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    Spanish - General Course Information
     
    In Spanish classes this year, we will use conversations, interviews, stories, songs, videos, and other sources of language to learn Spanish.  During class, we will work toward listening, reading, writing, and speaking entirely in Spanish for at least 90% of the time. 
     
    During your study of Spanish, you should develop competence in several areas of language skills:
    • interpersonal (working out meaning through active interaction)
    • interpretive (understanding and interpreting messages) 
    • presentational (creating messages)
    • cultural (knowing more about native speakers)
    • interactional (using the language in real ways)
     
    Below, you will see a statements of what learners at different levels can do in these areas drawn from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languges (ACTFL) Proficiency Benchmarks. This should give you an idea of the kinds of things you should be able to do by the end of Spanish 1 or Spanish 2.  
     
    Spanish 1:  Novice Range Language Learners
     
    Interpersonal Skills
    • I can communicate in spontaneous spoken or written conversations on both very familiar and everyday topics, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions.

    Interpretive Skills 

    • I can identify the general topic and some basic information in both very familiar and everyday contexts by recognizing practiced or memorized words, phrases, and simple sentences in texts that are spoken, or written.

    Presentational Skills 

    • I can present information on both very familiar and everyday topics using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, and simple sentences through spoken, or written language.

    Cultural Skills 

    • I can identify products and practices to help me understand perspectives in both my own and other cultures.

    Interactional Skills 

    • I can interact at a survival level in some familiar everyday contexts.  

     

    Spanish 2:  Intermediate Range Language Learners
     
    Interpersonal Skills
    • I can participate in spontaneous spoken or written conversations on familiar topics, creating sentences and series of sentences to ask and answer a variety of questions.

    Interpretive Skills 

    • I can understand the main idea and some pieces of information on familiar topics from sentences and series of connected sentences within texts that are spoken or written.

    Presentational Skills 

    • I can communicate information, make presentations, and express my thoughts about familiar topics, using sentences and series of connected sentences through spoken or written language.

    Cultural Skills 

    • I can make comparisons between products and practices in my own and other cultures to help me understand perspectives. 

    Interactional Skills 

    • I can interact at a functional level in some familiar contexts.