Design and Architecture Senior High School
2013-2014
Spanish 1
Syllabus
Course Description:
This is a first year course for students who will be learning the Spanish language in school. If students
come from a Spanish-speaking home, and are able to comprehend - to a great extent - the spoken
language, even if they lack adequate knowledge of written, reading and the communicative aspects of
the language, they are considered Heritage Speakers and must take Spanish for Native Speakers I, or
Spanish for Native Speakers II.
This course focuses on the acquisition of communicative language competence. Attention is paid to
what the student can do with the language. Grammatical structures are presented and explained in class
to achieve communicative competence. The skills of speaking, reading, writing and listening in the
target language are developed through an ample amount of activities and extensive exposure to high
frequency spoken and written forms. The textbook program Realidades, level 1, includes a varied
amount of cultural and historical information. Students will begin to gain an understanding of the
language, the history, the music, the art, the literature, the geography, and the social/economic aspects
of the Spanish-speaking world.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the year, students should have developed oral, written, reading and listening skills with a
novice to novice high level of fluency and accuracy in the target language.
Textbook:
Boyles, Peggy P., Met, Myriam, Sayers, Richard S., Wargin Carol Eubanks, Realidades, Level 1. Boston,
Massachusetts: Pearson, 2008, 1st edition.
Boyles, Peggy P., Met, Myriam, Sayers, Richard S., Wargin Carol Eubanks, Realidades, Level 1, Workbook.
Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson, 2008, 1st edition.
Course of Study Based is on the Realidades program and Additional Resources from other sources
such as (but not limited to) the Internet.
This is a tentative course calendar. Pacing will be modified according to the needs of the class.
Month
Units of
Study/Themes
Grammar
Culture
August/September
En la escuela
Begin to communicate
by using the
vocabulary necessary
to greet people,
referring to different
times of the day,
respond to classroom
directions, using
numbers, describing
weather conditions,
identifying parts of
the body. The
Spanish alphabet.
Infinities, negatives,
agreement and
disagreement.
Learn about
the Aztec
calendar.
Subject pronouns.
Present tense of arverbs. The verb
“estar”. Plural of
nouns and articles.
Present tense of –ir
and –er verbs. Verbs
with unique form:
“gustar” and
“encantar”. The plural
The Hispanic
World:
Mexico,
Central
America,
South
America.
Gestures in
the Spanishspeaking
En la clase
El tiempo
¿Qué te gusta
hacer?
Y tú, ¿cómo eres?
October
Tu día en la
escuela
Tu sala de clases
¿Desayuno o
almuerzo?
Para mantener la
salud
Connection
to other
Disciplines
Music,
Geography,
Literature
Compare
weather in the
northern and
southern
hemispheres.
Understand
cultural
perspectives
on favorite
activities
Understand
cultural
perspectives
Definite and indefinite on friendship.
articles. Use
The role of
descriptive adjectives. Spanish in the
business
world. Begin
to learn about
the Hispanic
World: Spain
and the
Caribbean
Mathematics,
History
November/December
¿Adónde vas?
¿Quieres ir
conmigo?
Una fiesta de
cumpleaños
¡Vamos a un
restaurante!
January
En mi dormitorio
¿Cómo es tu casa?
of adjectives, and the
verb “ser”.
world.
Understand
cultural
perspectives
on school,
meals, diet
and health
The verb “ir” and
asking questions. The
immediate future
construction. The verb
“jugar”. The verb
“tener”. Possessive
adjectives. The verb
“venir” . The verbs
“ser” and “estar”
Understand
cultural
perspectives
on leisure
activities,
after-school
activities,
family and
celebrations.
The Hispanic
World: The
role of
Spanish in the
USA, in the
world, in the
community, in
the business
world.
Mathematics,
History, Art
Making comparisons.
The superlative. Stemchanging verbs: poder
and dormir.
Affirtmative “tú”
commands. The
present progressive
tense.
Understand
the cultural
perspectives
on homes,
different
types of
housing.
Social
Studies,
Mathematics
February/March
¿Cuánto cuesta?
¡Qué regalo!
De vacaciones
April/May
Ayudando en la
comunidad.
El cine y la
televisión
La tecnología
June
Review/finish all
covered/required
chapters.
Stem-changing verbs:
“pensar”, “querer”,
and “preferir”.
Demonstrative
adjectives. The
preterit of –ar, -er,
and -ir verbs. Verbs
ending in –car, and –
gar. Direct object
pronouns. Preterit of
“ir”, the personal “a”.
Understand
the cultural
perspectives
on shopping,
gift-giving,
travel and
vacation.
Mathematics,
History,
Geography
The present tense of
“decir”, indirect
object pronouns,
present of “hacer”
and “dar”. “Acabar de
+ infinitive”. “Gustar”
and similar verbs. The
present tense of
“pedir” and “servir”,
“saber” and
“conocer”.
Understand
cultural
perspectives
volunteer
work,
common
gestures,
using
technology
Mathematics,
Technology