- ADULT CLASS SCHEDULE
- ADULT CLASS OBJECTIVES
- COSTA RICA TRIP 2013
- ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE
- DESCRIPTION OF ADULT PROGRAM
- DETERMINING YOUR LEVEL
- FREE TRIAL CLASS
- HOMEWORK: BEGINNING
- HOMEWORK: INTERMEDIATE
- KIDS' CLASSES
- PRIVATE CLASSES
- REGISTRATION FOR ADULT CLASSES
COSTA RICA TRIP:
JANUARY 2014
Prepare yourself for Spanish immersion, cultural exploration, and lots of fun in the sun!
We're going to Costa Rica and Ethan and Isabella will serve as hosts, guides, teachers, and intermediaries for a group of Lengua Rica students for a week.
NOTE: The focus of these trips is FUN and LINGUISTIC and CULTURAL IMMERSION, but not sightseeing (though we do see a few sights along the way).
- Dates: Sunday 12 January to Sunday 18 January 2014
- Cost: $850 (due by 1 December 2013)
- Includes: Accommodations, Spanish instruction/activities/experiences, and general guide/coordinator sorts of services
- Does not include: Cost of travel to or within Costa Rica or food (both of the latter are very cheap)
- Group size limit: 10
Itinerary:
- Day 1: Arrive in San José (Alajuela really) get settled
- Day 2: Tour and activities in Alajuela (a small and accessible city)
- Day 3: Travel north to San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada and San Vicente) and activities
- Day 4: Projects and activities in San Vicente (small farm community) and meet host families
- Day 5: Continue projects and activities in San Vicente and spend time with host families. Go to hot springs.
- Day 6: Travel to Playa Hermosa via Arenal volcano area and activities.
- Day 7: Hang out at beach and/or in town and activities
- Day 8: Head back to Alajuela or fly out of Liberia (NW airport)
- "Activities" means Spanish instruction, scavenger hunts, man-on-the-street interviews, hot springs soaking, coffee drinking, exotic fruit tasting, bus taking, latin dancing and other fun stuff.
- We will take public transportation and students will be encouraged to sit next to Costa Rican nationals and strike up a conversation.
- Some knowledge of Spanish required.
- Please contact us if you are interested.
What participants are saying:
"The trip that my wife and I made to Costa Rica with [Lengua Rica] took the two-dimensional Spanish we had been studying in the classroom and made it a three-dimensional language by giving it a cultural context. We would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to experience Spanish within the cultural context of those to whom Spanish is their native language. The richness of the language is embodied in the warmth of the people who speak it.
"
---Bill Batstone, Costa Rica Trip 2007
"There is a saying that 'the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.' If that is true, the Lengua Rica trip to Costa Rica is not for tourists. The Lengua Rica trip is for people with a traveler's mindset looking for an authentic experience; for a cultural and language exchange. My thoughts and emotions were always active when I was in Costa Rica. I never felt like a passive outsider watching "others", even while on bus rides through the countryside. Instead, for a week, I was a participant in Costa Rican life."
---Kathleen O'Brien, Costa Rica Trip 2010
"I'd been studying Spanish with Lengua Rica for several
sessions and was looking for a way to really intensely immerse myself in the
language. The trip to Costa Rica was just the thing. Ethan and Isa designed the trip to maximize the amount of
interaction we had with Ticos. We stayed in a
wonderful farm community in the mountains, welcomed with friendship, fresh and
delicious food, and nonstop conversations in Spanish. By the end of this stay
we were even making up puns and jokes in Spanish. We also had the opportunity to see much of the northern part
of the countryside, traveling by bus through beautiful scenery, conversing with
our seatmates in Spanish all the way. And our beach stay was a place where Costa Rican tourists go. Foreign tourism is a big part of the
Costa Rican economy now and it is possible to take a trip there without ever
speaking Spanish or really talking with Ticos. But with Lengua Rica, we were immersed in the culture, the
language and the land. It was a great
week."
---Linda Rubin, Costa Rica Trip 2010
"Thanks for a fantastic trip. Loved the conversations with Jose Manuel [the owner of Hotel Pacandé]—very charming—that man could get a sack of rocks to talk. He was sincerely enjoyable company and very patient with my rusty grammar. The couple of days in Alajuela—loved the market scavenger hunt... could have done more of that. The market workers were the most friendly ever. Thank you for the opportunity to step up with a task and get local with the locals. I adored the days we spent in San Vicente... Having to speak in Spanish with [the] entire family was a true treasure—they were so patient and helpful... I loved every minute of it. I treasured the gift the folks in San Vicente offered to welcome our group with open arms and tons of patience (the welcoming karaoke, tours, etc).... There's nothing to compare to living in someone's house, sharing their space, conversing in their language, and coming to a common respect and caring.
"
---Kara Steward, Costa Rica Trip 2012
"I liked the variety (not staying in one place the whole time). I liked not being a tourist..., I liked the time spent in San Vicente with regular families..., I liked traveling in a small group because of the fun, positive interactions among ourselves, the hot springs was super nice, I liked being pushed to speak Spanish more... and more. I also really liked riding the bus. "
---Ruth Middlebrook, Costa Rica Trip 2012
ADULT CLASS SCHEDULE
The cost of attending classes includes materials and is
April-June 2013
Beginning
(course: Amarillo)Mondays (CANCELLED) Starting 22 April 06:30-08:30 PM
or Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 24 April 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 24 April 06:30-08:30 PM
Intermediate
(course: Café)Tuesdays (CANCELLED) Starting 23 April 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 23 April 06:30-08:30 PM
Advanced Intermediate
Thursdays Starting 25 April 11:30 AM-01:30 PM
or Thursdays Starting 25 April 06:30-08:30 PM
June-August 2013
Beginning
(course: Carbón)Mondays Starting 24 June 06:30-08:30 PM
or Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 26 June 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 26 June 06:30-08:30 PM
Intermediate
(course: Lavanda)Tuesdays (AM class) Starting 25 June 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 25 June 06:30-08:30 PM
Advanced Intermediate
Thursdays Starting 27 June 11:30 AM-01:30 PM
or Thursdays Starting 27 June 06:30-08:30 PM
August-September 2013
Beginning
(course: Azul)Mondays Starting 26 August 06:30-08:30 PM
or Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 28 August 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 28 August 06:30-08:30 PM
Intermediate
(course: Verde)Tuesdays (AM class) Starting 27 August 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 27 August 06:30-08:30 PM
Advanced Intermediate
Thursdays Starting 29 August 11:30 AM-01:30 PM
or Thursdays Starting 29 August 06:30-08:30 PM
303 10th Ave. SE
Registration for regular adult classes
- Checks should be made out to "Lengua Rica."
- Please indicate which class, day, and time you are registering for.
- Include your name, phone number, and email address
- Mail your check to:
Lengua Rica
P.O. Box 806
Olympia WA 98507
If your desired class is starting in less than a week, you should drop off your deposit at the Downtown Olympia post office (98501). That way it will be sure to get to us by the next day. Prospective students can also just show up on the first day of class and hope that there is room for them: there sometimes is.
Determination of level
Please converse with us before deciding you are ready for our intermediate or advanced classes!In order to determine in which level students belong, we talk with them over the phone or in person. We get a sense of their vocabulary and how well they put words together. It just takes a minute or so. In the rare event that we place a student in the wrong level, there is no problem if he or she wants to switch level. Prospective students are also welcome to sit in on a class with no obligation. Please contact us and we will arrange for you to do so.
Private classes can be arranged by calling or emailing us. For individuals, we charge $50/hour (prorated). Private group classes cost $75/hour (for the whole group) with a class maximum of 15 students. Scheduling is flexible.
-- Cherie Beckstrom, Labor & Industries
DESCRIPTION OF ADULT PROGRAM
--Jessicarae Núñez, Quattro Studio
Materials and content used in class are full of realistic, authentic language. Class activities address a variety of learning styles. We strive to create an engaging, fun, and relaxed atmosphere so that students enjoy themselves and are motivated to learn.
--Seth Kirby, Program Director Oasis Youth Center, Tacoma
Class size can be as small as six, but never larger than sixteen. There are four distinct courses at the beginning level and seven courses at the intermediate level. Courses at the advanced level vary widely from session to session depending on students' interests.
--Sienna Potts, Sienna Moonfire Designs
We use traditional, popular, and original songs (check out our CD). In addition, students write their own songs, their own dialogues, perform role plays, read books in Spanish written for Spanish speakers and talk about them with their classmates.
In our classes, we emphasize the importance of communication over perfection. Students are evaluated by comparing each individual with his or her own past work. We give students many and varied opportunities to demonstrate their progress so that they can see how far they've come and feel encouraged.
-- Maureen Considine, Take ChargeProgramManager, DSHS
FREE TRIAL CLASS
If you'd like to sit in on a class just to see what it's like, please contact us and we will arrange for you to do so.
ADULT COURSE OBJECTIVES
Keep in mind: these items are not only "covered." Because we teach through immersion, students in our classes are constantly exposed to, and have ample opportunities to use, authentic Spanish. In truth, what's listed below is just the tip of the iceberg.
| Course | Functional Language Objectives | Grammar Objectives |
| CARBÓN | Greetings, farewells, food | Articles, pluralization, regular verbs, important irregular verbs |
| AZUL | spatial relationships, family | Possession, the verbs ser, estar (to be), important irregular verbs, adverbs |
| ROJO | Describing things, body parts | Adjectives, noun-modifier agreement, the verbs ser (to be), ir (to go), demonstrative adjectives |
| AMARILLO | Shopping, numbers, time, days of the week, months, seasons | The verb tener (to have), tener que (to have to), possessive adjectives, negation, interrogative sentences |
| Course | Functional Language Objectives | Grammar Objectives |
| VERDE | Asking for and giving directions, making complaints about goods and services | Prepositions, stem-changing verbs, present and past tenses |
| MORADO | Talking about the future, the body | Future tense of regular and irregular verbs, preterite tense of irregular verbs |
| ANARANJADO | Shopping, emergency situations | Comparison of adjectives and adverbs, the intricacies of definite articles, verbs ending in -cir, -cer |
| ESMERALDA | Food, earth science | Preterite and imperfect tenses |
| CELESTE | Talking about likes and dislikes, using direct and indirect object pronouns | Using direct and indirect object pronouns, the verb gustar |
| CAFÉ | Commands, daily routines | The imperative mood, reflexive constructions |
| LAVANDA | Health, talking about the past | Preterite and imperfect tenses of regular and irregular verbs |
KIDS' CLASSES
303 10th Ave. SE
Spanish for kids through songs and games and silliness!
To register for kids' classes, please contact us. Please include the name and age of you child.
advanced INTERMEDIATE
This level covers the gaps between our INTERMEDIATE classes and our ADVANCED discussion class. Students do weekly assigned readings (short stories, articles) and discuss them in class along with whatever other interesting topics arise. Grammar covered commonly includes the present and past perfect, progressive, and subjunctive, the imperative, irregular verbs, prepositions, direct and indirect object pronouns, preposition use, and the passive voice.
Advanced Intermediate courses feature readings on and discussions of a variety of contemporary issues such as Science vs. Art, Human Rights, Smoking, and Immigration, with supporting vocabulary lists and corresponding grammar units.
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013: Reading and discussing "La interminable conquista de México" (ISBN 9684193912).
APRIL-MAY 2013: Reading the screenplay for the 2001 Argentine film "El hijo de la novia"—read a review—and watching and discussing the film. There is a reading assignment for the first class. Please contact us if you're interested.
JUNE-JULY 2013: Reading current events articles in Spanish of students' choosing, bringing copies to class for discussion, listening to and discussing news broadcasts in Spanish.