Spanish Language
Classes and Tutoring For Learners Of All Ages and Abilities
CURRENTLY ALL CLASSES AND TUTORING are BEING CONDUCTED ONLINE
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CSLI provides Spanish instruction and tutoring to individuals of all ages and abilities and tailors courses to meet your needs. We provide programs of instruction for pre-school thru high-school individuals. We also offer curriculum for adults, both personal and professional. We can provide formal curriculum set to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) or American Council On The Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scales - to prepare for Development Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT) and the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI).
Castaneda Spanish Language Instruction presents corporate, non-corporate, one-on-one, group, or after-school programs anywhere in the Washington D.C. metro area. Whether your goal is self-enrichment, help with school coursework, assistance in preparing a child for success in tomorrow’s global economy, or attainment of immediate professional goals, we can make it happen. Our company focuses on Spanish instruction.
We are an approved independent contractor/vendor with the Fairfax County Public School System with complete background checks for all members.
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Below you’ll find the information you need about our courses, our team, or our methodology. If you’re looking for a Spanish instructor or tutor, contact us today.
METHODOLOGY
We use a combination of two teaching methodologies; task based language teaching and communicative language teaching depending on the abilities, needs, and personality of the student.
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Elementary School Students
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Language is such a key aspect to setting up children for success in their future professional endeavors that high schools across the nation and in almost every Western country require at least two years of a foreign language. Research shows that students who study another language perform better on standardized tests and show improved cognitive abilities across disciplines.
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Whether your goal is self-enrichment, help with school coursework, or assistance in preparing a child for success in tomorrow’s global economy, we can make it happen. Take advantage of that “window of opportunity” that allows young people to learn a language fluently, improve their lifelong ability to communicate more effectively, and contribute to cognitive development and cultural awareness.
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Our classes provide an introductory program of Spanish instruction adapted to the age group and ability of the student being taught, using a fun, theme based (real life experience) techniques to keep your child engaged and interested. During these classes, we will use exercises such as going to the zoo, taking a trip abroad, learning how to present/introduce yourself, and going shopping for groceries to keep the learning experience exciting.
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Middle School/High School/Adults
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Any hiring manager in any company in the world would tell you that the ability to speak a foreign language is a prized commodity. Learning to communicate fluently in multiple languages provides additional job security and advancement opportunities in uncertain economic times. We offer classes for adults that are geared towards both personal and professional goals.
CSLI teaching methodologies and techniques stress speaking, listening comprehension, and reading skills. We develop language training materials such as audio recordings and technology-based media. CSLI delivers classes using online resources such as language sites, news articles, current events and cultural sites.
Students are provided with encouragement and constructive feedback to promote high levels of learning in an engaging and effective manner. We develop foreign language instructional material and curriculum, and administer informal or formal progress evaluations and assessments based in American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines to evaluate student progress. We can prepare you for the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI).
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OUR TEAM
Adela Mansfield
Course Instructor/Curriculum Developer
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Adela is a native Colombian who has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and worked for Avianca Airlines for five years as an administrative assistant in Avianca’s headquarters. Her work with Avianca took her to many cities throughout Colombia, Latin America and Europe.
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She has been teaching Spanish for 8 years to students of all ages, backgrounds and capabilities and is certified by the Virginia Department of Education to teach Spanish Pre k – 12. She teaches one-on-one, group classes at public schools, and has experience teaching corporate classes.
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Her students range from Kindergarten learners to adults, including U.S. government personnel preparing to deploy overseas, and senior military in the Secretary of Defense office in the Pentagon preparing to take on a new command.
Adela has experience in developing the curriculum, lesson plans, and coursework to prepare students for their unique requirements, including preparation to be measured by the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT), as well as preparing instructional materials and curriculum for elementary school based on American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.
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astrid claypool
Course Instructor
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Astrid from Bogota, Colombia is an experienced Spanish language instructor with 10+ years of experience in beginner to advanced-level instruction to adults. Her experience includes providing Spanish language lessons to United States Department of Defense and Department of State personnel, curricula development in support of Defense Language Institute (DLI) contracts, and successful preparation of students to thrive and excel in a Spanish-speaking environment.
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MARIA CORDAL GUSTAFSON
Course Instructor
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Maria, a native Spanish speaker, was born and raised in Asturias in northwest Spain. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of West Florida.
Maria provides customized Spanish lessons to U.S. Department of Treasury employees who work with Latin America.
She also provides lessons to young students concentrating on conversational Spanish, grammar, vocabulary and news topics of interest.
Maria is actively involved in her community. Among her many accomplishments: She volunteers as a translator for Waynewood Elementary School going on seven years now. Helps classroom teachers to communicate with students’ parents who don’t speak English, and helps a school counselor to communicate with Spanish speaking parents about school programs. Also Maria is available for families in need, translating documents into Spanish related to school or PTA activities. And volunteers as Spanish cultural liaison.
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Mike Mansfield
Administrative Assistant
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After a tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force, Mike incorporated his own aviation business flying people and cargo on-demand, and was the chief pilot and flight instructor. More recently, Mike has enjoyed a career with the U.S. State Department Foreign Service. His assignments and travels have taken him throughout Central and South America working in the field of communication and information technology.
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Mike has been posted to U.S. Missions in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil. He has also been on temporary duty assignment to places such as Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He supported not just the State Department but also various other U.S. Government agencies carrying out vital work in very challenging situations on behalf of the American people. He enjoys traveling and is constantly working on his own Spanish skills.
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Mike is a graduate of Deerfield Academy, Ohio Wesleyan University (BA in Politics and Government) and Bentley University (Master of Science in Communication Information Systems).
CLASSES
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We offer three levels of instruction according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language Proficiency Guidelines (ACTFL): Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. Below are the descriptions of these levels including what students can expect to be able to do with the language in terms of speaking, writing, listening and reading in real-world situations, in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context.
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Novice
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Novice-level students will be able to communicate in short messages on everyday topics that affect them directly. Students are able to manage successfully a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to a few of the predictable topics necessary for survival in the target language culture, such as discussing basic personal information, describing basic objects and a limited number of activities, preferences and immediate needs. Students respond to simple, direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few formulaic questions. Students have the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. In addition, they can ask and respond to simple questions in writing. At this level, students use basic vocabulary and structures to express meaning that is comprehensible to those accustomed to the writing of non-native speakers.
Intermediate
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Speakers at the intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. Conversation is restricted to some of the concrete exchanges and predictable topics necessary for survival in the target-language culture. These topics relate to basic personal information; for example, self and family, some daily activities and personal preferences, and some immediate needs, such as ordering food and making simple purchases. Students would have the ability to meet practical writing needs, such as simple messages and letters, requests for information, and notes. They can create statements and formulate questions based on familiar material. Most sentences are combinations of already learned vocabulary and structures. These are short and simple conversational-style sentences with basic word order.
Advanced
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Students at the advanced level are able to handle a variety of communicative tasks. They are able to participate in most informal and some formal conversations on topics related to school, home, and leisure activities. They can also speak about some topics related to employment, current events, and matters of public and community interest. Students at the advanced level would have the ability to write routine informal and some formal correspondence, as well as narratives, descriptions and summaries of a factual nature. They can narrate and describe in the major time frames of past, present, and future, using paraphrasing and elaboration to provide clarity. Advanced-level writers produce connected discourse of paragraph length and structure. At this level, writers show good control of the most frequently used structures and generic vocabulary, allowing them to be understood by those unaccustomed to the writing of non-natives.
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Private Instruction Packages:
Private On-line (Adults/teens)- 60 minutes per lesson
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25 Lessons $1,125 ($45/hour)
50 Lessons $2,100 ($42/hour)
Each Additional Student ($20/hour)
Pay-as-you-go $48/hour
Private On-line Children (12 and under) - 45 minutes per lesson
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10 Lessons $450 ($40/hour)
Each Additional Student ($15/hour)
Pay-as-you-go $43/hour
These are private classes with an option to register additional students in a class (if they are at the same level) at a discount (friends, family members etc.). We are flexible and will tailor your classes to meet your schedule. You determine the pace of instruction to fit your needs and comfort level.
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We ask that all of our prospective students take our pre-assessment test to determine their proficiency level. This will ensure that we give you the best instruction possible.
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Contact us to get started and learn more about how we can help you achieve your goal:
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CORPORATE
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Our mission is to provide the highest quality language training to help your company succeed in the global and domestic market place. Course length and curricula is customized for your targeted language proficiency, from survival to advanced, and adjusted to a mutually acceptable schedule and pace.
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We can provide formal curriculum set to the interagency roundtable (ILR) or American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). And we can prepare your professionals for the Development Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT) and the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) if needed.
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All students are given a short test to ensure placement in the proper level of class.
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Send us an email (or call 888-367-5955) to learn more about how we can help drive your success:
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY
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Adela did an amazing job and we were very fortunate to have her as an instructor. Adela was very understanding of our time constraints and customized her lessons to give us the language skills necessary to communicate and survive immediately upon our arrival in Spain. If we had more time, there is no doubt Adela would have had us fluent in short order.
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- NCIS Agents Assigned to Spain
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My 6 year old daughter has been learning Spanish from Senora Adela for over a year. Most importantly, my daughter has developed native pronunciation and is working on expanding her Spanish vocabulary. She knows her colors, numbers, directional location, food and other words. Senora Adela incorporates everyday objects into the conversation and plays games with my daughter to make learning fun. Senora Adela uses the a communicative, movement, and repetition method and my daughter understands what is being said. We are very happy with Senora Adela.
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- Ann, McLean, Virginia
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Thank you for the Spanish tutoring you provided. You certainly worked hard to teach us.
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- Senior Military Assistant to SECDEF
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Ms. Mansfield’s lessons are always well organized and prepared. In addition, she never hesitates to spend more than the allotted time with him. Joey’s impressive progress in learning Spanish is evidenced by his ability to communicate with people in Spanish in our community. The Spanish language skills he has developed over a brief two-year period are directly attributable to Ms. Mansfield’s teaching techniques and language expertise.
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Pamela (mother of student)
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Besides being a joy to work with, Ms. Mansfield comes well prepared to her classes and she is willing to come up with creative lessons that have proved to be interesting and educationally effective for the students. Ms. Mansfield approaches any and all aspects of the work involved in teaching the students with eager anticipation. She writes extremely detailed and well thought out plans. Her enthusiasm and nurturing teaching abilities makes her a great asset to our organization.
Marian (Director of a private school)
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¡Una excelente profesora! Adela Mansfield is an excellent Spanish instructor. I worked with her for almost a year and made great progress. She has a well-thought out method of teaching the language and charges an extremely reasonable rate. I found her to be flexible with my constantly shifting schedule and a patient teacher who was able to alter her techniques within a lesson to meet my needs. Regardless of your level and experience with the language, she is a great Spanish teacher from whom to learn. Highly recommended.
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Derrick (U.S. Army Retired)
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CONTACT
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(888) 367-5955 info@castaneda-spanish.com
CONTACT INFO
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Send us an email with a message and we will respond promptly!
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