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Lengua Rica: Certified Spanish Language Instruction
 

 

 

COSTA RICA TRIP:

JANUARY 2013 

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 13 January to Sunday 19 January 2013
  • Cost: $850 (due by 1 December 2012)
  • 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 are very cheap)
  • Group size limit: 10

Itinerary:

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 - I am so very glad I went and incredibly grateful that [I got to stay] with Maruja... for someone who's only ever [lived in Costa Rica and] been to Panama, she is very worldly and I would love to go back to discuss more world topics. "
---Kara Steward, Costa Rica Trip 2012



Lengua Rica

ADULT CLASS SCHEDULE

Adult group classes normally run for 8 weeks and meet once a week for two hours each class.
The cost of attending classes includes materials and is
$160
The per-class drop-in rate is
$25

April-May 2012


Beginning

(course: Rojo)

    Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 11 April 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 11 April 06:30-08:30 PM

Intermediate

(course: Verde)

    Tuesdays (AM class) Starting 10 April 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 10 April 06:30-08:30 PM

Advanced Intermediate


    Thursdays Starting 12 April 06:30-08:30 PM

June-July


Beginning

(course: Amarillo)

    Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 13 June 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 13 June 06:30-08:30 PM

Intermediate

(course: Morado)

    Tuesdays (AM class) Starting 12 June 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 12 June 06:30-08:30 PM

Advanced Intermediate


    Thursdays Starting 14 June 06:30-08:30 PM

August-September


Beginning

(course: Carbón)

    Mondays Starting 13 August 06:30-08:30 PM
or Wednesdays (AM class) Starting 15 August 10:00 AM-Noon
or Wednesdays Starting 15 August 06:30-08:30 PM

Intermediate

(course: Anaranjado)

    Tuesdays (AM class) Starting 14 August 10:00 AM-Noon
or Tuesdays Starting 14 August 06:30-08:30 PM

Advanced Intermediate


    Thursdays Starting 16 August 06:30-08:30 PM


All classes are held in the studio at
303 10th Ave. SE
Lengua Rica

Registration for regular adult classes

To register for an adult group class (that is to say, to reserve a spot), we require a non-refundable $30 deposit. (Deposits are applied to tuition.)
  • 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:
Class Deposits
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

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.

"A challenging, yet safe, supportive, and FUN atmosphere."
-- Cherie Beckstrom, Labor & Industries
Lengua Rica

DESCRIPTION OF ADULT PROGRAM

"I think your teaching methods are fantastic!"
--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.

"Such a wonderful experience and class atmosphere!"
--Seth Kirby, Program Director Oasis Youth Center, Tacoma
 
"Students are challenged to think deeper about ways to express themselves using Spanish. I was surprised at the advances I made in only a short period of time."
--Jennifer Yamahuna

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.

"If you are in Olympia this is the place to learn to speak Spanish: 100% Spanish -- it's the way to go. Ethan is a patient, innovative & entertaining teacher."
--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.

We feel respected, included, engaged.... A class that is... accessible for students with differing learning styles."
-- 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.

Lengua Rica

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.

BEGINNING
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
INTERMEDIATE
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

All classes are held in the studio at
303 10th Ave. SE

Thursdays
1 March-22 March: location words (up, down, etc.) and corresponding action words. 4 weeks/$40
12 April-26 April: animals and animal actions. 3 weeks/$30
10 May-31 May: clothing and dressing. 4 weeks/$40

2-4 year olds (preschool)

Thursdays 10:00-10:45 AM
Spanish for little kids through songs and games and silliness!

5-7 year olds (K-2)
Thursdays 4:00-4:45 PM
Spanish through games and songs.

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.

APRIL-MAY 2012: Students are reading current events articles in Spanish of their choosing and bring copies to class for discussion. In addition, we will listen to and discuss news broadcasts in Spanish.

JUNE-JULY 2012: We will read and discuss selections from "Neruda: Sus mejores poemas" (ISBN 9562392988).

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2012: We will read the screeplay for the 1985 Argentine film "La historia oficial"—read a review—and watching and discussing the film.

This page was last modified: 05 May 2012.