AP® Spanish Language
Course Overview
The AP Spanish Language course is taught almost exclusively in
Spanish. Students are challenged to practice Spanish consistently with their
Spanish speaking teachers, peers and school staff. Students will be exposed
to literature and current events of the Spanish speaking countries through
authentic written and verbal text that will develop the students listening and
reading abilities. Students will be able to:
 Understand and respond appropriately to conversations,
lectures, newspapers, instructions, audio and video articles,
short stories, classroom discussions.
 Expand their interpersonal communication skills through daily
classroom interactions in Spanish. This communication is
extended outside of the classroom.
 Use different strategies for different audiences to express
themselves.
 Extend their communication skills through casual conversations
with others.
 Express themselves orally by convincing, arguing, inquiring
and describing.
 Will make the connection between their Spanish class and other
disciplines.
 Increase their communication skills through authentic written
texts including newspaper and periodical articles, non-technical
writings and literary texts.
 Write a variety of compositions. (technical and non-technical)
 Compose a formal and informal essay.
Course Outline
Abriendo Paso Gramática (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) and Abriendo Paso
Lectura (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) are the district textbooks for this
course. These will be used concurrent with several other class sets of
material that the World Language department has provided.
Abriendo Paso Gramatica (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) is a grammar text
reinforcing previous studied material. Abriendo Paso Grammatica
(Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) will be used to increase accuracy of expression
in different situations. The assessment program will be used for each unit.
The multiple-choice listening and reading comprehension practice will be
used as well as other free response sample prompts. The Barron's AP 2007
practice tests (Barron’s) will be given to prepare for the AP Spanish
Language Exam. Using the multiple-choice items from past released exams
and developing free-response questions that are similar and as difficult as
those on the AP Exam tests are administered through out the course. The
tests also consist of one essay question related to the selection of literature
read inside or outside of class.
Abriendo Paso Lectura (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) provides an
introduction to the next Spanish course. This text provides a wide selection
of materials taken from authentic sources. Students are given essay topics to
create an essay. Credit for essays will be assigned after peer editing and
revisions have been completed. Through the authentic material the students
are provided frequent opportunities to integrate the four language skills. AP
Scoring Guidelines will be the rubric. At times, guest speakers will lead
class discussions over selected topics. Students will relate the topic to a work
in the text. Students have the opportunity to communicate in formal and
informal situations.
World Languages Program
3958 AP SPANISH IV LANGUAGE
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
1ST 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 1 – “Rosa”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 1 – “Rosa”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 2 – “El
Décimo”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 2 – “El
Décimo”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 3 - “Un oso
y un amor”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 3 - “Un oso
y un amor”
2ND 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 4 –
“Continuidad de los parques”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 5 - “Cajas
de carton”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 5 - “Cajas
de carton”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capitulo 6 - “Jacinto
Contreras recibe su paga extrodinario”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capitulo 6 - “Jacinto
Contreras recibe su paga extrodinario”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 7 “Nosotros, no” – pp. 114-133
3rd 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 8 – “No
oyes ladrar los perros”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 8 – “No
oyes ladrar los perros”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 9 – “El
árbol de oro”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 9 – “El
árbol de oro”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 10 –
“Jaque mate en dos jugadas”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 10 –
“Jaque mate en dos jugadas”
4th 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 11 - “La
viuda de Montiel”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 11 - “La
viuda de Montiel”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 12 –
“Cartas de amor traicionado”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 12 –
“Cartas de amor traicionado”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 13 –
“Emma Zuma”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 13 –
“Emma Zuma”
5TH 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 14 - “Rima
LIII” Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 15 “Me gustas cuando callas”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capitulo 16 “Adolesencia” Abriendo Paso Lectura –
Capítulo 17 – “Proverbios y cantares, XXIX”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 18 –
“Despedida” Abriendo Paso: Lectura Capítulo 19 – “Canción de jinete”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 20 –
“Selecciones de Versos sencillos”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 21 –
“Canción de otoño en primavera”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 22 – “Oda al tomate”
6TH 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 23 – “La
fiesta de San Fermin”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 24 –
“Fernando Botero, El espejo convexo”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 25 – “La
Tomatina”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 26 – “Los
indios kunas”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 27 – “El
delantal blanco”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 27 – “El delantal blanco”
Course Guidelines
The Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) and district standards will be
implemented for the course objectives.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter114
Teaching Strategies
Exclusive Use of Spanish
Students are instructed the first day of class that Spanish will be not only the
language used for instruction, but also for daily school and interpersonal
communication as well. A student’s Spanish listening and speaking skills
will improve only through consistent use of and exposure to the Spanish
language. Therefore, the student’s level of adherence to this rule will be
directly reflected every 6 weeks in the form of a participation grade. Every
now and then, the situation may arise where a student may require further
explanation or elaboration in English to help them grasp an idea or concept.
This will be the exception and not the rule.
Use of technology
Our school has a variety of technological resources such as a portable laptop
station with language software, in class computers, Smart Boards, etc.
Technology will be incorporated into many of the assignments and daily
activities of the class. The Internet will be particularly useful in helping
students access:
 Authentic journalistic media such as newspapers, magazines, and
websites highlighting the day’s major events.
 Sites that expose students to the cultural and social environments
found in the Spanish-speaking world such as museums and galleries,
blogs that deal with concerns and issues of average people from
various Spanish-speaking nations.
 Resources for researching literary works, historical figures and
events, and geopolitical information and data.
Technology such as word processors, PowerPoint, and multimedia will also
be used in the presentation of assignments.
Students will also be encouraged to focus on the technological language
used in the Spanish-speaking world in areas such as computing, surfing,
electronic commerce, and telephone customer service.
Extracurricular Activities
Students will have ample opportunity to use the Spanish language in front of
others outside of the classroom environment. Every year many students
participate extracurricular organizations found on our campus, such as Pan
American Student Forum, Ballet Folklórico Mestizo, Sociedad Honoraria
Hispánica, and Townview Travelers.
In addition, every year students are given the opportunity to take the
National Spanish Exam.
Sample Classroom Activities
The activities used in class are designed to incorporate all of the four
language skills within the same activity. Here are a few samples of class
assignments incorporating all four language skills:
1) Activity focus – Preterite: In this activity, students will be shown a
variety of pictures (pre-selected by the teacher, from the Internet) of
people expressing a variety of emotions or contemplative expressions.
Each student will select a particular picture and write in the first
person (using the preterite) a monologue explaining what happened to
them to elicit that expression. Students will then conduct a peer edit
of their monologues. In the last phase of the activity, each student
will present show the picture/person he selected and orally present
his/her monologue to the rest of the class.
2) Activity focus – Pluscuamperfect of the indicative and subjunctive: In
this activity, students in groups of three will be given 3 pre-written
scenarios in which young people make mistakes or bad decisions in a
variety of situations. Students will read the situations, assess them,
and then write explanations of when and where the bad decisions
occurred. In the next step, they will use the pluscuamperfect of the
subjunctive to tell how the outcome would have been different if they
had made a different decision. Lastly, each student in the group will
orally present a situation to the class, explain where the error or bad
judgment occurred, and tell how it could have been different.
3) Activity focus – Listening & Speaking: Students will watch an
authentic video of World Cup soccer fans explaining why their team
is the best. The video will be repeated, discussed, analyzed, etc.
Next, students will create their own argument or case as to why their
favorite sports team is the best. Students who do not like sports will
write out an argument for their favorite artist or singer. Each student
will then make his case to the class. In turn, students in the audience
can raise their hands and differ or make a counterpoint. After
everyone has made the case for their team, students will then vote for
the student with the best argument.
4) Activity focus – Formal writing: Throughout each six-week period,
students will be given a variety of formal writing assignments. At
least once per six-week period, students will have a timed in-class
essay that will be graded according to AP scoring guidelines.
Student Evaluation
There will be approximately two exams per six weeks and two
comprehensive semester exams. Speaking assessments will vary from
formal assessments to in class observations. Exams will assess the student’s
four language skills and will also contain sections on grammar and culture.
Exams may vary, but most will contain a combination of free response
questions, multiple choice, matching, cloze procedure, listening assessments
and essay questions. Every three weeks, students will write an in class,
timed essay. Each essay will have a different type of essay (narrative,
comparison and contrast, persuasive, etc).
Websites used in the course:
www.abccolor.com.py
www.ultimahora.com.py
www.zonalatina.com
www.nacion.com
www.mcdougallittell.com
www.nuevohorizontes.org
www.nexttext.com
www.hrw.com
www.conjuguemos.com
www.thepapaerboy..com
www.elmundo.es
www.bbc/spanish
www.cnn.com/espanol
The local Spanish speaking television and radio stations will be used
throughout the course to advance instruction.
Extra Curricular Activities
NET-OLE a World Language Competition at Texas A&M Commerce
www.netole.org
Pan American Student Forum of Texas an organization to promote the study
of the western hemisphere and Spain. Each year the students participate in
the annual state convention of the PASF Spanish competition (reading,
listening, vocabulary, grammar and civilization). www.pasf.com
Texas Area Model of the Organization of the American States a mock OAS
competition. The event is held at the PASF state convention.
www.pasf/tamoas.com
Sociadad Hornoria Hispanica an honor society for the advanced Spanish
student. www.shh
International Travel Club is open to all students that desire to travel to
various countries.
National Spanish Exam www.nse.org
Ballet Folklorico a dance club on campus.