TRINITY SCHOOL
A place where children learn to love learning4985 Ilchester Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 744-1524
Foreign Language Program
Staff
Madame Frock has been Trinity's resident French instructor for three years. Madame Frock has an MA in English Literature, a BA in French Literature, and also studied language, literature, and cultural studies at the Universite de Haute Bretagne in Rennes, France. She has been fortunate enough to visit France often, and enjoys bringing back class materials from abroad.
Senora MacDonald , Spanish teacher, earned her BA in History from the University of Michigan and a Masters degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Temple University. She lived and studied in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Senora MacDonald has taught foreign languages for over twenty years and has traveled extensively to Spanish speaking countries including Spain, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the Trinity Foreign Language Program.
Trinity's foreign language program has expanded in recent years. Currently, Spanish is introduced in Kindergarten, Grades One and Two. French is introduced in Grades Three and Four. When students enter Middle School in Grade Five, they elect either Spanish or French to take for the next four years. Latin is offered as an elective to eighth grade students. Our foreign language courses run the gamut from basic speech and word recognition for our first graders to our increasingly conversant middle school students.
In addition to focus on language, our program includes a cultural component as well. Students studying French enjoy doing projects in the middle school on French-speaking countries, as well as on French artists, writers, and inventors. Middle school French students have pen-pals from Guadeloupe, a French-speaking Caribbean island. The fourth grade learns all about French geography and history, and the third grade has a French spelling bee. Trinity students have welcomed francophone guests to speak to them, and on special occasions students always enjoy making French treats, such as crêpes.
Students enrolled in our Spanish classes enjoy learning about and celebrating the Day of the Dead, Las Posadas, Cinco de Mayo, and Da de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Three Wise Men). Students also use the language in practical ways through playing games, singing songs, and presenting dialogs.