Students 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...
Students 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.
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 is used 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.
By the end of Level 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...
By the end of Level 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.
