Spanish (Version 8.4)

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Context statement

The place of the Spanish language and the cultures of Spanish speakers in Australia and in the world
Spanish is a global language spoken by approximately 500 million people across the world. Spanish evolved from Latin on the Iberian Peninsula in around the ninth century, and travelled from Spain to the Caribbean and to North, Central and South America as a result of the expeditions of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

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PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Languages - Spanish are available as PDF documents. 
Languages - Spanish: Sequence of content
Languages - Spanish: Sequence of Achievement - F-10 Sequence
Languages - Spanish: Sequence …

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Foundation to Year 2

Foundation to Year 2 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Children enter the early years of schooling with established communication skills in one or more languages and varying degrees of early literacy capability. For young students, learning typically focuses on their immediate world of family, home, school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with new people, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically they have little to no experience of Spanish language and culture.

Spanish language learning and use

The initial focus is on listening to the sounds and patterns of Spanish through language-rich activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games. Repetition and recycling help children to identify frequently used words and simple phrases and to recognise the purpose of simple texts. Children identify and use non-verbal communication strategies employed by Spanish speakers in greetings and other social interactions and experiment with simple responses to prompts and cues. As they progress to using Spanish for functions such as asking and answering questions, responding to instructions, singing songs, and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks, they begin to notice that language can behave differently in different situations and that Spanish speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. They practise and repeat sounds (such as j, ll and r) which differ in Spanish from those in English. Creative play provides opportunities for exploring these differences and for using Spanish for purposeful interaction, for example, asking for help or expressing surprise.

The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded through shared exploration of simple texts. Children progress from supported comprehension and use of a small number of personally significant sight words to more elaborated simple texts. Writing skills progress from labelling pictures and copying words to constructing simple texts using familiar vocabulary and structures. As children learn to adjust language to suit different purposes and situations, they begin to learn the important role of culture in shaping language use.

Contexts of interaction

Learners use Spanish to interact with one another and with the teacher, with some access to wider school and community members. Information and communication technologies (ICT) resources provide additional access to Spanish language and cultural experience, connecting learners’ social worlds with those of Spanish-speaking children in different contexts.

Texts and resources

Learners engage with a variety of spoken, visual and written texts. They listen and respond to teacher talk, share ideas and join in stories, songs, play and simple conversations. Written and digital texts include stories, wall charts, Big Books and teacher-produced materials such as games, captions and flashcards. Writing skills progress from tracing and copying high-frequency words to independently writing modelled words and sentences (for example, greeting cards or labels) and co-creating shared resources such as word walls or storybooks.

Features of Spanish language use

Learners become familiar with the sound systems of the Spanish language, including pronunciation, rhythm, pitch and stress. They learn to pronounce individual letters and letter combinations, and recognise and use the intonation patterns that distinguish between statements, questions and exclamations. They use simple basic sentence structures and learn to write single words and simple phrases. They become familiar with the idea of grammatical gender and plural forms. They discuss differences and similarities they notice between Spanish and their first language(s) and culture(s), as well as how they feel when they hear or use Spanish and how they view different languages and the people who speak them. They begin to develop curiosity around the idea of difference, culture and communication.

Level of support

Learning is supported through the provision of experiences that are challenging but achievable with appropriate scaffolding and support. This involves modelling and monitoring by the teacher, provision of rich and varied sources of input, opportunities for recycling and reviewing, and regular cues, feedback, response and encouragement. At this stage, play and imaginative activities, music, movement and familiar routines provide the essential scaffolding for language development.

The role of English

While learners are encouraged to use Spanish whenever possible, with the teacher providing rich and varied language input, English is used as a medium of instruction, and for explanation and discussion. This allows learners to talk about differences and similarities they notice between Spanish and their own language(s) and culture(s), to ask questions, and to express their reactions to the experience of learning and using an additional language.


Foundation to Year 2 Content Descriptions

Socialising

Interact with teacher and peers to introduce self, greet and farewell others and describe friends, family and favourite things

[Key concepts: self, family, friendship, belonging; Key processes: greeting, introducing, participating] (ACLSPC109 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • greeting and farewelling others at different times of the day and in different contexts, using appropriate forms of address, for example, ¡Hola amigos! ¡Buenos días profesora! ¡Buenas tardes abuela! ¡Hasta mañana tía!
  • introducing and describing self, family members, friends and favourite things, animals and objects using visual supports such as photos, pictures or digital images, for example, Me llamo Jorge; ¿Cómo te llamas? Tengo un hermano pequeño; Me gusta la clase de español; Este es mi papá, Esta es mi mamá; Mi perro es blanco y grande. Tengo una bicicleta verde
  • using simple statements to express likes and dislikes, for example, Me gusta Dora la exploradora; No me gusta la sopa; Mi color favorito es el rojo
  • using formulaic expressions to offer congratulations or to express wishes related to special occasions, for example, ¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Muy bien!
  • using simple gestures to accompany expressions such as así así, ¡ojo!, ¡no!, ¡qué problema!
Participate in guided group activities and simple transactions such as games, performances, songs and rhymes, using modelled repetitive language

[Key concepts: play, action, exchange; Key processes: participating, performing, turn-taking] (ACLSPC110 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • participating in games or activities that involve taking turns, making choices or swapping items, such as number, time-telling or memory games (¿Qué hora es señor Lobo?, El escondite inglés, La vaca eres tú), using language such as me toca; gané; te toca
  • contributing to class activities or projects that involve naming, illustrating and labelling, such as creating a class garden, or a photo or digital display of a shared event or activity
  • participating in tasks involving exchanging, sorting and classifying objects and attributes such as shapes, colours and numbers, using simple question forms and affirmative/negative responses, for example, ¿Tienes un triángulo amarillo? Sí, toma. ¿Tienes un círculo rojo? No, tengo un círculo azul
  • participating in songs and chants such as counting songs or rhyming games by singing and performing actions, for example, Mi carita redondita, Había una vez un barquito chiquitito, Un elefante se balanceaba
Recognise and respond to classroom interactions such as opening and closing of lessons, transition activities, answering simple questions and following classroom instructions

[Key concepts: routines, roles; Key processes: following instructions, responding] (ACLSPC111 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • participating in class routines such as taking the roll and stating the day and date, for example, hoy es lunes 26 de julio
  • interacting with one another during class activities, for example, vamos al recreo, ¿puedo ir al baño? gracias, lo siento, por favor, dame el borrador
  • responding to classroom instructions through actions, gestures and verbal responses such as siéntense/sentaos, silencio, escuchen/escuchad, recojan/recoged sus/vuestras cosas, formen un círculo, todos de pie, levanta la mano
  • demonstrating and mimicking hand gestures, intonation patterns or facial expressions that accompany language or stand alone, for example, shrugs or exclamations such as ¡Hala! ¡Uf!

Informing

Locate specific words and expressions in simple print, spoken and digital texts such as charts, lists, songs, rhymes and stories, and use information to complete guided spoken and written tasks

[Key concepts: literacy, numeracy; Key processes: locating, selecting, sorting] (ACLSPC112 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • listening for key words in stories, rhymes or songs, using intonation and visual cues such as gestures and facial expressions to assist understanding
  • recognising symbols, words and phrases in written Spanish such as titles, labels and captions
  • participating in shared reading of print and digital texts such as Big Book stories about familiar events or contexts (Los tres cerditos, Tico tango), using pictures, intonation and contextual clues to predict meaning and identify key information
  • demonstrating comprehension of individual words and phrases in simple spoken, written and digital texts by actions such as labelling, drawing, miming or onscreen pointing, clicking or dragging
  • responding to questions about participants and objects that elicit details such as size, colour, quantity or place, for example, ¿De qué color es la casa…? La casa es azul. ¿Dónde está el gato? El gato está en Lima. ¿Cuántos cerdos hay? ¿Tico es grande o pequeño?
Present factual information about self, family, friends and everyday objects using simple statements and support materials

[Key concepts: self, family, favourite; Key processes: naming, labelling, showing] (ACLSPC113 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • labelling or naming personal possessions and classroom items and resources, for example, la mesa, mi lápiz, tu cuaderno, la pizarra portátil
  • using simple statements, familiar vocabulary and concrete materials to talk about self and the immediate environment, for example, Tengo el pelo largo. Estoy en mi clase. Mi hermana se llama Lucía. Este/a es mi mejor amigo/a. Me gusta tocar el/la piano/flauta
  • contributing to shared understanding of aspects of the Spanish-speaking world through activities such as pointing to places on a map or at pictures of foods, flora and fauna, for example, En México, la comida es picante. Guinea Ecuatorial está en Africa. El lince es bonito
  • drawing aspects of daily routines (la merienda, los deportes, las tareas de la casa) and creating captions or attaching word bubbles
  • using key words and phrases to describe aspects of a video clip, photo story or excerpt from a television program such as Barrio Sésamo, for example, Hoy vamos a hablar de la letra ñ

Creating

Participate in shared reading, or viewing or listening to short imaginative texts and respond through mime, drawing and dance

[Key concepts: character, story, imagination; Key processes: acting, expressing, choral reading] (ACLSPC114 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • reciting and performing chants and rhymes, for example, ‘El Renacuajo Paseador’ and ‘El lagarto y la lagarta’, adding gestures such as clapping or dancing to support rhythm and expression
  • listening to, reading or viewing Spanish versions of familiar stories such as Los tres ositos or El patito feo, identifying recurring expressions and re-enacting elements with puppets, props or actions
  • responding to oral, print and digital imaginative texts such as stories, rhymes and songs through play-acting, illustrating or movement
  • making simple statements in response to favourite characters in stories, rhymes or songs, for example, el lobo es feroz, el osito está triste, ¡Qué divertido!
Create and perform simple imaginative texts that involve repetitive language, experimenting with sound patterns, rhymes and non-verbal forms of expression

[Key concepts: rhythm, expression, performance; Key processes: chanting, drawing, singing, dancing] (ACLSPC115 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • performing songs, rhymes and action stories using non-verbal forms of expression such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions to support the making of meaning
  • creating and presenting a shared class story that involves repeated actions and audience involvement
  • creating a new version of well-known stories, songs or rhymes such as Tengo, tengo, tengo by substituting words, phrases and expressions
  • composing original short stories by matching or sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by creating a storyboard with labels using modelled language

Translating

Translate frequently used words and simple phrases using visual cues and resources such as word lists

[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: identifying, noticing] (ACLSPC116 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • explaining to others the meanings and use of simple expressions such as greetings that are used for different times and occasions, for example, ¡Buenos días! ¡Buenas tardes! ¡Buenas noches!
  • using classroom resources such as word banks/wall charts, visual dictionaries, word lists and pictures to translate the meaning of single words and common expressions
  • identifying words that look similar and have the same meaning in Spanish and English but are pronounced differently (animal, tomate, fruta, violín, guitarra, mosquito), and considering why these words are similar
  • demonstrating and explaining hand gestures, intonation patterns and facial expressions that accompany Spanish words and phrases or can be used without language
Create simple print or digital texts that use both Spanish and English, such as labels, captions, wall charts and picture dictionaries

[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: labelling, captioning] (ACLSPC117 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • making personal bilingual picture dictionaries with captions, stickers and simple descriptions to explain culture-specific terms such as merienda, doña, don, buñuelos
  • making bilingual greeting cards for celebrations such as Reyes, Dia de la Madre or Dia del Santo, using greetings such as feliz día de la madre, feliz día de tu santo, or feliz día del maestro alongside equivalent English greetings where culturally appropriate
  • creating an identity card that contains parallel personal information in Spanish and English, for example, nombre/name, apellidos/last name(s), edad/age, Mis amigos son…/My friends are…, Vivo en…/I live in, Me gusta…/I like…
  • adding captions in Spanish and English for a photographic display of a class event or experience such as sports day or school camp, for example, ¡De excursión en la granja! Nuestros experimentos de ciencia. Aquí estamos comiendo ceviche

Reflecting

Recognise what aspects of songs, stories, rhymes and pictures from Spanish-speaking cultures may look or feel similar or different to own language(s) and culture(s)

[Key concepts: language, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing] (ACLSPC118 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • comparing aspects of the lives of children in Australian and Spanish-speaking countries as represented in print and digital images, video clips and stories, for example, ways of playing games, eating food, or interacting at school or at home
  • using some Spanish words, expressions and exclamations when playing with one another, for example, ¡Ay! ¡salud! and noticing any differences in behaviour, use of voice or body language compared to when using English
  • responding to teacher prompts in Spanish or English, for example, ¿Qué ves/notas? or ‘What do you notice about…?’, to capture their impressions when viewing images or stories involving children in Spanish-speaking contexts
Recognise themselves as belonging to groups, for example, ‘my friends’, ‘my class’, ‘my school’, ‘my family’ and ‘my community’

[Key concepts: self, identity, family, community; Key processes: noticing, describing] (ACLSPC119 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • making simple statements about themselves, including where they come from and what language(s) they speak
  • identifying themselves as belonging to different groups, such as family, class or peer groups (Yo soy australiana y chilena, Soy un niño/una niña. Estoy en la clase B), and representing these relationships through drawing pictures, adding captions to photos, or digital text creation
  • comparing their own ways of communicating, including using any other languages with those of friends or family members who speak different languages
  • considering whether there are any aspects of their ways of communicating that might be unfamiliar to children from different cultural backgrounds

Systems of language

Recognise and reproduce the sounds and rhythms of simple spoken Spanish, noticing how they are produced and how they are represented in writing

[Key concepts: phonic awareness, pronunciation; Key processes: reading aloud, listening, mimicking] (ACLSPU120 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • becoming familiar with the Spanish alphabet, noticing that there is an additional letter as compared to English, ñ
  • imitating Spanish sounds such as j in viaje, ñ in niño, b and v (vaca y boca), ll in calle, and rr in carro
  • noticing that statements and questions have different intonations, for example, Fernando no está. ¿Fernando no está?
  • developing pronunciation, phrasing and intonation skills by singing, reciting and repeating words and phrases in context
  • experimenting with sounds in onomatopoeic words such as those related to animal sounds`, for example, pío, (pájaro), quiquiriquí (gallo), miau (gato), guau (perro)
  • noticing differences in punctuation between Spanish and English, such as inverted exclamation and question marks at the beginning of sentences
Notice and apply grammatical rules such as those relating to gender, simple verb forms and definite articles when describing people, places, things and relationships

[Key concepts: syntax, word order; Key processes: naming, noticing patterns] (ACLSPU121 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • learning the structure of simple affirmative/negative statements and questions based on models, for example, No tengo perro. Gloria come verduras. ¿María tiene cinco años?
  • recognising definite and indefinite articles with nouns, for example, la mesa, una mesa; el niño, un niño
  • noticing that adjectives usually follow nouns and are used to describe the colour, size, shape or characteristics of a person, place or object, for example, la casa grande, el balón gris, la silla amarilla, un auto azul, una mesa cuadrada, una niña alta
  • noticing and using singular masculine or feminine forms of nouns and adjectives, for example, el plátano delicioso, la canción chilena
  • understanding and responding to basic familiar instructions and imperatives, for example, siéntate, escucha, cierra la puerta, silencio
  • observing gender in patterns of naming, for example, Julio/Julia, Patricio/Patricia
  • using subject pronouns to identify people, objects or animals, for example, Yo, tú, él, ella
  • building vocabulary related to familiar environments (lápiz, casa, mamá, papá), and using cognates such as animal, color, triángulo, familia
  • learning simple verbs to express likes and dislikes, for example, comer, bailar, hablar, correr, jugar and caminar, and using them in modelled and formulaic expressions such as No me gusta correr/caminar; ¿Te gusta este juguete?
  • using singular possessive adjectives, for example, mi casa, mi hermano, tu amiga
Understand that language is organised as ‘text’ and recognise features of familiar texts such as charts, labels, rhymes and stories

[Key concepts: text, meaning, structure; Key processes: recognising, identifying] (ACLSPU122 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • understanding that texts can be spoken, written, visual or acted out and that they can be very short (¡alto!) or much longer, for example, a song or story
  • observing typical features of familiar types of texts such as stories, greeting cards and nursery rhymes, for example, the use of the story-starter Érase una vez…
  • understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, timetables indicate what happens when (guía de horarios), recounts describe past events (Había una vez) and greeting cards convey feelings (Te amo/Te quiero)
  • comparing familiar texts in Spanish and English, such as counting games or street signs, identifying elements in the Spanish texts that look or sound different

Language variation and change

Recognise that in Spanish different words and language forms are used to address and greet people according to relationship, context and time of day

[Key concepts: language as social practice, context; Key processes: noticing, comparing] (ACLSPU123 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • understanding that different forms of language are used with different people, for example, appropriate pronouns and forms of address such as tú, vos, doctor García, Doña Aura
  • understanding that language use varies according to context and situation, for example, language used when interacting with peers during playground games is different to that used with teachers in class (Hola, ¿qué tal?; Buenos días señora García, ¿cómo está?)
  • understanding that language exchanges in Spanish such as greetings vary according to the time of day or the occasion, for example, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches, Felicidades. Feliz Año Nuevo
  • identifying social relationships between people observed interacting in Spanish-language materials such as video clips or cartoons
Understand that the English and Spanish languages borrow words from each other

[Key concept: word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, listing] (ACLSPU124 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • recognising words in Spanish that are borrowed from English (email, chat, bacon) and words in English that are borrowed from Spanish (patio, siesta, taco, tango, burrito, mosquito)
  • comparing how Spanish words that are used in everyday life in Australia (poncho, chocolate, tapas, paella, chorizo) are pronounced by speakers of English and Spanish
Recognise that Spanish is one of many languages spoken around the world and in Australia

[Key concepts: multiculturalism, culture; Key processes: mapping, discussing] (ACLSPU125 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
  • understanding that the world contains many different languages spoken by many different communities of speakers and that most people in the world speak more than one language
  • recognising that Spanish is an important world language, spoken in different forms in many countries in the world, including Australia
  • understanding that many different languages are spoken in Australia, including Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

Role of language and culture

Notice some differences and similarities in cultural practices between Spanish speakers and Australian-English speakers

[Key concepts: behaviours, cultural similarities and differences; Key processes: noticing, asking questions, making connections] (ACLSPU126 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • exploring the meaning of culture: how it involves visible elements, such as ways of eating, or symbols such as flags, and invisible elements, such as how people live, what they value, and how they think about themselves and others
  • noticing similarities and differences between naming systems across languages and cultures represented in the classroom, for example, the use of diminutives, nicknames, surnames and ways of referring to family members (Juancito, Paquito; Nacho, Paco; Lola García Martínez; mi yayo/a, tato/a)
  • noticing expressions and terms in Australian English that reflect Australian lifestyles and cultures, such as terms associated with food, the land, sports and leisure activities, for example, ‘backyard’ or ‘footy’

Foundation to Year 2 Achievement Standards

By the end of Year 2, students interact with teachers and peers through action-related talk and play. They introduce themselves and exchange greetings such as Buenos días/tardes/noches, and farewells (for example, hasta pronto). They use simple repetitive language and respond to simple instructions when participating in classroom routines, games and shared activities, for example, Sal de aquí, Párate en la puerta. They use visual, non-verbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help make meaning, and reproduce distinctive sounds of the Spanish language, including the sounds for the letters ll, ñ, rr/r g/j, c and y. Students identify specific words and expressions in simple texts, such as names of people, places or objects. They convey factual information about self, family, friends and favourite things at word and simple sentence level, for example, Mi casa es grande, Nuestro ordenador es pequeño, Tu celular es nuevo. They respond to and create simple spoken and written texts using modelled examples and formulaic language. Students use gender (for example, el pastel/la torta), simple verb forms (for example, estudiar, comer, dormir), definite articles and vocabulary related to familiar environments to describe people, places and things. Students translate frequently used words and simple phrases, using visual cues and word lists (for example, clase, zapatos, camisa, teléfono/celular) and create simple print and digital texts in both Spanish and English. They identify similarities and differences between English and Spanish language and culture in songs, stories, rhymes and pictures.

Students know that Spanish uses the same alphabet as English when written, except for ñ as in mañana and España. They identify features of familiar texts and give examples of how different titles are used to address people in different situations (for example, Doña Josefa, Don José, Tía). They identify Spanish as one of many languages spoken in Australia and give examples of words that English and Spanish have borrowed from each other such as chat, ‘tortilla’, ‘fiesta’. Students identify differences and similarities between their own and others’ languages and cultures.


Foundation to Year 2 Work Sample Portfolios