application of everything studied at home. All course materials are provided to the student.

“My son was somewhat reluctant to apply himself when learning Spanish. However, after returning from Mexico he has started using Spanish (and his Spanish dictionary) to e-mail his new Mexican friends.”
- Parent, Spanish Immersion '05

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