Spanish

Description:

COURSE/SUBJECT TITLE: Seventh Grade Spanish

LENGTH OF TIME: Full Year (40 minutes every other day)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Seventh grade Spanish I is an accelerated course designed for motivated students with a strong background in Spanish.  The course is proficiency-oriented and students will extend basic Spanish skills focusing on the four key language areas of speaking, writing, listening, and reading.

Students meeting the standards of the course will be able to demonstrate a proficiency level of at least Novice High in all four language skill areas as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages or ACTFL  (see Appendix A for definition of proficiency targets).  Target thematic vocabulary and grammar content is based on Level One Specifications as defined by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese or AATSP.

The delivery of target skills and content is through a Total Physical Response/Storytelling (TPR/TPRS) curriculum using "The New ¡Cuéntame Más!" (CMM) as a content resource.  The TPR/TPRS instructional method is based on the philosophy of providing students with lots of comprehensible input in the target language using easy to understand stories, actions, and visual aids.

Students will also review and learn basic Spanish grammar in the target language. Instruction and classroom communication will be 90% to 100% in Spanish.  Students will put their developing Spanish language skills into context through the study of Hispanic culture.  Students will also practice and extend target skills at their own pace through the use of Rosetta Stone software and other web-based applications and resources.

It is expected that all students successfully meeting the standards of Spanish I will posses basic present tense Spanish comprehension and output skills and a basic understanding of the past and future tenses and will be adequately prepared for the National Standards-based Spanish II course offered in 8th grade.

UNIT TITLE: Trimester 1. CMM Chapter one El muchacho pastor - discussing and describing immediate and extended family, describing emotions and feelings, stating where one lives, describing units of time.  Students will read mini-novel Pobre Ana.  Review of grammar introduced in G6: regular present tense verb formation, common irregular verbs in present tense, ser vs. estar, personal a, expressing likes and dislikes using the verb gustar.  Numbers 1-1,000.  Hispanic Heritage month celebration.

UNIT TITLE: Trimester 2.  CMM Chapters two through four of CMM Coyote y cuervo, El ratoncito del campo, El pelo de Pepe. Prepositions of location, higher level use of Spanish verbs ser and estar.  Describing the body and body parts.  Immediate future (ir a + infinitive).   Reflexive verbs and daily routine.  Students will read mini-novel Patricia va a California.   Geography of Spanish Speaking world (in 2013-14 taught in EXCEL block). 

UNIT TITLE: Trimester 3.  CMM Chapters five through seven El hipo de la llama and El monstruo en el refrigerador, Qué será será (if time available).  Level One National Spanish Exam (early April).  Discussing time: present, past, future.  Introduction to past tense (preterit and imperfect.  Movie Quinceañera - latino culture in the United States (in 2013-14 taught in EXCEL block).

ESSENTIAL OUTCOMES:

REPORTING STANDARD: Speaking

  1. Students can understand and exchange basic greetings and personal information in Spanish and will be able to describe and discuss their immediate and extended families (T1).  Students will also be able to discuss and describe their daily routines (T2).

  2. Students will be able to tell stories using target vocabulary in basic Spanish accurately in the present tense.

  3. Students will be able to communicate orally in the past (T3) and immediate future (going to ____) tenses (T2) in response to basic daily conversational prompts.

REPORTING STANDARD: Writing

  1. Students will be able to produce comprehensible writing in all present tense verb forms using target vocabulary and grammar related to CMM chapter stories.

  2. Students will be able to provide detailed information in writing about themselves, their immediate family and friends, and extended family using target vocabulary and grammar correctly (T1).

  3. Students can provide basic information about their typical daily routine using target vocabulary and grammar including reflexive verbs (T2).

  4. Students can respond accurately to basic prompts in the past and future tenses in Spanish (T3).

REPORTING STANDARD: Listening

  1. Students will demonstrate a high level of comprehension of basic Spanish in all present tense verb forms.

  2. Students will demonstrate a basic level of comprehension of Spanish in the imperfect and preterit past tenses (T3) and immediate future tense (T2).

  3. Students will succeed in an immersion environment in the classroom where 90%-100% of all communication will be conducted in Spanish.

REPORTING STANDARD: Reading

  1. Students will demonstrate a high level of comprehension of most present tense texts, which incorporate target and or already-learned vocabulary.

  2. Students will demonstrate a basic level of comprehension of appropriate texts written in the past tense.

REPORTING STANDARD: Culture

  1. Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of Hispanic Heritage Month and where people speak Spanish in the world.

  2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the latino custom of the Quinceañera and think critically about issues facing latino citizens and immigrants in the United States (note in 2013-14 taught in EXCEL block).

EVIDENCE/ASSESSMENTS:

Informal oral daily assessment by teacher Q&A in Spanish 
Formal speaking assessments 
Daily reading and response homework assignments in Spanish
Formal writing assessments
Formal oral and written comprehension checks
Level 01 National Spanish Exam
Rosetta Stone progress and accuracy
Assessed student cultural projects on target cultural themes
ACTFL OPIc assessment of oral proficiency level

TEXTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012
AATSP Level 1 (T1 and T2) and Level 2 (T3) Specifications for Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary 2013-14
The New ¡Cuéntame más!  (Carol Gabb & Kristy Placidio, TPRS Publishing, 2009)
Pobre Ana (Blaine Ray, Command Performance Language Institute, 2000)
Patricia va a California (Blaine Ray, Command Performance Language Institute, 2000)
Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish (Levels 1-5 available)
Movie Quinceañera
Other teacher generated materials

 
 
Outcomes: