LANGUAGES IN OUR
MONTESSORI SCHOOL
English
We are proud to be an American-certified international school. This certification guarantees our students that English is not only the language of instruction, but is also part of our school's identity on many levels. 50% of our teaching staff are native English speakers, and 100% are bilingual English/Spanish.
His first contact with English
From the age of 18 months, the children of Infant Community (from 18 to 36 months) at Zaragoza SchoolHouse live their day immersed in a bilingual English/Spanish environment. 50% of the work environment in the classroom is in English, both through the vocabulary used and the educational and playful activities carried out in this language.
Montessori pedagogy in language education
From the age of 3 years, pupils from Children's home (from 3 to 6 years old) continue their day in an English-speaking environment as this is the native language of the Assistant and the language of our teaching and work. They learn to read in English through the Montessori pedagogy, which we complement with the Jolly Phonicssystem. The latter is a programme based on the synthetic phonics method, fun and multi-sensory that gets children reading and writing from an early age. This means that we teach the sounds of letters instead of the alphabet.
In addition, writing and reading in Spanish are gradually introduced.
Learning English, more than just bilingual teaching
From the age of 6, the Workshop classrooms are staffed by a native English assistant and learning is reinforced with up to four hours of specific English classes per week. In addition, students benefit from our reading plan Reading at Home. These intensive hours of English are developed in small groups, divided according to the level of proficiency in the language. In this way, we better meet the learning needs of each child with activities adapted to his or her level.
French
From Workshop IAt this level, which would be equivalent to the first year of primary school, the educational programme we have created for our pupils incorporates the learning of a second foreign language, French. From 6 to 9 years old, one hour a week in small groups allows children to begin to listen, identify and imitate the sounds of another language.
There are also nods to French culture with songs and other fun activities.
From the age of 9, the educational programme includes two hours of Frenchper week.. In this way, we can fulfil the objective of deepening the grammar, vocabulary and culture of the native language of our neighbouring country.
If you have any further questions regarding the general running of our nursery and primary school, you can consult our list of frequently asked questionsvisit the page dedicated to each level of education by following the menu of our educational programme or contact us directly.
Ready to prepare for the official Cambridge exams
- At the end of the Workshop II stage, our students can prepare for and sit the official Cambridge exams to accredit their level of English.
Reading at home, the reading plan to encourage healthy habits
- At Zaragoza SchoolHouse, we provide our pupils with a library managed by the school's families, which includes materials in English and French. In this way we offer children a way to continue learning and reading at home.