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La Catalina
Natural Language School is currently offering beginning,
intermediate and advanced level Spanish courses. Upon arrival, you
will be given a placement exam to determine in which level you will
be assigned. Classes start every Monday, year round, with the
exception of the week on which Christmas falls (see
Course Start Dates). Course durations are one to four weeks
long.
(See below for extended study programs.)
Our weekly Immersion Classes consist of the following components:
§
1st
session: Conversation Builder Course (Speaking focus)
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2nd
session: Familiarization Course (Listening, Reading & Speaking
focus)
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Each week there
will be a minimum of two cultural events (for groups of 4
or more) held during the
last 30 minutes of the class.
These events
change weekly and may include activities such as short Mexican
film clips, cooking demos, interviews with the townspeople,
sing-a-longs with local musicians, arts
& crafts demos, traditional folk dancing demos, and lectures on
Mexican history and art. All
of these activities are designed to provide language input for the
students.
Please Note:
If no groups are available on a given week, the
school will substitute the group option with private classes.
If substituting with private classes, the hours will be reduced to
10 hours per week (2 hours per day) but will cover the same amount
of the course material.
In addition to the weekly classes mentioned above, our
Immersion Program offers the following (optional) components:
Homestay Program -
Live with a Mexican family for the duration of your course!
Stay for one to four weeks, or as long as you need. Available
homestays include full room and board, room with breakfast only, or
room only.
Volunteer
Work Program - Designed to immerse you in
the Spanish language and culture and give you ample opportunities to
use what you are learning, while working side by side with the
Mexican people in their place of work or residence (eight hours per
week). Some of our
placements are in the following locations:
§
Local
Schools
§
Local
Businesses
§
Mexican Homes (providing assistance to elderly, helping with food
preparation, child care, etc.)
Language Exchange Program - Provides the opportunity for you
to meet with a
Mexican and converse part of the time in Spanish and the other
part in English. These exchanges foster a better intercultural
understanding and friendship between foreign and Mexican students.
Excursion Program - This Saturday event is offered upon
request. Snorkeling trips, sea kayaking, ecology tours,
nature hikes, bike tours, or visiting nearby cities of
interest are some of the excursions which can be arranged through
our school.
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Weekly Schedule*:
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Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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New
Student Arrivals |
11 -1
Registration/ Orientation |
9-11
Volunteer
Activity
(optional) |
9-11
Volunteer
Activity
(optional) |
9-11
Volunteer
Activity
(optional) |
9-11
Volunteer
Activity
(optional) |
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4-7
Spanish Classes |
4-7
Spanish Classes |
4-7
Spanish Classes |
4-7
Spanish Classes |
4-7
Spanish Classes |
*Schedule
subject to change
The
following optional programs are offered to enhance your learning
experience and accommodate individual needs:
 Independent Study Program
- Designed to support
students who study with us on a long-term basis. With the
coaching of a private tutor, students complete a minimum of ten
hours a week of at home studies and 6 hours a week of private
instruction. The goal of this program is to master the material
from the course that was completed in order to bridge them into
the next higher level course.
Design-Your-Own Immersion Course
- If
you don’t feel that the immersion programs we have to offer fit
your unique learning needs, we can work with you to design a
course that will. Just tell us your needs including hours
of private individual instruction you would like per day,
desired length of program, language emphasis, your fluency
level, whether or not you would like to stay with a family, and
we will build the immersion course that is right for you.
Private
Classes are also available
for
additional instruction time or if you have special interests and needs.
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