Stage 5 (Year 9) Spanish
Language: Spanish
Target group: Stage 5 (Year 9)
Unit of work: Mi familia
Estimated duration: 8 hours
Key concepts:
The key concepts I want students to learn are that:
Why does the learning matter?

simple Spanish can be used to describe and communicate about family

using simple Spanish adds a new dimension to the students’ daily
interactions.

there is a range of language structures used to describe one’s family
members.

exchanging information about family members and friends allows students
to compare, contrast and reflect on their own family.

different cultures have different perceptions about family.

learning about these aspects enables students to compare, contrast and
appreciate the different features of the family.
The learning matters because:
Targeted outcomes
A student:
5.UL.1 selects, summarises and analyses information and ideas in spoken texts and responds appropriately.
5.UL.2 selects, summarises and analyses information and ideas in written texts and responds appropriately.
5.UL.3 uses Spanish by incorporating diverse structures and features to express own ideas.
5.UL.4 experiments with linguistic patterns and structures in Spanish to convey information and to express own ideas.
5.MLC.1 demonstrates understanding of the nature of languages as systems by describing and comparing linguistic features across languages.
5.MLC.2 uses linguistic resources to support the study and production of texts in Spanish.
5.MBC.1 explores the interdependence of language and culture in a range of texts and contexts.
5.MBC.2 identifies and explains aspects of the culture of Spanish-speaking communities in texts.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Students learn about:
 ways in which texts are constructed for specific purposes
 ways of identifying relevant details when listening for specific information
 the use of multimedia for communicative purposes
 responding to factual and open-ended questions
Students learn to:

identify purpose

make judgements about the relevance of detail in understanding text

participate in discussions with speakers of Spanish

maintain an interaction by responding to and asking questions
sharing information.

interact with reference to purpose, audience or participants,
e.g. asking for information:

reconstruct information from a range of sources

collaborative and inclusive ways to achieve communication goals

application of known linguistic structures in new contexts

resources available to enhance or promote independent learning


the use of technology to express ideas and create own text



ways to support and sustain communication in extended text
the importance of being aware of the choices that are made to convey
precise meaning


describe features of text structure
evaluate the accuracy and appropriateness of structures when
constructing and editing text

the effect of linguistic choices on intended meaning


the contributions of diverse cultures to the local and global community

make linguistic choices to enhance their intended meaning,
drawing on a range of linguistic structures
reflect on attitudes and practices that differ from their own

etiquette and ethical behaviour associated with cross-cultural
communication.

recognise appropriate intercultural behaviour in diverse
settings

cultural attitudes that add meaning to text

identify and discuss cultural influences in specific texts.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
develop skills in accessing appropriate additional information
to expand and enhance communication
access websites to transfer and manipulate data to produce a specific
text
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Structures:
Ask people about their family: ¿Quién es? ¿Cómo se
llama(n) tu padre / tus abuelos? ¿Cuántos años tiene(n)
tu hermano/ tus primos? ¿Cuántas personas hay en tu
familia? ¿Tienes hermanos?
Sociocultural content:
Family life in Australia and in the Spanish World.
The Spanish Royal Family.
Identify members of the family: madre, padre, hijo/a,
hermano/a, tío/a, primo/a, sobrino/a, abuelo/a, padres,
abuelos.
¿Quién es? Esta es _______. Este es ______.
Es el_____. Es la _____. Es mi_____.
Cross-curriculum content and policies:
ICT: Use of Microsoft Office Software and
Online activities.
Literacy: Dictionary skills and use of
metalanguage in the classroom.
HSIE: Comparison of values and attitudes
relating to family in Spanish-speaking
communities with other communities.
Describe family members and others: ¿Cómo es tu
padre? Physical appearance: Mi padre es rubio y tiene
la piel blanca. Personality: Es simpático.
Revision of verb: ser
Agreement of adjectives in gender and number: Mi
padre es alto. Mi madre es alta. Mis hermanos son altos.
Say where your family comes from and their
nationalities: Es de Uruguay, son uruguayos.
Say which languages they speak: Mis padres hablan
español.
Relationships: El abuelo de Belén es Pepe.
Mi hermana mayor/ menor es Elena.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Building the field:
Discussion about families today. Nuclear family and extended family.
Introduce vocabulary related to the theme My Family with Simpsons’ flashcards/ IWB/ PowerPoint Presentation.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Suggested teaching, learning and assessment activities:
1. Flashcard/ IWB/ PowerPoint presentation. Use The Simpsons’ or a popular family
that the students are familiar with to introduce this topic. This will allow for minimal use
of English. For example, show Marge Simpson for la madre, Homer for el padre.
Students will be able to work out who is who.
2. Family tree worksheet. Provide students with a family tree of a famous family.
Students need to complete the worksheet with the vocabulary learnt. The will have to
label the tree with la madre, el padre and so on. By using this worksheet students
become familiar with the structure of a family tree. Inquire of students what they know
about family trees. Elaborate on their responses or if necessary explain the concept of
family trees.
3. Designing a family tree. Learners draw and label their family tree. Ask the class to
identify other family members that can be included in the family tree (el tío, la tía, el
primo, la prima, el yerno, la nuera). Instruct students to bring in pictures of family
members or they can draw pictures of family members, in order to create their family
tree during class.
Variation
Using any of the Microsoft Office applications such as Word or PowerPoint ask
students to create their family tree.
4. Using their family trees, ask volunteers to identify their family members to the class.
In pairs have students identify their family members by using the grammatical
structures: "¿Quién es?" and “Es mi padre. Se llama Carlos."
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Evidence of learning and ongoing feedback for
students throughout unit of work
 Immediate oral feedback on intonation and
pronunciation
 Teacher encouragement of student participation
 Student use of appropriate vocabulary and
structures
 Self evaluation of successful completion of
activity
 Teacher observation of level of participation in
class discussion and encouragement at attempts
to use Spanish
 Teacher observation of level of participation in
class discussion
 Student’s ability to complete activity
 Student use of appropriate vocabulary
 Teacher ensures students are familiar with the
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Registration/
Date
use of technology
 Student participation and enjoyment of activity
5. Memory game. Play memory game to practise the use of the indefinite article with the
family vocabulary eg. En mi familia, tengo un hermano, en mi familia, tengo un
hermano y una hermana, tengo un hermano, una hermana y un tío, etc. (S)
6.
Online activities. Using their laptops students access the following websites to
consolidate the vocabulary learnt in this unit.
Matching and concentration games and wordsearch at:
http://www.quia.com/jg/448353.html
Match the family members in Spanish with their English counterparts:
http://www.quia.com/cm/92778.html
Practise your knowledge of family vocabulary and try to become a millionaire:
http://www.quia.com/rr/271470.html
7. Complete listening activity online at:
http://www.trentu.ca/academic/modernlanguages/spanish/masarriba/family.html
Describing family members. At this stage revise descriptions and introduce
questions such as ¿Como es tu padre? to promote responses such as Mi padre
es rubio y tiene la piel blanca. Es simpático.
At this stage point out the agreement of adjectives in gender and number: Mi
padre es alto. Mi madre es alta. Mis hermanos son altos.
 Teacher encouragement of student participation
 Immediate oral feedback on intonation and
pronunciation
 Student participation and enjoyment of activity
 Immediate oral feedback on intonation and
pronunciation
 Teacher ensures students are familiar with the
website
 Student ability to complete the activities
 Self evaluation of successful completion of
activity
8. Description. Using Microsoft Word or Publisher, ask students to type up a detailed
description of their favourite family member.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
9. La Familia Real. Students read about the Spanish Royal Family.
10. Spanish surnames. After looking at the Familia Real family tree, point out to
students how surnames are passed on in Spanish. Read information on Spanish
surnames.
11. Relationships. Introduce the following sentence structures: El abuelo de Belén es
Pepe. La madre de mi tía es mi abuela. Point out that in Spanish relationship is
described differently to English. Students complete a series of exercises to practise
these sentence structures.
12.
Email. Students write an email to a pen friend living in Argentina describing
themselves and their family.
13. Watch a video or read about family life in the Spanish-speaking world and discuss and
compare family life in Australia with the Spanish-speaking world.
14. Listening activities. Students complete a series of listening activities from Arriba to
practise the vocabulary learnt.
15.
Comic Strip. Working in pairs, students create a fictional family and
develop a comic strip in Spanish using Toondoo Website.
16.
PowerPoint Presentation. Students create a presentation about their (or
an imaginary) family and then present it to the class in Spanish.
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
 Teacher encourages students to ask questions
 Student participation
 Student ability to write the description in Spanish
 Feedback on correct use of vocabulary and
grammatical structures
 Class discussion and teacher feedback on
student contributions
 Class discussion and teacher feedback on
student contributions
 Teacher observation of level of participation in
class discussion
 Student ability to complete activities
 Student use of appropriate vocabulary and
structures
 Feedback on correct use of vocabulary and
grammatical structures
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
 Participation in class discussion about
differences between Spanish-speaking and other
communities
 Ability to complete the listening comprehension
activity
 Student ability to work in pairs and to complete
the activity
 Teacher’s oral feedback
 Teacher ensures students are familiar with the
use of technology
 Feedback on correct pronunciation and
intonation
 Oral and written feedback
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative
Resources
 Arriba 1 Textbook By Ana Kolkowska and Libby Mitchell, Spain, Heinemann1995
 Arriba 1 Resource and Assessment File.
 Arriba 1 Cassette 2
Online resources
http://www.quia.com/jg/448353.html
http://www.quia.com/cm/92778.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/271470.html
http://www.trentu.ca/academic/modernlanguages/spanish/masarriba/family.html
http://oye.languageskills.co.uk/beginner/year7.html
http://www.trentu.ca/academic/modernlanguages/spanish/masarriba/family.html
Evaluation and variation:
(Considerations: Time allocated for unit; variety of teaching strategies used; opportunities for teacher feedback and student reflection; suitability of
resources; suitability of ICT/laptop activities; literacy/numeracy links)
Date commenced:
Date completed:
Class teacher signature:
Intellectual quality

Deep knowledge

Deep understanding

Problematic knowledge

Higher-order thinking

Metalanguage

Substantive communication
Head teacher signature:
Quality learning environment

Explicit quality criteria

Engagement

High expectations

Social support

Students’ self-regulation

Student direction
Significance

Background knowledge

Cultural knowledge

Knowledge integration

Inclusivity

Connectedness

Narrative