Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Listening and viewing with intent supports our acquisition and understanding of a new language.
Stories
Stories are a narrative form of text that can be oral, written, or visual. Stories are derived from truth or fiction and may be used to seek and impart knowledge, entertain, share history, and strengthen a sense of identity.
help us to acquire language and understand the world by exploring, for example, thoughts, feelings, knowledge, culture, and identity
around us.
Expressing ourselves in a new language requires courage, risk taking, and perseverance.
Exploring diverse forms of cultural expression
representing the experience of the people from whose culture they are drawn; for example, celebrations, customs, folklore, language use, traditions, and creative works (e.g., painting, sculpture, theatre, dance, poetry and prose, filmmaking, musical composition, architecture)
allows us to experience and appreciate cultural diversity.
Acquiring a new language provides a unique opportunity to access and interact with diverse communities.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
Spanish letter patterns
letter patterns that have consistent pronunciations (e.g., -ía, n, -mente, -ción, ll, rr)
gender and number
masculine/feminine and singular/plural (e.g., el, la/los, las)
common, high-frequency vocabulary, sentence structures, and expressions, including:
- types of questionsincluding inversion questions (e.g., ¿Tienes papel?, ¿Te gusta ir al cine?, ¿Te gusta viajar?)
- activities, situations, and eventsusing appropriate tenses (e.g., el futuro, el pretérito, el imperfecto) in both the affirmative and the negative
- descriptions of people, objects, and locations
- comparisons
- personal interests, opinions, and beliefs
First Peoples perspectives connecting language and culture, including oral histories
e.g., conversations with an Elder about local celebrations, traditions, and protocols
, identity Identity is influenced by, for example, traditions, protocols, celebrations, and festivals.
, and place Place is any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives on the world. A sense of place can be influenced by territory, food, clothing, and creative works.
past, present, and future time frames
common elements of stories
place, characters, setting, plot, problem and resolution
idiomatic expressions
e.g., buena onda, ¡no me digas!, ¡qué padre!; Spanish expressions derived from Arabic, such as ojalá; expressions with tener and estar, such as tener razón, estar listo
from across the Hispanic world
contributions of Hispanic Canadians to society
cultural practices
relating to celebrations, holidays, and events (e.g., la Navidad, la Quinceañera, el Santo),daily practices such as mealtimes, and idiomatic use of language
, traditions, and attitudes in various Hispanic regions
Hispanic works of art
e.g., creative works in dance, drama, music, visual arts
ethics of cultural appropriation
The use of a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, song, or drama, shared without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn.
and plagiarism
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Thinking and communicating
Recognize the relationships between pronunciation, letters, punctuation, common intonation patterns
e.g., differentiate between a statement and a question
, and meaning
Comprehend key information
e.g.,
in speech and other texts- using circumlocution, paraphrasing, reformulation, reiteration, repetition, word substitution
- interpreting body language, expression, and tone
- using contextual cues
- interpreting familiar words
“Text” is a generic term referring to all forms of oral, written, visual, and digital communications. Oral, written, and visual elements can also be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, internet-based media, advertisements).
Use language-learning strategies
e.g., interpretation of gestures, facial expressions, intonation, tone of voice, and contextual cues; use of prior knowledge, familiar words, and cognates
to increase understanding
Narrate stories, both orally and in writing
- Use expressions of time and transitional words to show logical progression.
- Use multiple time frames.
Exchange ideas
with peers, teachers, and members of the wider community; can include virtual/online conversations
and information, both orally and in writing
Seek clarification and verify
e.g., request or provide repetition, word substitution, reformulation, or reiteration
meaning
Share information using the presentation format
e.g., digital, visual, verbal; aids such as apps, graphics, illustrations, photographs, other visuals, music
best suited to their own and others’ diverse abilities
Personal and social awareness
Engage in experiences
e.g., blogs, school visits (including virtual/online visits), concerts, exchanges, festivals, films, letters, plays, social media, stores and restaurants where Spanish is spoken
with Hispanic people and communities
Consider personal, shared, and others’ experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through a cultural lens
e.g., values, practices, traditions, perceptions
Recognize First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
e.g., First Nations, Métis, and Inuit; and/or gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
; and local cultural knowledge