Middle School Spanish
Program Overview
The middle school’s Spanish program is designed to foster students’ ability to use and produce Spanish. The program explores the language through thematic chapters that combine vocabulary, grammar, and cultural elements. Students practice and strengthen their oral and aural skills through group exercises, conversation with partners, and audio cassette activities. Students practice the grammatical construct of the language through writing activities and readings that require knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar learned. Spiral learning and repetition are important elements when learning a language. Because of this, the program recycles and introduces new and old material at the same time.
Goals and Objectives
- Increase and refine their ability to communicate in Spanish
- Complete authentic tasks and projects while communicating entirely in Spanish
- Increase and enhance their knowledge of grammar in order to promote correct communication strategies and patterns
- Gain insights into English and Spanish cultural and linguistic similarities and differences as reflected in the languages
- Handle successfully most uncomplicated basic, and communicative tasks and social situations
- Be able to write simple letters, brief synopses, paraphrases, and summaries of biographical data
- To express time, tense, or aspect with some precision
- Be able to read with full understanding simple connected texts
- Be able to use Spanish as a stepping-stone to understand other cultures
Content
5th Grade
- Greetings, professions, classroom objects, alphabet, classroom expressions
- Friendship: Likes and dislikes, personality characteristics, sports and leisure activities
- School: Supplies, subjects, and schedules, telling time
- Sports and Leisure activities: Public buildings, seasons, and sports
- Food and Beverages: Preferences and expressions
- Family: Family members, personal physical characteristics, age
- Clothing: Colors, fit, prices of clothing
- Numbers: 0 - 199
Grammar content: Verbs in the present tense (regular-ar and -er verbs), nouns, articles, adjective/noun agreement, personal pronouns, number/ gender, sentence structure, and position of adjectives
6th Grade
- Leisure and Vacation Time: weather, clothing, nature, and places of interest
- Home: rooms in the house, furniture, household appliances, household chores
- Health: parts of the body, health, physical sensations
- Community: places, activities and errands, transportation, numbers 200-1000
- Movies and TV Shows: express opinions about TV and movies
Grammar content: verbs in the present and preterite tense (regular-ar, -er, and - ir verbs), irregular verbs such as ir, ser, estar, tener, stem-changing verbs e-i, nouns, articles, adjective/noun agreement, possessives, direct and indirect object pronouns, and subject/verb/adjective agreement.
7th Grade
- Restaurants: table settings, Mexican food, ordering meals
- The Environment: conservation, endangered species
- Parties and celebrations
- Numbers: 200 - 1000
- School, subjects, equipment, homework
- Daily routines, before and after school activities, musical instruments
- Clothing and currency
- Sports, sports equipment, music, games
Grammar content: verbs in the present, progressive and preterite tense (regular-ar, -er, and - ir verbs), irregular verbs such as ir, ser, estar, dar, decir, stem-changing verbs e-i, nouns, articles, adjective/noun agreement, prepositions, possessives, direct and indirect object pronouns, and subject/verb/adjective agreement.
8th Grade
- Childhood activities, toys, playground equipment
- Family celebrations, extended family members, and holidays
- Personal possessions and luxuries, early American civilization
- Shopping, special shops, directions
- Accident and illness, medical procedures, medicines
Grammar content: Special verbs, subject/adjective agreement, comparatives, superlatives, direct object pronouns, reflexive verbs, stem changing verbs( o>ue, e>ie, e>i,) preterite of regular verbs, preterit of ser/hacer/poder/tener, imperfect tense: ir/ser, reciprocal reflexive verbs, possessives, adjectives, pronouns, and the passive voice.