World Language

In order to enhance and reinforce students' knowledge of events and opportunities related to the Spanish language and the culture of the Spanish-speaking world within our daily lives, we have incorporated the OLE component into our grading process. Projects that don't meet the given criteria will not be awarded credit, and only quality work will be awarded the maximum credit. Please see the rubric for more grading details.

Students in levels I–IV are required to complete one OLE per semester. Middle School Spanish I will complete one OLE per year. The online links contain ideas for projects — notice Spanish and culture around you! If you are studying a Hispanic theme in another class, consider how it might be used as an OLE. Students may also develop their own ideas to submit for teacher approval. ¡Ojo! OLEs may be completed ahead of time, but please be sure to meet with your teacher to ensure that your experience meets department guidelines. ¡Buena suerte!

Guidelines for OLEs

1. It is anticipated that these projects will be carried out individually. Students may watch the same movie or dine together, but each student must fill out their own reflection form separately with individual (not copied) answers. If a project depends on being done with others, prior approval is required; otherwise, no credit will be given.
2. Each project requires completion of a student reflection form. These are available online and should be printed prior to starting the project to ensure all criteria are met.
3. Students may not repeat the same activity at any time during their Spanish career. Keep track of completed projects by saving rubrics in the Conocimiento Cultural section of your portfolio.
4. Projects must be completed on time to receive credit. All must have pre-approval by the assigned dates. All OLE approvals are subject to teacher discretion.
5. OLEs must be submitted on the specified due date. No credit is given for late work. If absent, students must turn in their project immediately upon returning.
6. The Spanish used should be representative of your own work. You may not use a translator.
7. Brazil is not a Spanish-speaking country.
8. After the pre-approval date, students may not change their selected OLE without special permission. Unapproved changes result in a minimum 20% deduction from the final grade.
9. Spanish IV students must complete their OLE worksheets in Spanish.

Please remember that the focus here is on the culture, not necessarily the language. Take this into consideration when choosing your cultural experience.

Exploratory Spanish is designed to give students a positive Spanish language experience. This class focuses on culture and beginning-level Spanish expressions, as well as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Concepts such as the alphabet, calendar, cognates, classroom objects and school subjects, commands, numbers, colors, greetings, and a basic understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures will be introduced. This course provides an excellent foundation for students planning to take high school credit Spanish as an elective in either eighth grade or high school.

Prerequisite

N/A

Proficiency Learning Targets for World Languages

Communication

Students can communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes.

• I can recite the Spanish alphabet.
• I can count from 0 to 100 in Spanish.
• I can perform basic mathematical functions in Spanish.
• I can have a basic conversation in Spanish.
• I can introduce myself to someone in Spanish.
• I can ask someone their name in Spanish.
• I can tell someone what languages I speak in Spanish.
• I can ask someone what languages they speak in Spanish.
• I can express simple courtesies in Spanish.
• I can identify classroom objects.
• I can follow classroom commands.
• I can direct others by using classroom commands.
• I can identify basic food items in Spanish.
• I can state my opinion about a meal in Spanish.
• I can order a meal in Spanish.

Culture

Students can interact with cultural competence and understanding.

• I can explain the significance of culture.
• I can explain how learning a second language can benefit me.
• I know why Spanish is a beneficial language to learn.
• I can locate Spanish-speaking countries on a map.
• I can understand the culture of various Spanish-speaking countries.
• I can describe similarities and differences between schools in the United States and schools in Spanish-speaking countries.

• Tom Alsop Exploratory Spanish for Middle School by Teacher’s Discovery
• Supplementary handouts and links provided on Google Classroom