Meridian School District Curriculum

Teaching Foreign Languages

Spanish Curriculum

Middle School

Standard: Communication (939.01.a-d. 939.02.a,c)

I. Enduring Understanding: Foreign languages are used in ordinary daily

conversational situations in a variety of cultures.

II. Enduring Understanding: Information, concepts and ideas require verbal

and non-verbal communication in different world cultures.

III. Enduring Understanding: Purpose drives topics, structures and delivery

in written and oral communication among diverse cultures.

Exploratory Skills

Listening
 Discriminate between phonetic sounds of the alphabet.
 Demonstrate comprehension of single words and common phrases.

Speaking
 Use basic words in the oral context which relate to familiar material and
vocabulary.
o Numbers
o Colors
o Days of the week
o Months of the year
o Weather conditions
o Food and clothing

Writing
 Write basic single words which relate to familiar topics and vocabulary:
o Numbers
o Colors
o Days of the week
o Months of the year
o Weather conditions
o Food and clothing

Reading
 Read single words and word groupings on familiar material and assigned
 topics.
Meridian School District Curriculum

Teaching Foreign Languages

Spanish Curriculum

Middle School

Standard: Culture (937.01.a, 937.03.a-b)

I. Enduring Understanding: Different cultures have different social etiquettes and dining
customs.

II. Enduring Understanding: Geography directly influences the culture and history of a
people.

III. Enduring Understanding: Culture influences the music and art of a society.

IV. Enduring Understanding: Language and culture are interdependent.

Exploratory Skills

Listening
 Demonstrate comprehension of basic form of address and of Spanish-speaking
countries of the world.

Speaking
 Compare social etiquettes and dining customs of Americans to Hispanics.
 Describe specialty foods of Mexico and Spain.
 Ask and answer questions on familiar cultural topics.

Writing
 Answer written questions about:
o Common greetings
o Expressions of courtesy
o Location of Spanish-speaking countries of the world
o Specialty foods
o Social etiquettes and customs

Reading
 Read cultural topics about food, art, music and geography.
 Meridian School District Curriculum

Teaching Foreign Languages

Spanish Curriculum

Middle School

Standard: Connections (935.01.a, 935.02.b, 935.03.a-d,

937.01.b-c, 937.02.b, 939.02.a-b)

I. Enduring Understanding: The study of foreign languages reinforces and integrates

information from other disciplines.

II. Enduring Understanding: Countries with common language share cultural and
geographical connections.

III. Enduring Understanding: Foreign language skills enhance and contribute to future job
opportunities.

Exploratory Skills

Listening
 Demonstrate comprehension of knowing that a foreign language can increase
future job opportunities.

Speaking
 Questions
 Responses to visual and oral cues
 Future job opportunities
 Reinforce other disciplines through foreign languages

Writing
 Utilize the Internet to research careers which require foreign language
proficiency.
 Create travel brochures about a Spanish-speaking country.

Reading
 Research about future job opportunities which require knowing a foreign
language.
 Collect and read current newspaper articles about Spanish-speaking countries.
 Meridian School District Curriculum

Teaching Foreign Languages

Spanish Curriculum

Middle School

Standard: Comparisons (935.01.b, 935.02.a,c, 939.01.d)

I. Enduring Understanding: Basic communication involves fundamental vocabulary and

structure.

II. Enduring Understanding: There are similarities and differences in vocabulary among
languages.

III. Enduring Understanding: The study of culture promotes an awareness of cultural

similarities and differences.

Exploratory Skills

Listening
 Demonstrate comprehension of cognates between English and Spanish.
 Comprehend basic vocabulary words and phrases.
 Demonstrate comprehension of cultural similarities and differences.

Speaking
 Utilize, in the oral context, basic vocabulary words and structure on familiar
topics, cognates, etc.
 Discuss cultural similarities and differences.

Writing
 Write comparisons about cultural topics (customs, holidays, etc.)
 Write familiar vocabulary words, paragraphs, essays on assigned topics.

Reading
 Read articles about cultural similarities and differences.
 Meridian School District Curriculum

Teaching Foreign Languages

Spanish Curriculum

Middle School

Standard: Communities (935.01.a, 935.02.d, 939.02.b)

I. Enduring Understanding: Foreign languages extend beyond the classroom in real-life

situations.

II. Enduring Understanding: People who learn foreign languages can increase their
opportunities for work, travel, personal enjoyment and
enrichment.

Exploratory Skills

Listening
 Demonstrate comprehension of common words and basic phrases in the
community.

Speaking
 Utilize familiar material, vocabulary and common phrases in real-life
situations.

Writing
 Write about a personal encounter with the Hispanic culture.

Reading
 Read basic realia, such as magazines, menus, etc.