Course Description
Fridley Public Schools
Spanish Level 3
MYP (Language Acquisition) Year (3) Grades (9-12)
Emily Latzka — emily.latzka@fridley.k12.mn.us — 763-502-5761
Course Summary
Language acquisition: Spanish Level 3 is a yearlong course designed to enhance knowledge of the
Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. Through a focus on Approaches to Learning skills, students will
develop the skills they need to communicate ideas and information effectively through speaking, reading,
and writing. Through the MYP concepts of communication, culture, connections and creativity, students
will develop insights into the features, processes and craft of language and the concept of culture.
Our goal is to enable students to become competent communicators in the Spanish language. The aims
of the teaching and learning of MYP language acquisition are to:
 gain proficiency in an additional language while supporting maintenance of their mother tongue
and enhancing understanding of the English language
 develop a respect for, and understanding of, diverse linguistic and cultural heritages
 develop the student’s communication skills necessary for further language learning, and for study,
work and leisure
 enable the student to develop multi-literacy skills through the use of a range of learning tools, such
as multimedia, in the various modes of communication
Standards and IB MYP Objectives
National/State Standards based on
ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages)
Communication
Cultures
Connections
Comparisons
Communities
IB MYP Objectives
Communication
Culture
Connections
Creativity
Units of Study (one academic year)
Unit title
Unit 1 Día escolar/
Actividades
extracurriculares
Statement of inquiry
Educational systems and
the value of education
differ between countries
and between schools in the
same country.
Content (topics, knowledge, skills)
Vocabulary: School
· Continue mastery of irregular and stem-changing verbs
Go-go’s (review – include caer)
-Review Tu commands
· Pensar + infinitive
· Para + infinitive
· Affirmative and negative ideas
· Verbs and expressions that use the infinitive/Compound
Sentences
Telling time : Es/Son vs. A….la/las
· Compare the school rules and customs in other countries with
those of your own school
· Vocabulary: Extracurricular activities
· Making comparisons and review adjectives
(Review) Superlatives
· Saber and Conocer
· Continue mastery of irregular and stem-changing verbs (See list
on vocab. list and add gu – gu (seguir), g to j (corregir), reír,
sonreír, elegir, corregir, conseguir, perseguir, seguir)
· Hace + time expressions
· Direct Object Pronouns (review)
Interrogatives with prepositions
· Frequency words
· Adverbs –mente
· Learn popular dances in the Spanish-speaking world (salsa,
bachata, cumbia, flamenco)
Unit 2 – Mi rutina
diaria/El pueblo/
La ciudad
Clear communication helps
you go through your day
interacting with other
people with more ease.
Unit 3 - Patricia va
a California
The definition of poverty
varies based on the
socioeconomic status of
each country.
Unit 4 - Ir de
compras en la
comunidad
One's cultural background
can define community from
a local and global
perspective.
· Vocabulary: Daily routine
· Reflexive verbs to describe your morning routine – present tense
Body parts and clothes (review)
· Ser and Estar (review)
· Possessive Adjectives with emphasis
Relative pronouns - que, quien(es), lo que, lo cual
· Vocabulary: Places in town/Verbs
· Direct Object Pronouns
· Regular and Irregular affirmative tú commands
· Gerunds and Present progressive regular and irregular forms
· Getting Around Town using Spanish
· Los gestos: Body language with Spanish phrases
· Prepositional pronouns + conmigo, contigo
· La Navidad - Las Posadas
· Read Spanish book
Explore culture in Guatemala
· Learn vocabulary from book
· Discuss short novel in target language
Discuss different definitions of poverty
and poverty in Central America
· Vocabulary: Shopping
Cardinal Numbers
· Preterite of regular verbs (review)
· Preterite: -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR (review)
Preterite with 3rd person “y”
· Preterite: ir, ser, dar, ver, hacer
Preterite stem-changing AR and ER, not stem-changing in preterite)
· Demonstrative adjectives (review) with aquel addition
· Using adjectives as nouns (review)
· Statements vs. Questions with word order (review)
· Fashion designers from Spanish speaking countries
· Vocabulary: Community/Key Phrases with Preterite
· Preterite of irregular verbs continued:
-Stem-changing “ir” verbs (unlike AR and ER that do not change)
-”U” group (andar, caber, estar, tener, poder, poner, saber)
-”I” group (venir, prevenir, querer)
-”J” group (decir, traer, conducir, producir)
· Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns (review)
· Advanced Telling time with Para
Tiempo v. Vez, veces
· Open – air markets
Unit 5 - La niñez/
Las celebraciones
Cultural celebrations
express the history, values,
and beliefs of a particular
culture.
· Vocabulary: Toys and games
· Imperfect:
- Regular and Irregulars (include gustar and encantar)
- Uses of the imperfect
- Key words with the imperfect
· Combining direct and indirect object pronouns in one sentence
· Learn childhood songs in Spanish
· Vocabulary: Celebrations
· Key Phrases - Preterite vs. Imperfect
Irregular Preterites:
· Comparing Forms of Preterite vs. Imperfect
Irregular preterite: seguir, conseguir, perseguir
· Reciprocal actions
· Semana Santa/Día de la Raza/Las Fallas/Carnaval/Los Reyes Magos
Unit 6 Un acto heroíco/
Las emergencias
The seriousness of an
emergency situation can
sometimes bring forth the
best of human nature.
· Vocabulary: Emergencies and Heroes
Irregular Preterites
· Preterite vs. Imperfect - Specific verbs that change meaning in
preterite vs. imperfect
Past participles
Present perfect
· Volcanoes and Rainforests in Central America
· Vocabulary: Accidents/ER
· Imperfect progressive with preterite as an interruptor
Pluperfect - forms
· Preterite vs. Imperfect - Overall
· Organizaciones sin fines de lucro: Medicos Sin Fronteras, La
Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS)
Unit 7: Anabela
por siempre
Language and culture go
together.
· Read Spanish book
Explore culture in El Salvador
· Learn vocabulary from book
·Discuss short novel in target language
Methodology Language learning in the MYP is integrative and purposeful, bringing together concepts from several
content areas and connecting them to real-world situations. Inquiry-based experiences in Language acquisition will be
designed to incorporate the MYP key concepts of communication, culture, creativity, and connections. Throughout these
inquiry-based experiences, students will be encouraged to develop their reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical
literacy skills in the target language.
Methods of Assessments and Grading In this class, students will complete a variety of IB MYP assessments
that will give students a chance to demonstrate their new understandings and skills they have developed, which in turn
provide information to improve learning. To evaluate these assessments, the IB MYP criterion rubrics will be used. IB
MYP rubrics use an international 8-point scale. When these assessments are counted toward students’ grades in the
class, they may be converted to a point value and a standard letter grade. Parents and guardians, please ask your
student to share their rubrics with you. Assessments in this class are aligned with the four assessment criteria below:
Criteria
Criterion Title
Criterion
A
Criterion
B
Comprehending Spoken and Visual
Text
Comprehending Written and Visual
Text
Criterion
C
Communicating in Response to
Spoken, Written, and Visual Text
Criterion
D
Using Language in Spoken and
Written Form
Students describe weather map and various pictures in Spanish.
Students read short Spanish novel appropriate for their current
level of Spanish study. They are tested on their comprehension.
Students discuss culture in the target language as well as the
events in the Spanish novels.
Students write a newscast in Spanish and present it to the class.
In the IB Middle Years Programme, each student is also awarded a score of 1-7 in each of the eight subject
areas. Students and parents will receive an MYP progress report at the end of each school year, along with a
description of the level of achievement associated with each score.
Please refer to the MYP Assessment Policy and MYP Assessment Practices on the Fridley Public Schools
website for further information about assessment. Students and parents can access scores, grades, and
missing work by clicking on the “parent portal” link at the top of the district home page at www.fridley.k12.mn.us.
Text and Resources
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MYP Language acquisition guide (Jan. 2015)
Realidades textbook Level 2
Pobre Ana– Spanish reader
Anabela por siempre – Spanish reader
Online practice and assessments of vocabulary and grammar plus cultural links
www.fridleyhighschoolspanish.weebly.com