Back to Learning Catalog

Status

Open

Estimated Completion Time

9-10 weeks

Overview

Elementary Spanish is an exploratory introduction to the Spanish culture and
language. Students will learn the target language in a story-based framework, providing a fun and positive experience within the learning. Each lesson is taught through an engaging, authentic story that gives students an opportunity to see and hear the language in context. Students will learn foundational skills in listening and speaking in the early levels, and will add Spanish literacy skills beginning in Level 2. The courses provide audio and visual stimuli for all learning types and ample opportunities to hear, speak, read, write, and record the language. This suite also provides strategically-based reviews of past learning. Each course is built on connections to an authentic culture of a specific Spanish-speaking region through the arts, celebrations, and traditions of the culture, leading students on the path to becoming global citizens. Courses provide a natural progression of learning through the following language acquisition stages:

  • Preproduction
  • Early Production
  • Speech emergence
  • Intermediate fluency

Please view the Elementary Parents’ Survival Guide: The First Four Weeks of Online Learning for guidance on helping your student in the transition to online learning.

Course Requirements

All levels of Spanish require independent reading skills. We recommend students begin Spanish sometime during grades 2 or 3, depending on their reading level. Those who are not yet reading independently can take the course, provided an adult is available to read material to the student.

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students and families are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers because, when teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.

Required Materials – Please view the list of materials before registering.

Major Topics and Concepts

Module One

  • Countries in South America
  • Culture of Argentina
  • Formal and informal greetings
  • Asking and answering questions about greetings
  • Family member words
  • Describe people using adjectives
  • Compare family members based on their appearance
  • Asking and answering questions about people’s appearances
  • Words and expressions related to soccer
  • Third person plural
  • Famous soccer player Leo Messi
  • Asking and answering questions using quién
  • Wild animals of South America
  • Iguazu Falls
  • Signs about wild animals
  • Habitats of wild animals
  • Asking and answering questions using dónde

Module Two

  • Seasons and months of the year
  • Vocabulary related to weather
  • Seasons are opposite in Patagonia and North America
  • Asking and answering questions about opposites
  • Asking and answering questions about weather
  • Summer clothing
  • Winter clothing
  • Conjugations for the verbs poner and tener
  • Labeling adjectives with correct number and gender
  • Asking and answering questions about winter clothing
  • Signs seen at stores
  • Winter activities
  • Prepositions related to winter activities
  • Asking and answering questions about winter activities
  • Telling time
  • Writing the date
  • Yesterday, today and tomorrow
  • Asking and answering questions about time

Module Three

  • Wild animals of South America
  • Tierra del Fuego
  • Nature and surroundings of Tierra del Fuego
  • Penguins
  • Future tense
  • Ask and answer questions about helping the penguins
  • Words related to being ill
  • Body parts of a penguin
  • Veterinarian vocabulary
  • Ask and answer questions about body parts and needs
  • Numbers 1-1000
  • Counting by 100s
  • Multiplying by 100s
  • Foods that penguins eat
  • Asking and answering ¿Cuántos ________ hay para los pingüinos?
  • Writing a letter
  • Vocabulary related to writing a letter
  • Giving advice
  • Asking and answering questions about writing letters

Module Four

  • Gaucho culture
  • Family words
  • Rhyming and poetry
  • Argentine Pampas
  • Past tense
  • South American animals
  • Vocabulary related to fairy tales
  • Key points of a fairy tale
  • Asking and answering questions about fairy tales
  • Vocabulary related to the solar system
  • Planets in the solar system
  • Constellations
  • Asking and answering questions about planets and their distance from the sun
  • Native South American cultures and their art
  • Imperfect verbs
  • Native North and South American cultures
  • Ask and answer questions about Native South American cultures

Credits .5

Competencies

Pre-Requisites

None

Attend a virtual open house

We offer regular online open house webinars where VLACS staff members provide parents and students with an overview of our programs and answer questions about online learning.