Academics
Curriculum
Spanish
Integrated into every stage of the K-6 journey, our Spanish program fosters language skills and deep cultural appreciation. Through a rich mix of immersive and structured learning, students build confidence, curiosity, and a broader perspective on the world.
Inspiring Global Communicators
At Carlthorp School, learning Spanish is an adventure in communication, culture, and connection. Taught entirely by expert educators, our dynamic K-6 curriculum blends storytelling, phonics, and real-world immersion. By aligning our language instruction with our core Reading Workshop strategies, we create a seamless bridge between native literacy and foreign language mastery — empowering students to become confident, empathetic global citizens.
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Joyful Foundations
GRADES K-2
Early language acquisition focuses on oral confidence, phonetics, and joyful storytelling through Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). Guided by beloved routines like El León Dormilón, young learners master Spanish sound groups while building essential everyday vocabulary. Children quickly move from basic vowels to constructing original sentences about family, feelings, and school life. -
Structural Growth
GRADES 3-4
As literacy skills mature, students formalize their written expression and grammar using La Libreta, our dedicated Spanish journal. Children master present-tense conjugations, weekly dictados (dictations), and conversational dialogues. Introducing formal rubric evaluations and end-of-term assessments in 3rd grade offers a clear, structured measure of every child's expanding language journey. -
Moving Towards Fluency
GRADES 5-6
In the upper elementary grades, Spanish becomes an active tool for literary analysis and fluent dialogue. Through Lectura Colectiva (Collective Reading), students analyze full chapter books, master compound tenses, and tackle real-world communication scenarios — from navigating cities to expressing complex opinions — preparing them to excel in secondary school and beyond.
Spanish Program Highlights
Cross-Curricular Alignment: Spanish faculty collaborate directly with school reading specialists to apply proven Reading Workshop methods to language acquisition.
100% Teacher-Led Instruction: Spanish at Carlthorp is guided by two full-time Spanish teachers and a dedicated assistant.
Immersive Experiential Learning: Learning extends far beyond textbooks with real-world experiences and field trips, giving students opportunities to use their Spanish skills in bookstores, supermarkets, and beyond.
Cultural Traditions: Annual events such as Fiesta Latina, Día de Muertos, and Flag Line performances celebrate the richness of Spanish-speaking cultures on campus and worldwide.
Student-Published Storytelling: All grades collaborate to research, write, and publish El Mundo, Carlthorp’s original, school-wide Spanish magazine.
Established in 1939, Carlthorp School is the oldest independent coeducational day school for grades K-6 located in Santa Monica, California.