Unit: Spanish 1 – Background and Alphabet
Grades: 8-12
Time: 3-4 Weeks
Common Core Standards
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical and cultural events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or
other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style
appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline
in which they are writing.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented
(e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question)
or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively;
assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively
to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings
All languages have the main purpose of aiding in communication and making communication more efficient and
precise, even if they differ greatly in structure and alphabet.
All languages are represented in the arts, literature, sports, activities, and accessories of a culture.
Successful communication in native and non-native languages lies in knowing how, when, and why to convey a message
to different audiences.
Spanish speakers understand the cultural and geographical differences of the Spanish-speaking countries and Englishspeaking countries.
Essential Questions
How is my native language similar or different from the Spanish language?
How are Spanish and my native language represented in our cultures?
How do I know that I am speaking Spanish correctly in real-world situations?
How are culture, geography and groups of people related to language?
Content
Skills
A. Geography: Spanish-speaking countries
A1. Identify Spanish-speaking countries.
A1. Central America
A2. Know how to spell the names of Spanish-speaking
countries and locate them on a map.
A2. South America
A3. Europe: Spain
A4. Islands
B. Culture of Spanish-speaking countries
B1. Food
B2. Arts: dance, music, art
B3. Literature
B4. Clothing
B5. Sports
B6. Religion
B. Culture of Spanish-speaking countries
B1-5. Examine a culturally authentic object from a
Spanish-speaking country and relate its function in
that culture.
B3. Identify and compare the elements of folktales or
legends of the Spanish culture.
B1-5. Compare and contrast cultural differences of
Spanish- and English-speaking countries.
C. Spoken and Written Words: Vocabulary
C1. Spanish names
C. Spoken and Written Words: Vocabulary
C1. Recognize Spanish names vs. words.
C2. Recite the Spanish alphabet.
C2. Alphabet
C3. Greetings
C4. Basic sayings
C5. Simple directions
C6. Classroom instructions
C7. Formal and informal greetings
C8. Formal and familiar address
C9. Concept of conjugation
C10. Subject pronouns
C11. The verb “ser”
C12. Numbers 1-31
C13. Cognates
C14. Formation of verbs in English and Spanish
C15. Gender of nouns in Spanish
D. Writing
D1. Introductory paragraph with main idea as the
thesis statement
D2. Comparisons (similarities)
D3. Contrasts (differences)
D4. Supporting facts and specific details
C3. Greet and take leave of another person.
C4. Speak and write basic personal information in
Spanish.
C5. Give and follow simple directions.
C6. Respond to classroom instructions/make requests.
C7. Give and respond in kind to formal and informal
greetings.
C8. Use and respond in kind to formal and familiar
forms of address.
C9. Explain the concept of verb conjugation, with
examples, to a partner.
C10. Identify the subject pronouns that match the
conjugations of various verbs.
C11. Conjugate the verb “ser” with pronouns.
C12. Count orally and write to 31 in Spanish.
C13. Identify meaning of cognates.
C14. Compare and contrast the formation of verbs in
sentences in Spanish and English.
C15. Identify the gender of nouns.
D. Writing
D1. Create an introductory paragraph for a
comparison/contrast paper with the main idea
included in the thesis statement.
D2. Explain the comparisons of the English language
to the Spanish language.
D3. Explain the differences between the English
language and the Spanish language.
D5. Concluding statement or paragraph that supports
the information in the body
D6. Transitional words and phrases to provide unity
and cohesion in English with Spanish counterparts
D7. Variety of sentence types (e.g., simple, compound,
complex, and compound-complex)
E. Research
E1. Countries that speak Spanish
E2. Spanish culture
E3. Usefulness of sources
E4. Reflection
Vocabulary Words/Phrases
Comparison
Contrast
Transition
Unity
Cohesion
D4. Provide supporting and specific details for the
comparisons and contrasts.
D5. Provide a concluding statement or paragraph that
summarizes the points made in the body of the writing.
D6. Use transitional words and phrases to tie the
explanation of comparisons and contrasts together.
D6. Identify transitions used traditionally in your
writing and then use the Spanish counterparts to the
transitions in a Spanish speaking exercise.
D7. Apply different sentence types in the writing of
the comparison/contrast paper.
E. Research
E1. Identify countries around the world where
Spanish is spoken.
E2. Identify characteristics of Spanish culture.
E3. Evaluate the usefulness of the written and digital
sources used.
E4. Reflect upon the written and digital sources used
to find the information for this unit.
Activities
Work in pairs to create a brief (three to four lines)
introductory conversation.
Examine a culturally authentic object and explain its
function within the culture.
Examine countries around the world to identify the
Spanish speaking countries.
Examine the similarities and differences which
languages around the world share.
Assessments
Summative: Performance: Authentic Task
Performance Assessment
Your Spanish teacher sees you coming down the hall.
You want to impress him or her with how much
Spanish you have already learned. Your teacher greets
you to start the conversation. Continue the
conversation by responding appropriately to the
greeting and to any questions your teacher may ask
you. Be sure to greet your teacher, introduce yourself,
use an expression of courtesy, and bid farewell. (Other
students will complete a rubric and provide written
feedback for this performance.)
Summative: Written: Informative
Planning a Trip
You and your family are planning your summer
vacation. You want to travel to a Spanish-speaking
country, but your family does not know where they are
located. You have an outline map of the world. Label
the continents where Spanish is spoken. On the maps
of the continents or regions, list as many Spanishspeaking countries as you can. You do not have to label
each country, just list them.
Formative: Performance: Skill Demonstration
Similarities and Differences of Spanish and English
Your team will be provided a chart to list similarities
and differences between the Spanish and English
languages. Using the chart, list as many cognates,
alphabet letters, accents, intonations, etc. that your
group can see. Determine a list of questions to share
with the class.
Formative: Performance: Writing
Similarities and Differences of Spanish and English
Using the chart of similarities and differences created
in your teams, write a four- to five-paragraph
comparison contrast paper explaining the similarities
and differences listed on the chart. Be sure to include
an introduction, conclusion, and any supporting
materials.
Resources
Digital Storytelling, retrieved from http://www.Technotales.wikispaces.com.
Visual Thesaurus, retrieved from http://www.visualthesaurus.com.