AP Spanish Language and Culture

Luke Curtis, Section Editor

AP Spanish Language: La necesidad para comprender el lenguaje del Sur (The necessity for understanding the language of the South)

Foreign languages are grueling subjects to learn. You are beginning to understand a culture, written language, and spoken language different than your own. However, as you continue to progress through your journey, the experience takes a turn, and the process is much more enjoyable. Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a specialization class solely focused on the development of the speaker’s mastery of grammatics, vocabulary, accent, and overall fluency. Taught by Señora Genee Hansen, the requisites to being able to attend the course consists of a grade better than a C in Spanish 3 or 4. Students are exposed to attaining a mastery of spoken Spanish through films and tapes. Adding onto the short stories and passages from Spanish 3 and 4, students are expected to understand the written language as well through additional novels and written essays. Discussion and awareness of both current and historical events in the hispanic world are also part of the curriculum. This AP (Advanced Placement) class is also designed to support students who choose to take the AP Spanish Language exam within late May, with a 3 or higher granting college level credit which can be paired with college credit from AP Spanish Literature to achieve a full year’s worth of Spanish credit at certain universities. . Studying for the AP Spanish Language exam, and the class itself, is a relatively easy and accessible task. Using web applications such as Duolingo and Notes in Spanish, students will be able to improve their comprehension of the written language through vocabulary and grammar exercises, while also improving their listening ability to understand complex and rapid spanish conversations. An AP Spanish workbook is also a great way to study for the test. Most workbooks are sufficient for covering the course material, and are not outdated. If you need to know more about the course, email Señora Hansen for additional information.