Program Overview

Introduction to the Spanish — Elementary, BAE Program

The Spanish — Elementary, BAE program at Western Washington University is designed to provide students with the skills to learn firsthand about major world societies through language, literature, culture, and civilization. The program aims to train students in two areas: language structure and literary analysis, with a focus on holistic language learning and analytical instruction of language structure.

Program Description

The Spanish — Elementary, BAE program is a multifaceted program that provides an opening to the world through language, literature, culture, and civilization. The program is designed to satisfy the academic major requirement for teacher certification with an endorsement in elementary education and must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in elementary education.

Why Consider a Spanish-Elementary Major?

The Spanish — Elementary, BAE program provides students with the skills to learn about a culture in depth and to gain access to the intellectual life in the culture. The program believes that the best way to understand a culture directly is through its language, and the languages offered in this department are spoken natively by nearly two billion people.

Student Resources

• Department website: Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
• Department advising: Visit the Language Advisors webpage for more information
• Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress
• Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
• Sample careers: Elementary Teacher

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process)

To declare the Spanish — Elementary, BAE major, students must make an appointment with the language advisor and bring:

• An unofficial WWU transcript
• Documentation for courses taken at other colleges or universities
• Documentation for any study-abroad credits earned Then, students must submit a Student Academic Declaration and Change Form. Students seeking admission to the major must meet the following requirements:
• Complete at least one Spanish course at Western

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C- or better for all courses in the language major. A GPA of 2.75 is required in major language. Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in the elementary education professional program and in all courses required for the endorsement.

Program Requirements (30 credits)

• One course from:
  • SPAN 301 - Grammar Review and Composition (5 credits)
  • SPAN 311 - Spanish as a Heritage Language I (5 credits)
• One course from:
  • SPAN 302 - Grammar Review and Composition (5 credits)
  • SPAN 312 - Spanish as a Heritage Language II (5 credits)
• SPAN 401 - Advanced Grammar and Composition (5 credits) (must be taken on campus)
• Electives (15 SPAN credits) from:
  • SPAN 200-level
  • SPAN 300-level
  • SPAN 400-level
  • Note: A maximum of 15 SPAN credits may be earned through foreign study course work in language, culture, or literature. SPAN 425 can be applied to the major once.

Elementary Education Professional Program Requirements

The Elementary Education Professional Program is designed to lead to a recommendation to the state of Washington for a teaching certificate with an Elementary Education endorsement. The program centers an anti-bias, anti-racist, social justice philosophy.

Admission and Declaration Process

See the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Multilingual Education section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements.

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in the elementary education professional program and in all courses required for the endorsement.

Program Requirements (105 credits)

Professional Studies Core (22 credits)

• ELED 305 - Development and Learning in a Diverse Classroom (5 credits)
• ELED 310 - Education, Culture, and Equity (5 credits)
• ELED 311 - Understanding Washington State Tribal History, Culture, and Government: Since Time Immemorial Curriculum (1 credit)
• ELED 460 - Children’s Literature in the Classroom (5 credits)
• IT 344 - Foundations of Technology in Teaching and Learning (1 credit)
• MLE 441 - Language, Culture, and Equity: From Global to Local (5 credits)

Elementary Program Methods and Curriculum Content (32 credits)

• One course from:
  • ART 398 - Integrated Arts for Elementary Educators (3 credits)
  • DNC 398 - Integrated Arts for Elementary Educators (3 credits)
  • MUS 398 - Integrated Arts for Elementary Educators (3 credits)
  • THTR 398 - Integrated Arts for Elementary Educators (3 credits)
• HLED 455 - Health Education Grades K-8 (2 credits)
• IT 442 - Digital Decisions: Technology for Educators (3 credits)
• MATH 381 - Teaching K-8 Mathematics I (4 credits)
• MATH 382 - Teaching K-8 Mathematics II (4 credits)
• MATH 383 - Teaching K-8 Mathematics III (4 credits)
• PE 345 - Physical Education for Elementary School (3 credits)
• SCED 480 - Science Methods and Curriculum for the Elementary School (5 credits)
• SPED 364 - Teaching Each Student (4 credits)

Preparatory Field Experiences (13 credits)

• ELED 480 - Literacy: Beginning Communicators (5 credits)
• ELED 481 - Literacy: Fluent Communicators (5 credits)
• SCED 490 - Laboratory/Field Experience in Elementary Science (3 credits)

Professional Field Experiences & Methods Courses (38 credits)

• ELED 412 - Seminar on Racial Justice Praxis (5 credits)
• ELED 427 - Elementary Social Studies Through Counternarratives (5 credits)
• ELED 471 - Documenting Teaching (4 credits)
• ELED 494 - Internship - Elementary (2-16 credits) (must complete 22 credits toward the major)
• MATH 491 - Internship Seminar - Teaching K-8 Mathematics (2 credits)

University Graduation Requirements

• General University Requirements
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Minimum Grade Requirements
• Final Quarter Requirement