Why take this course?
The United States has the 2nd largest Spanish-speaking population in the world and 80% of the agricultural workforce in the U.S. speak Spanish!
Learning Spanish with Katie will help you:
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Build rapport and positive relationships with others
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Enhance communication within teams and the dairy industry
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Have fun while building your language skills!
About Your Instructor, Katie
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Lifelong dairy farmer
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Bachelors in Secondary Education, Spanish
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Spanish teacher in Middle and High School for 4+ years
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Developed curriculum and instructed online course for the dairy industry for two years
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ESL- English as a Second Language certified (it helps to know where a non-native English speaker comes from)
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Study abroad experience in Panama
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2008 Employer of the Year (Dotterer Dairy) from The PA Department of Education Migrant Education Program
Third grade was when I started learning the Spanish language. Eight-year-old me thought, “How cool is it to speak another language?” I couldn’t wait to officially take Spanish classes in high school (Santa Claus helped me out in the interim with resources). However, my excitement plummeted when, enrolled in the class, the instruction I received was awful and I couldn’t learn very well from my instructor’s teaching methods.
Fast forward 5 years when my family dairy farm started to include Spanish speakers on our farm team. My love of the language and culture quickly resurfaced as I noticed the communication gap and dove into learning on-farm vocabulary. I quickly gained respect and built rapport with my teammates and ended up on their children’s emergency school cards. I loved learning the language and everything it encompasses so much, I went back to school and earned a degree in teaching the language. I created this course to share with you what I have learned working with Spanish speakers every day on my dairy farm and how fun learning Spanish really can be!
I was once in your shoes, learning Spanish as my second language. And through my terrible high school experience, I have learned how to teach the language like I would have wanted to be taught. I teach it so you actually LEARN.
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How is this course run?
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100% online with live but recorded classes so you can tune in when convenient for you
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8 weeks (16 total classes)
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Two, one-hour live classes per week
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Classes are interactive with in-class work and participation
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Homework is assigned for reinforcement of the material
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The course starts with the basics then builds to include specific dairy vocabulary
o Example: There are two white buckets by the door: Hay dos cubetas blancas cerca de la puerta.
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Students will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course after final assessment is submitted
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Learning Objectives
By the end of this 8-week course, students will be confidently able to:
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Form simple sentences/phrases in the present tense both verbally and in written form
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Conjugate verbs in the present tense and present progressive
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Audibly comprehend vocabulary, sentences and phrases
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Understand cultural differences/characteristics
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Have an extensive vocabulary library
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Earn respect from the Latinx/Hispanx population
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What Exactly Will I Learn?
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The basics: alphabet, numbers, colors, articles, subject pronouns, verbs, months, days, weather, greetings, conjugation, prepositions, etc.
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The specifics: new vocabulary list every week tailored specifically to the dairy industry
o You also get access to pre-made digital flashcards!
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Cultural lessons infused throughout the course
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What resources will be provided to help me?
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Pre-made digital flashcards of all the vocabulary
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Online supportive games that I have created through teaching at school
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Fun songs and videos to help enhance your learning (I may dance too)
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Office Hours: Schedule one-on-one time with me or communicate questions via email
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We also practice during class with practical examples to help you communicate faster
Prerequisite
None!
Credit
None. This is a non-credit course
"After taking your class I have gained more confidence in my ability to speak and even received feedback from my team about how much more Spanish I’m speaking to them. I have learned new words as well but the biggest thing for me was confidence."
– Lindsay S.
"I had such a great time taking your classes. I am sad it is over, but am happy with the new language skills I have acquired!" - Emilee A.
Course Dates
Fall:
October 6, 2020 - December 1 st 2020 (no class on Thanksgiving Day)
Live Class Time: 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. EST
Winter:
January 12, 2021- March 4, 2021
Live Class Time: 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. EST
Can't make it live? That's OK, every class is recorded and posted on the site for you to view on YOUR time
"This class has been a HUGE help for me. I went from playing charades to being able to say what I needed. I loved your energy and enthusiasm for Spanish and it makes me super excited and motivated to learn. Thank you for making Spanish fun for me again." - Alyson O.
"Your class is awesome. I really loved it! I can't say enough good things. I want to take more classes! The recordings were really good too!."
- Megan W., DVM