Foreign Language: Spanish
Certification Course Requirements
Upon completing an approved program and taking all ISBE tests, you will earn a K-12 Certificate (type 10) with an endorsement in foreign language and a designation in the language of in your major (French or Spanish). This certificate, endorsement, and designation will allow you to teach all levels of foreign language, including honors and AP courses. You will be “highly qualified” in your designation.
Professional Education
The courses below should be taken in the sequence listed. Refer to the IWU catalog for course prerequisites. None of the required courses below may be taken concurrently.
| First year, spring semester or sophomore year, fall semester | Educ 225 | Education and Social Justice (SI) |
| Sophomore year, fall or spring | Educ 255 | Studying Children and Adolescents (WI) |
| Sophomore year, spring or junior year, fall | Educ 260 | Middle School Philosophy (required for middle school endorsement, elective) |
| Sophomore year | Educ 271 | Teaching and Learning with Technology (elective) |
| Junior year, spring | Educ 360 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in English and Foreign Language |
| Senior year, fall | Educ 490 Educ 493 |
Student Teaching Seminar Student Teaching in Humanities and Social Science, with Seminar |
| Senior year spring | Educ 498 Educ 260 |
Educational Inquiry (WI) (if not previously taken) |
*Educ 260 is strongly recommended for foreign language candidates.
**Ninth semester graduates only may take Educ 498 prior to student teaching during the spring semester of the senior year, with department approval.
Major Requirements: Spanish (10 courses at or above the 203 level)
Candidates seeking K-12 foreign language certificates should be able to demonstrate: (1) a good command of the language; (2) an awareness and appreciation of the aesthetic and intellectual history of the target culture and of its present-day manifestations; (3) the ability to comprehend, critically analyze and explicate literary works in the foreign language; and (4) the ability to teach the foreign language, literature, and culture.
The Content-Area Standards for Educators define the knowledge and skills teachers must demonstrate in foreign language to ensure that Illinois students meet or exceed the expectations defined by the Illinois Learning Standards. In addition to the content-area standards, all teachers are expected to meet the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, the core Technology Standards, and the core Language Arts Standards.
The requirements below reflect the most recent information from the major departments (fall 2010). You are advised to consult the IWU catalog and your major advisor regarding current requirements for your graduating class.
| Span 280 | Reading and Writing Culture |
| Span 303 | Advanced Grammar and Composition |
| Span 308 | Introduction to Literature |
| Span 314 | Iberian Culture and Civilization |
| Span 316 | Latin American Culture and Civilization |
| Select 2 from Spanish 403 408 410 418 468 478 488 |
(one must be literature) History ofthe Spanish Language Early Spanish Literature Special Topics in Literature Modern Spanish Literature Latino/a Literature Latin American Literature: Short Narrative and Essay Latin American Literature: The Novel |
| Span 490 | Senior Seminar |
| Span (2 courses) | Electives, 203 and above (may be taken abroad) |
All foreign language candidates are required to:
- Study abroad in a country where the target language is spoken (prior to spring of the junior year, or enrollment in Educ 360).
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Complete the Oral Proficiency exam and score Intermediate Mid or Higher (prior to certification, February or March senior year).
- Application and information. Cost : $134.00.
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Complete a Foreign Language Writing Portfolio which includes the following papers:
- Spanish 303: Advanced Grammar and Composition
- A Civilization and Culture Courses (314, 316)
- 400 level linguistics or literature class
- Course taken during study-abroad experience
- Spanish 490: Senior Seminar
(Consult with Professors Sheridan and Isabelli with questions regarding the Oral Proficiency Exam and Writing Portfolio).
You may add a designation in any second language by completing a major in that language, and taking the Content Area test in that language. For example, this would allow you to teach both Spanish and French, or Spanish and Italian.