This course is the second year of our introductory Spanish courses. It provides a fun, interactive experience for a student’s continued exposure to the Spanish language. The content for each unit is based on an authentic story, myth or legend from Spanish-speaking culture. The course uses each authentic story as a way to help students acquire vocabulary and other key concepts. The course focuses principally on vocabulary acquisition, basic grammar principles, pronunciation, and culture, all of which are grasped through the story, games, activities, songs, and assessments. In addition, students learn to perform simple tasks in connection with each unit’s theme. Students engage in language learning in a rewarding, low-stress environment; get comfortable with the sounds and rhythms of Spanish; learn simple Spanish phrases and sentences related to each theme; continue to read, write, speak and listen for meaning in Spanish; and recognize distinctive practices and products of Spanish-speaking culture.

Unit 1: Greetings and Introductions

• Can do Statements: 1. I can introduce myself to someone I don’t know. 2. I can start and end a conversation appropriately. 3. I can write a response to an email from a pen pal. 4. I can distinguish between formal and informal greetings.
• Authentic Story: The Vain Little Mouse

Unit 2: Family and Friends

• Can do Statements: 1. I can tell someone about my family. 2. I can tell where my family members live. 3. I can describe my neighborhood and community. 4. I can compare my community to a Latin-American community.
• Authentic Story: The Flea

Unit 3: Hobbies and Interests

• Can do Statements: 1. I can tell what I like and don’t like 2. I can tell what I like and don’t like to do. 3. I can write about my free time. 4. I can compare games played in the U.S. to popular Latin-American games.
• Authentic Story: The Fish Woman

Unit 4: School

• Can do Statements: 1. I can tell what is in my backpack. 2. I can talk about school. 3. I can write my basic class schedule. 4. I can compare my school to a school in a Spanish-speaking country.
• Authentic Story: The Day it Snowed Tortillas

Unit 5: Descriptions

• Can do Statements: 1. I can describe myself physically. 2. I can tell how I feel. 3. I can write about my family members. 4. I can use common Hispanic gestures to express myself.
• Authentic Story: The Girl with the Three Husbands

Unit 6: Home

• Can do Statements: 1. I can describe my house. 2. I can identify the chores I do and don’t do. 3. I can tell what furniture I have in my bedroom. 4. I can compare U.S. homes to Latin American homes.
• Authentic Story: Uncle Tiger and Uncle Rabbit

Unit 7: Health and Body

• Can do Statements: 1. I can identify the parts of the body. 2. I can tell what part of my body hurts. 3. I can tell how someone is and how they feel. 4. I can explain the importance of yerba mate.
• Authentic Story: The Legend of Yerba Mate

Unit 8: Calendar and Traditions

• Can do Statements: 1. I can say the months of the year. 2. I can say when my birthday is. 3. I can write about my birthday traditions. 4. I can compare birthday celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries to my own culture.
• Authentic Story: Perez the Mouse

Review

Unit 9: Numbers

• Can do Statements: 1. I can count from 1-20. 2. I can tell how old I am. 3. I can tell my phone number. 4. I can distinguish between different forms of currency.
• Authentic Story: The Legend of the Quetzal

Unit 10: Telling Time

• Can do Statements: 1. I can say what day it is. 2. I can tell what time it is now. 3. I can tell what time I do certain activities. 4. I can write my schedule.
• Authentic Story: The Prisoner of the Pot

Unit 11: Clothing

• Can do Statements: 1. I can describe my clothing. 2. I can describe what others wear. 3. I can tell how much an item of clothing costs. 4. I can compare my clothing to clothing in Spanish-speaking countries.
• Authentic Story: The Real Family

Unit 12: Food

• Can do Statements: 1. I can tell what I want to eat at each meal. 2. I can tell what I like and don’t like to eat. 3. I can write a grocery list. I can compare Hispanic eating customs to customs in the U.S.
• Authentic Story: The Legend of Chocolate

Unit 13: Animals

• Can do Statements: 1. I can name and describe my favorite animal. 2. I can tell what animals I like and don’t like. 3. I can compare two things to each other. 4. I can tell about some exotic animals in Latin America.
• Authentic Story: The Complex Tortoise

Unit 14: Weather

• Can do Statements: 1. I can describe the weather. 2. I can describe the seasons. 3. I can identify what clothing I wear in certain climates. 4. I can tell what I do in different seasons.
• Authentic Story: The Cricket’s Song

Unit 15: Transportation and Travel

• Can do Statements: 1. I can describe my family vehicle. 2. I can tell someone how to get from one place to another. 3. I can talk about transportation where I live. 4. I can compare forms of transportation in Spanish-speaking countries to transportation in the U.S.
• Authentic Story: Country Mouse City Mouse

Unit 16: Places

• Can do Statements: 1. I can tell where I want to go. 2. I can describe places in my community. 3. I can tell about a place I am going to visit soon. 4. I can compare festivals in Spanish-speaking countries to festivals in the U.S.
• Authentic Story: The Poor Shoemaker