1 st Quarter: Introductory Chapter (Para Empezar): Review and hone skills to discuss what oneself and others are like; discuss nationalities and where one is from, discuss activities and frequency of activities. Grammar uses include review of common present tense regular verb forms, the verb ser, review of question words, adjectives of appearance, personality and nationality and their agreement with the subject. Listening component: various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Various activities in the textbook and two workbooks, writing a long paragraph about themselves, creating a poema en diamante about themselves. Reading Component: A brief paragraph contrasting two youths, a graph and short paragraph about Latinos in the U.S. and their backgrounds, A paragraph with comprehension questions about Enrique Iglesias, each with questions for checking comprehension. Cultural Component: Review of the map of South America, discussion of different Latino immigrant communities in the U.S. Chapter 1A: Qué haces en la escuela?
Review and hone the skills to refer to classroom objects, talk about one s schedule, classroom rules, school activities, discuss affirmative and negative ideas. Grammar uses include the present tense of verbs, including a focus on stem-changing verbs, a review of the verb tener and other go verbs, as well as affirmative and negative words. Oral presentation: Principal for a day, with new school rules. Listening/Video component: Chapter video story: La Clase de Esteban ; Gramactiva: Review of the verb tener and verbs with irregular yo forms (go-verbs); Videomisterio: Guanajuato, Mexico, various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook, pronunciation practice: the letters b, v and d. Writing Component: write an short essay about several classes and rules in those classes. Reading Component: poem by José Martí: Versos Sencillos; Quotes about education with questions about it; Reglas de Oro: rules for studying more effectively. Cultural Component: Compare school rules and social codes in Spanish speaking countries with those in the U.S., life of José Martí, Grading System in Mexico, Strictness in schools in Spanish speaking countries. Project: Create an Escudo de Armas (Personal or family shield).
Chapter 1B: Qué haces después de las clases? Talking about extracurricular activities, comparing people and things, sayong what people know and know how to do, saying with whom or what people are familiar, Asking and telling how long something has been going on. Vocabulary review includes sports, activities and places; Grammar uses include a review of the verb ir, as well as ir + a + infinitive; making comparisons, and contrasting the two vers saber and conocer (to know). Listening/Video Component: Chapter video: Después de las clases, Gramactiva: making comparisons, and contrasting the two vers saber and conocer (to know); various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Mis actividades extracurriculares: write an essay about one s extracurricular activities. Reading Component: El ballet; Un anuncio: club deportivo; Conexiones: La computación-para crear una página web; Cuántos libros y cuadernos!; A bailar! Cultural Component: Comparing the role of schools in popular extra-activities in US, Mexico and Spain. Los deportes más populares; Fernando Botero (art), La salsa y Celia Cruz (music) and San Miguel Allende (Mexican hero). Project: N/A
Chapter 2A: Cómo te preparas? Discussing getting ready for a special event; describing people and Things, daily routines and personal care and such items; expressing possession. Vocabulary includes review of clothing. Grammar uses include possessive pronoun use, reflexive verbs and contrasting the verbs ser vs. estar, as well as a review of verbs and expressions that use the infinitive. Listening/Video Component: Chapter video: Más maquillaje?, Gramactiva: reflexive verbs and contrasting the verbs ser vs. estar; various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook, including pronuciation practice of consonatns that change their sound befor an i or an e: (c and g). Writing Component: Un evento especial: write a short essay about a photo from a magazine or from home of a special event a high school student might attend. Reading Component: La Salud: Necesitas dormir más?; Con el revolucionario Cortapelos; Audiciones: El Teatro Colón; Cómo hacer un poncho; Preparation for En Busca de la Verdad/Videomisterio: Dolores Hidalgo, México. Cultural Component: Los grandes teatros, Developing an awareness of differences/similarities in families special event celebrations, La ropa de fiesta: fashion in different countries vs. one s home community. Project: N/A
Second quarter: Chapter 2B: Qué ropa compraste? Describing clothing and fashion; talking about shopping for clothing; identifying specific objects (demonstrative adjectives); talking about specific actions done in the past; making comparisons, avoiding repetition. Vocabulary includes review of clothing and numbers 0 200,000. Grammar uses include the regular preterite verb forms, and demonstrative adjectives. Listening/Video component: Chapter video: Buscando una ganga, Gramactiva: Preterite of regular verbs, demonstrative adjectives; various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Write an essay with all the details about a time you went shopping and found a bargain. Reading Component: Histories of textiles, Businesses in the Latino communities; Los jeans; La parranda; Introductory reading about the videomisterio. Cultural Component: Las tallas (sizes in Spanish speaking countries), Origins of words from Arabic, Narciso Rodriguez, designer; las parrandas: cultural perspectives on parties. Project: Present for class about the picture written about in the essay. Chapter 3A: Qué hiciste ayer?
Talking about shopping and running errands around town. Describing shopping tasks in the past, where, when, what the person bought or didn t buy and why. Talking about preparations for a trip. Listening/Video Component: Chapter video: Qué hiciste esta mañana?, Gramactiva: Direct object pronouns lo/la/los/las; Irregular preterite verbs: ir, ser, hacer, tener, estar, poder. Videomisterio: Episode 1; various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Write an essay about preparations for a trip. Write and present a dialogue about taking care of kids: Cuidar a los niños; Write and present a dialogue about trip preparations: Praparaciones para el viaje. Reading Component: Los mercados al aire libre, Ciudades hermanas(la Unidad en la comunidad internacional), UN poema de amor por Pablo Neruda, Labels, Para unos dientes más blancos. Cultural Component: El Palacio de Correos, Las farmacias, Barrios, Los sellos, Open air markets in the Spanish speaking world. Cultural perspectives on shopping. Chapter 3B: Cómo se va...?
Giving directions for getting to places. Giving a friend directions for a task. Discussing driving and good driving habits. Grammar uses include regular and irregular affirmative tú commands, present progressive regular and irregular forms. Listening component: Chapter video: Cómo llegamos a la plaza?, Gramactiva: Irregular affirmative tú commands; present progressive: irregular forms. Videomisterio: Episode 2; various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Write a dialogue about someone asking for directions and receiving them; Ciudades hermanas project: Make and present a map of a city with drawing and labels of various buildings, places, and streets. Reading Component: En mi comunidad; Adelante defensive driving, el barrio(also listed under culture below) Cultural Component: Understanding cultural perspectives on neighborhoods. Los gestos, Permiso de manejar, Diego Rivera, La plaza Mayor, El metro de la ciudad de México, La Carretera Panamericana, el barrio., Semester Exam Project: Ciudades hermanas project: Make and present a map of a city with drawing and labels of various buildings, places, and streets. 3 rd Quarter:
Chapter 4A: Cuando éramos niños Talking about childhood games and toys; family celebrations and routine actions done in the past; descriptions of oneself and others in the past; describing for whom something is done. Grammar uses include use of the imperfect tense, identifying and being able to use indirect object pronouns. Listening/Video Component: Chapter video: Cómo era de niña?, Gramactiva: Use of the imperfect tense; using indirect object pronouns. Videomisterio: Episode 3, various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook, including pronunciation practice r vs. rr. Writing Component: An essay about what one was like and used to do as a small child/ alternately a description of the day one way born with a baby photo. Reading Component: Mexican fable: El grillo y el jaguar, Las ciencias, Cómo cuidar al niño?, Learning a language as a child, Canciones infantiles. Cultural Component: Develop awareness of different perspectives, practices of other countries/and childhood activities such as playing, singing, family life; pets (mascotas) in Spanish speaking countries, daycare, Mayan toys. Project: Present to class description of the day one way born with a baby photo. Also: Mi ciudad students make a powerpoint or a video as if they have a show about their city, and present it to the class.
Chapter 4B: Celebrando los días festivos Describing holiday celebrations; talking about family and relatives; describing people, places and situations in the past. Grammar uses include reflexives to indicate reciprocal actions. Listening/Video component: Chapter video: La fiesta de San Pedro, Gramactiva: Use of the imperfect tense to describe background information, reflexives to indicate reciprocal actions. Videomisterio: Episode 4, various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Mi celebración favorita, an essay about one s favorite celebration as a child in the past. Write a postcard during the Easter break and send it to one s teacher about what happened during the break. Reading Component: Fechas Importantes, Las Fallas en Valencia, El seis de enero, El Roscón de Reyes (also the Fondo cultural paragraphs under Culture below) Cultural Component: Euskadi(Basque), El día de la Raza, El Día de los Muertos, Carnaval, wedding ceremonies, traditions of holidays and special events and celebrations in other countries. Project: Scrapbook/Album de recortes: students gather and reflect on assignments from this year and include some from last year, to reflect on and analyze their progress 4 th Quarter
Chapter 5A: Un acto heróico Talking about natural disasters and weather extremes, discussing the news, talking about fires, talking about rescues, telling such stories. Grammar uses include present and preterite tense of oír, preterite forms of creer, leer, destruir ; other uses of the imperfect tense(to tell time in the past, describe states of mental/emotional being in the past); as well as interweaving the imperfect and preterite tenses to tell a story. Listening component: Chapter video: En el noticiero, Gramactiva: Other uses of the imperfect tense, preterite of verbs oír, creer, leer, destruir ; Videomisterio: Episode 5, various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Write and present a description of a fictitious natural disaster or fire. Reading Component: Desastre en Valdivia, Chile, Como Sobrevivir un incendio en un hotel, Geografía: Huracán, ciclón o tifón? Cultural Component: Understand cultural perspectives on natural disasters. Natural disasters that affect Spanish speaking countries. Legends as mythical explanations of natural disasters. Project: With a partner, present a dialogue about a natural disaster or fire. Chapter 5B: Un Accidente (This chapter was not completed, but was reduced to about 65% of the material, to make time for the Cuba project see below)
Describing an accident scene, describe what was going on and what happened. Talking about injuries and medical treatments. Vocabulary includes review of body parts, and includes new ones. Grammar uses include mixing imperfect and preterite tenses to tell a story; preterite tense forms of superirregular verbs: venir, poner, decir, traer; as well as the use of the imperfect progressive tense to describe actions in progress in the past. Listening/Video component: Chapter video: El pobrecito soy yo, Gramactiva: Review of superirregular verbs with irregular preterite forms, Videomisterio: Episode 6, various listening activities from the textbook and WAV workbook. Writing Component: Would be about documenting an accident, but a project was done in lieu of this-- see Cuba project below-- Reading Component: Readings on: Interpreters and translators, Los dos tipos de lesiones deportivas, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, Mejorar la Salud para todos. Cultural Component: False cognates, Jai Alai; Various aspects of health care systems in Spanish speaking countries: La ambulancia azul in Spain, la Patrulla Aérea Colombiana., Final Exam Project: Also at the end of the quarter, independently from the textbook, students did research projects in groups of 3 on various aspects of Cuban culture, and created a Cuba Faire, where other classes visited and circulated through the various stations for 4-5 minutes each. Several classes also saw and discussed the Cuban movie Guantanamera, or alternately excerpts from the documentary Los Balseros, about Cuban raft refugees.