Educational Travel

Desert Heights has partnered with EF Educational Tours to offer a variety of travel opportunities to our students. From east coast college tours, to international trips to Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, South America, or some other countries/continents we believe educational travel can extend a student’s real world learning.  See the information below for additional details regarding our World Languages Department's scheduled trips and contact the appropriate sponsor with any questions.

Spanish Language & Culture

The Spanish Language and Culture Program
El programa de español y cultura hispana

The Spanish Language and Culture Program offers two types of educational tours; the Spanish Immersion Group Tour and the International Community Service Tour.  These trips will alternate, each trip occurring every other year, with the season for the trips still to be determined.

The Spanish Immersion Group Tour: France to Spain. We’re going during the 2022 Spring break! The main goal of the trip is to speak colloquial and academic Spanish in different social contexts. In addition, students will have a chance to compare the French and Spanish culture and food. Students will visit Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo. Our tour will have an expert local who will lead our group on sightseeing tours, providing detailed views of history, art, and architecture.

Parents and relatives are welcome to both travel experiences. Travel experience is an extra-academic asset for bilingual and Dual Enrollment students!

Prerequisite for both trips:

  • Completed Spanish 1 with 80% or higher
  • GPA 3.2 or higher
  • Students that are not enrolled in a Spanish course after Spanish 2 can attend Spanish workshops with the Group Leader Tour, Mrs. Zaragoza.

El programa de español y cultura hispana ofrecerá dos tipos de viajes. Uno de los viajes estará enfocado a la comunicación en español y el otro al servicio comunitario en algún país latinoamericano. Se alternarán los viajes anualmente y las fechas dependerán de las mejores opciones en precio y las condiciones del país a visitar. Los estudiantes que deseen obtener horas comunitarias de servicio internacional podrán acreditar hasta quince horas.

The World-Educational Tours and the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages:

Los viajes educativos internacionales y el aprendizaje de las lenguas extranjeras:

All Spanish classes are  focused on the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages:

The list of the five “C” Standards ( Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) is taken from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. These five C goals are incorporated on a daily basis in the foreign language classrooms. Our trip to Portugal and Spain will reach the Communities goals:

  • Communities – Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. Standard 5.1: School and Global Communities. Learners use the language both within and beyond the classroom to interact and collaborate in their community and the globalized world. Standard 5.2: Lifelong Learning. Learners set goals and reflect on their progress in using languages for personal enjoyment, enrichment, and advancement.

Links and Readings on Spain, France, and Peru:
Ligas y artículos acerca de Francia, España y Peru:

Here are a couple of links to bilingualism and a few Newsela’s articles on countries we plan to visit. All Newsela’s articles are brief, and provide a general description on the countries students from different Spanish class levels, including Dual Enrollment will visit in 2022!

Aquí proporciono dos páginas en línea que pueden ser de utilidad relacionadas al bilingualismo y dos artículos enfocados a generalidades en torno a los paises. Espero sean de su interés

There will be several meetings with parents and students to receive information about the tours throughout the 2021-2022 school year. We're going to France and Spain in Spring 2022! There will be a meeting in August and the opportunity to enroll more students and parents. Send your questions to Mtra. Zaragoza in case you're interested in one of the international trips!