We offer programs for children from 12 months to adults.
Pre-School Program
Projeto Brasil offers two programs for Early Childhood Education:
- Playing & Singing: intended for children aged 12 to 36 months accompanied by an adult. 1 ½ hour sessions once a week for 6 weeks, three times a year.
- Brazilians: weekly two-hour classes during the school year, including capoeira classes.
This program focuses on stimulating conversation and vocabulary acquisition through stories, music, games, artistic and sensory activities. It also prepares children for reading and writing in Portuguese by working on phonological awareness through rhymes, parlendas, verses and songs.
We use play-based learning to offer an experience in Portuguese that stimulates linguistic, cognitive, and motor development.
Brazilian culture is embedded in students through children's songs, rhymes, Brazilian literature, and cooking and capoeira classes.
Kindergarten to 5th year (Elementary)
Our program is not focused on classes DE Portuguese, but in classes EM Portuguese. For this we offer varied content through thematic projects in the areas of science, Brazilian literature, music, arts, history, geography, technology and of course Brazilian culture.
The program for students from the 1st to the 5th year continues with the goal of expanding vocabulary and encouraging conversation. We use an interdisciplinary method that encourages students to explore a specific theme with artistic projects, music, cuisine, literature, writing, scientific experiments, research, technology, etc., thus offering countless opportunities for the use of the new vocabulary.
We also encourage language skills in the areas of oral communication, writing and reading with discussions, presentations, interviews, games, theater, and storytelling.
We think of the child as a whole. We nourish the love for Brazil and the pride of our cultural roots, as we believe that these values are crucial for the formation of a multicultural and bilingual identity.
We offer face-to-face, online, and private classes.
6th-12th Year (Middle-High School)
We use the same methodologies as the Elementary program offering classes in Portuguese with varied contents through thematic projects in the areas of science, Brazilian literature, music, arts, history, geography, technology and of course Brazilian culture.
At this stage we give our students more autonomy. We present projects and give the opportunity for students to discuss and align individual or group interests. We encourage and train students to research specific topics independently. Students can also suggest topics they want to explore.
We encourage language skills in the areas of conversation, writing and reading with discussions, presentations, interviews, games, theater, storytelling and much more. At this stage, we also have mini-classes in grammar and spelling and prepare our students for the AAPPL - (ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) language test that is applied by school districts.
Adolescence is an important period in the construction of identity; therefore, we nurture appreciation for Brazil and the pride of our cultural roots, as we believe that these values are crucial for the formation of a multicultural and bilingual identity.
We offer face-to-face, online, and private classes.
PSL - Portuguese as a Second Language for
children & pre-teens
This program is aimed at heritage learners who did not grow up speaking Portuguese at home and to children and teenagers interested in learning Portuguese. Classes are taught using both languages, the use of English helps to acquire Portuguese.
These are dynamic classes that explore everyday themes to promote conversation and the acquisition of vocabulary that can be used daily at home. Brazilian culture is embedded in stories, music, cuisine, arts, and traditional games.
For better student development, this program requires the active participation of parents at home. We offer support to parents with weekly tips and hints on how to use the vocabulary learned in class at home during the week.
We offer face-to-face, online, and private classes.
Portuguese as a Second Language for
Adults & Teens
Portuguese language teaching for adults focuses on working with the linguistic variety appropriate to the student's context. We prioritize the individual demand of each student, their prior knowledge and their goals. The pedagogical work has varied handouts, books, music and texts that address culture and routine situations. In a balanced way, we integrate grammar, reading, text interpretation, writing, conversation and pronunciation, aiming to facilitate the student's communication process and language acquisition.
Classes are held by professional education specialists who use a methodology applied to the teaching of the language as a second language. At the moment our classes are being taught individually (online or face-to-face) and in 2021 we will have face-to-face classes in groups.
We offer face-to-face, online, and private classes.
Capoeira
Guilherme Torres “Mestre Pinga Fogo”, born in the city of Taubaté, SP. He started in capoeira in 1980. In 2000, he received a bachelor's degree in Physical Education from the University of Taubaté (UNITAU). In September 2003, he moved to the state of Connecticut, USA, where he lived for 10 years teaching capoeira and performing at schools, universities, libraries and casinos across the country. In 2013, he moved to Austin, TX, where he currently resides with his family.
Guilherme teaches capoeira to children and adults for over 20 years. His classes are always well diversified, as he believes that capoeira is much more than just “upside down”, so his classes are divided into practice, theory and musicality.
His partnership with Projeto Brasil has been a great experience, because through capoeira art, he manages to teach children in a playful and fun way, culture, the Portuguese language, traditional music, dances, and the history of Brazil. Capoeira classes are integrated into Saturday classes.