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:
-
Build rapport and positive relationships with others
-
Enhance communication within teams and the dairy industry
-
Have fun while building your language skills!
About Your Instructor, Katie
-
Lifelong dairy farmer
-
Bachelors in Secondary Education, Spanish
-
Spanish teacher in Middle and High School for 4+ years
-
Developed curriculum and instructed online course for the dairy industry for two years
-
ESL- English as a Second Language certified (it helps to know where a non-native English speaker comes from)
-
Study abroad experience in Panama
-
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.
01
How is this course run?
-
100% online with live but recorded classes so you can tune in when convenient for you
-
8 weeks (16 total classes)
-
Two, one-hour live classes per week
-
Classes are interactive with in-class work and participation
-
Homework is assigned for reinforcement of the material
-
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.
-
Students will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course after final assessment is submitted
02
Learning Objectives
By the end of the 8-week Basic Course, students will be confidently able to:
-
Form simple sentences/phrases in the present tense both verbally and in written form
-
Conjugate verbs in the present tense and present progressive
-
Audibly comprehend vocabulary, sentences and phrases
-
Understand cultural differences/characteristics
-
Have an extensive vocabulary library
-
Earn respect from the Latinx/Hispanx population
By the end of the 8-week Intermediate Course, students will be confidently able to:
-
Form sentences/phrases both verbally and in written form in the present, past and future
-
Conjugate verbs in two past tenses and future tense
-
Know how to utilize the word "it"- direct and indirect objects
-
Continually build on Spanish vocabulary
-
Understand more cultural concepts
03
What Exactly Will I Learn?
-
The basics: alphabet, numbers, colors, articles, subject pronouns, verbs, months, days, weather, greetings, conjugation, prepositions, etc.
-
The specifics: new vocabulary list every week tailored specifically to the dairy industry
o You also get access to pre-made digital flashcards!
-
Cultural lessons infused throughout the course
04
What resources will be provided to help me?
Through a password protected site, students will have access to:
-
Pre-made digital flashcards of all the vocabulary
-
Worksheets and vocab lists
-
Online supportive games that I have created through teaching at school
-
Fun songs and videos to help enhance your learning (I may dance too)
-
Office Hours: Schedule one-on-one time with me or communicate questions via email
-
We also practice during class with practical examples to help you communicate faster
Prerequisite
Basics: None
Intermediate: The Basics Course (or previous knowledge)
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
WINTER:
January 12- March 4 2021
Live Class Times:
Basics: 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. EST
Intermediate: 6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. EST
Registration Deadline: January 3, 20201
Can't make it live? That's OK, every class is recorded and posted on the site for you to view on YOUR time
I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up.
I get it, LIFE HAPPENS! Materials are available up to 4 weeks after the course ends, if you happen to fall behind.
"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