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Ministry of Education

Learning Media
Wellington
2

Published for the Ministry of Education by

Learning Media Limited, Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand.

© Crown copyright 1995

All rights reserved. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

Dewey number 461.071

ISBN 0 478 02899 7
Item number 02899
 Contents
4 Foreword
5 Introduction
5 Why Learn Spanish?
6 Some Issues for Learning and Teaching Spanish
8 The Essential Skills
8 Attitudes and Values
9 Learning-how-to-learn Partnership
10 The Communicative Approach
10 The Roles of Teachers and Students
11 The Process of Teaching and Learning
11 Language Structures
11 Responding to Error
12 The Learning Framework
14 Aims
14 Levels
14 The Language Development Descriptors
15 The Achievement Objectives
15 The Strands 3
16 Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects
16 Suggested Structures and Vocabulary
16 Suggested Learning Activities
16 Suggested Assessment Activities
18 Programme Planning
20 The National Qualifications Framework and Unit Standards
21 Levels 1 and 2: Emergent Communication
22 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 1
28 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 2
33 Levels 3 and 4: Survival Skills
34 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 3
40 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 4
45 Levels 5 and 6: Social Competence
46 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 5
52 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 6
57 Levels 7 and 8: Personal Independence
58 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 7
64 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum: Level 8
70 Appendix
 Foreword

This document is the first curriculum statement for Spanish language for New
Zealand schools. It builds on research and experience in foreign language
learning, and provides the basis for Spanish language programmes in schools
with forms 1 and 2 and secondary classes, and in interested primary schools.

In 1992, the Minister of Education requested the development of the Spanish

curriculum, as part of a broad initiative aimed at extending the learning of
foreign languages in schools. The development process involved a small project
team, an advisory group, and consultation with teachers and other language
educators. A draft statement was prepared and circulated to schools and
interested groups for comment and discussion. The views of all those who
responded have been taken into account in preparing the final curriculum
statement.

This curriculum statement gives special emphasis to continuity and progression

in Spanish programmes by specifying clear learning goals expressed as
achievement objectives at eight levels. It includes a range of learning and
teaching examples and assessment procedures to enhance the learning of all
students.

I am grateful for all who have contributed to the development of this curriculum
4
statement, especially Ministry staff, the writers, and the members of the review
committee, all of whom gave freely of their time, expertise, and experience.

Lyall Perris
Acting Secretary for Education
Introduction
Spanish is included in Language and Languages, which is one of the essential
learning areas of The New Zealand Curriculum Framework.
All students benefit from learning another language from the earliest
practicable age. Such learning broadens students’ general language abilities
and brings their own language into sharper focus. It enriches them
intellectually, socially, and culturally, offers an understanding of the ways in
which other people think and behave, and furthers international relations and
trade. Students will be able to choose from a range of Pacific, Asian, and
European languages, all of which are important to New Zealand’s regional
and international interests.
The New Zealand Curriculum Framework, page 10
The purpose of Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum is to provide teachers with
a basis from which to plan programmes for learning and teaching the Spanish
language in New Zealand schools. In keeping with the principles of The New
Zealand Curriculum Framework, primary schools, or schools with forms 1 and 2
and secondary classes, may wish to use this statement to guide the development
of Spanish language programmes. The curriculum statement is not a classroom
programme in itself, nor does it provide the specific detail which would be
included in a teachers’ programme planning guide. It is designed to provide
continuity and a clear progression of achievement. It sets out specific goals,
which will help students to become aware of what they have already achieved
and what they can aim to achieve in the future. 5
The statement includes achievement objectives at eight levels, which are
organised in terms of communication functions (refer to page 15) and divided
into the strands of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These strands
indicate the language necessary for students to perform the various
communication functions as they progress in learning the Spanish language.
The statement supports the integration of the language strands in teaching
practice, affirms the importance of using language for communicative purposes,
and encourages learning and teaching which is responsive to individual needs.
The statement includes ideas for learning, teaching, and assessment and also
for possible cultural experiences, as well as suggested structures and vocabulary.
These are not exhaustive lists of ideas — they are intended only as examples, to
suggest possible directions for teachers in their planning.

Why Learn Spanish?

If New Zealand is to participate successfully in trade, technology, tourism,
education, diplomacy, environmental issues, cultural exchanges, and
humanitarian roles and responsibilities, we will need people who are fluent in
certain languages. In the past, very few languages have been offered in most
New Zealand schools. Our education system needs to provide our young people
with opportunities for learning more foreign languages.
Spanish is a particularly significant language for New Zealand because of
the important economic and cultural ties this country is developing with Spain,
Latin America, and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. The large and
rapidly growing Spanish-speaking Pacific Rim populations, in particular, offer
 New Zealand considerable potential for tourism and trade. There are over 350
million native speakers of Spanish in twenty-two countries; this makes Spanish
one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
A lively and expressive language, Spanish is one of the easiest languages for
New Zealand students to learn. English speakers and students of the Romance
languages find that many Spanish words are similar to words they already know.
Speakers of Maori and Pacific Islands languages often find it easy to reproduce
Spanish orally, because the vowel system is similar to their own. In addition, the
varied cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples provide the basis for a wide range of
challenging and entertaining learning activities for students.
By learning Spanish, young New Zealanders can:
• become confident in communicating with native Spanish speakers about trade,
travel, or tourism, or in other professional, educational, or social contexts;
• broaden their employment options, both in New Zealand and internationally;
• come to understand, as they grow in understanding and acceptance of
Spanish language and culture, how Spanish people act and think;
• broaden their knowledge beyond cultural stereotypes and national
boundaries, and promote tolerance and positive attitudes between people of
different linguistic, cultural, and national backgrounds;
• communicate more effectively with New Zealand settlers from Spanish-
speaking backgrounds, and develop and maintain relationships with them;
• develop the skills, understandings, and attitudes which facilitate the learning
of other languages;
• develop an awareness of the interdependence of all people.
This curriculum statement for Spanish is intended to make the language more
6
accessible to a larger number of learners and to raise awareness of the importance
of the language. This should encourage more teachers to train in the language
and stimulate the development of teaching resources. In addition, the
publication of this statement signals to Spanish-speaking people that New
Zealand is seriously interested in strengthening its social, economic, and political
ties with Spanish-speaking countries.

Some Issues for Learning and Teaching Spanish

Teachers should be aware of certain important issues relating to the learning and
teaching of Spanish.
The Need for a Flexible Curriculum
There are growing demands on language learning programmes in schools.
Teachers need a curriculum statement which is flexible and adaptable, to allow
them to cater for all kinds of students and for their school’s particular local needs
and conditions. This statement can be used for emergent language programmes
in primary schools, as well as for more concentrated programmes starting at
various year levels in secondary schools.
In addition, the learning framework included in this statement allows a
range of entry points to cater for various language backgrounds among students
in New Zealand schools. For example, the framework can accommodate students
who are already fluent speakers of Spanish, or have some familiarity with the
spoken language, but who lack comparable skills in written Spanish.
The Communicative Approach
Students reach higher levels of competence in a foreign language when they use
it to talk, read, and write about their own needs, experiences, opinions, and
interests. Such activities are part of the communicative approach to language
learning which is fundamental to the design of this curriculum statement (refer to
page 10).
Using the Curriculum for Programme Planning
The learning framework provided here outlines a consistent progression of
learning steps. However, it is not a teaching programme. Teachers should
interpret the framework to take account of local needs, preferences, and
priorities. They should then use it as the basis on which to build a programme
which takes advantage of the resources available, and is appropriate to the ages,
interests, and prior language experiences of their students.
Independence in Learning
The statement is designed to foster learning-how-to-learn skills, so that students will
be able to take increasing responsibility for their own Spanish language learning.
The Relationship of Language and Culture
Culture embodies the everyday experiences and lifestyles of native speakers as
well as the historical background of a language. Because language and culture
are so closely related, cultural aspects in this statement are fully integrated with
the teaching of the language rather than isolated and treated separately. There
are many opportunities for learners to compare aspects of Spanish culture with
aspects of their own. 7
Which Form of Spanish?
As Spanish is an official language in twenty-two different countries, many
linguistic and cultural variations have naturally developed within the language.
All forms of modern spoken Spanish, including Peninsular and Latin American,
are interrelated and can be understood by all Spanish speakers. The variations
are manifestations of the richness and uniqueness of the Spanish language as
reflected in its geographical and historical development. This statement is based
on modern standard Spanish and avoids using examples that are regionally
specific, as far as possible. However, Spanish teachers can explore the rich
variations of Spanish with their students and explain to them that all forms of the
language are valued worldwide.
Using Technology in Learning Spanish
This curriculum statement anticipates an increasing use of technology for
language learning. New technologies mean that a wider range of learning
opportunities will be available to all students, including students who do not
have ready access to school-based learning programmes. Technology increases
the mix of approaches teachers can use, and lends itself well to small-group work
and peer assessment. With the increasing range of computer software and
applications available for language learning, teachers and students can do word
processing in Spanish, use interactive language-building programmes, and access
information about the Hispanic world through international connections such as
the Internet. Useful exchanges with other language learners can be established
through computer links, both within New Zealand and with native speakers in
other countries.
 The Essential Skills
Language study contributes significantly to the development of the Essential
Skills outlined in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. Communication Skills
are fundamental in the language classroom, and are reflected specifically in the
communication functions (refer to page 15) and in the strands of listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. Both verbal and non-verbal communications, in
a range of different cultural, social, and linguistic contexts, are recognised as
appropriate forms of the language.
Information Skills will be developed as students organise and analyse
information, interpret different points of view, and distinguish fact from opinion.
Students will have opportunities to enhance their Problem-solving Skills as they
exercise their imagination, initiative, and flexibility through language, making
connections and establishing relationships both with their first language and
within the new language. Learning a new language provides many opportunities
for critical, creative, and logical thinking.
Social and Co-operative Skills for language development are recognised
through the inclusion of peer and group activities in the learning process.
Group work and pair work feature in the language classroom as useful ways to
encourage students to participate and to develop consideration and respect for
others.
Self-management Skills and Work and Study Skills are developed through
language learning because of the consistent and progressive nature of language
acquisition, and the need for students to practise and revise their prior learning
8 frequently. Furthermore, the suggested learning activities include tasks which
will encourage students to be responsible for their own learning. The suggested
assessment activities provide opportunities for students to monitor their own
progress.
Numeracy Skills are enhanced as students learn to manipulate Spanish in
mathematical contexts — telling time, referring to dates, and using
measurements. Physical Skills could also be included in the language
programme as students participate in cultural activities, including sports, games,
and dance.

Attitudes and Values

The attitudes and values of The New Zealand Curriculum Framework will be
reflected in the Spanish language classroom. As part of the school curriculum,
the Spanish curriculum will help students to develop and clarify their own values
and beliefs, and to respect and be sensitive to the rights of people who hold
values and attitudes which differ from their own. As they compare their own
values and attitudes with those of the Spanish-speaking people they are learning
about, students will be able to examine the context and implications of their own
values, and the values that support our current social structures. Personal as well
as collective attitudes will be explored, which will help individual students to
develop positive attitudes towards learning as a life-long process.
Learning-how-to-learn Partnership
Language competence increases as responsibility for learning is transferred
progressively from teacher to learner. To facilitate the development of language
learning skills, teachers need to:
• consistently build the self-confidence of students in language learning by
focusing on the successful production of language, not on failure;
• understand how second languages are learned;
• set clear, achievable goals with their students for learning the language;
• create an effective learning environment in the classroom;
• use Spanish for classroom management whenever possible;
• encourage interaction and communication between students, as well as
between students and teachers;
• learn more about the students’ perspectives, preferences, and needs through
continuous monitoring of their progress;
• encourage students to make conscious decisions about their learning;
• consistently challenge students to improve the quality of their performance,
and provide them with helpful feedback;
• recognise that language acquisition is a continuous but uneven process,
involving the interaction of all four strands (listening, speaking, reading,
writing), and that students progress at different rates;
• progressively nurture independent, self-motivated language learning.

As learners of a second language, students need to:

• become aware of, and progressively build on, the language learning skills they 9
have already;
• understand what they are trying to achieve in language learning;
• discover and develop language learning skills which are useful beyond the
classroom;
• learn to use appropriate reference materials, such as glossaries, bilingual and
monolingual dictionaries, and atlases;
• be committed to cumulative and consistent language learning;
• be positive, active, and willing learners of the language and culture;
• develop “guessing” skills to help them negotiate meaning;
• develop the habit of searching for meaning and asking for clarification;
• feel that they can experiment and take risks with the language as part of their
language development;
• be able to learn from mistakes, understanding that this is a natural part of the
language learning process;
• monitor their own progress towards their language learning goals.
 The Communicative Approach
The communicative approach is activity based, interactive, and learner centred.
It encourages learners of a language to use that language as much as possible, for
real, purposeful communication, in real life or in other relevant situations, such
as role-playing. Learners are expected to become competent communicators in
the language, able to convey meaning to others.
The goals of the communicative approach are to enable learners to:
• use language appropriately in a range of social and cultural contexts;
• understand and convey meaning through interaction with other speakers of
the language.

A foreign language programme with communication as its main goal contains

certain features. These features must be carefully planned for, implemented,
integrated, and maintained. In a successful Spanish language programme using
the communicative approach:
• the dominant language in the classroom is Spanish;
• communication involves using appropriate language for real purposes;
• students’ conversation in Spanish is a very important part of the programme;
• communication will often have some personal importance or meaning for
students;
• communication will often be unrehearsed and may be unpredictable,
especially in conversation;
• developing listening skills is recognised as an essential part of language
10 learning;
• students learn appropriate grammar when they need it to comprehend or
convey messages in Spanish;
• classroom organisation encourages interaction, allowing pairing and grouping
of students;
• when assessing, teachers and students place emphasis on communicative
abilities.

Teachers should work within the principles of the communicative approach

while taking into consideration the needs, interests, and learning styles of their
students. Inside these limits, teachers are free to choose from a range of
techniques and strategies which are consistent with research into how students
best learn or acquire a language.

The Roles of Teachers and Students

One of the main aims of learning Spanish is to build students’ confidence in
using that language to communicate. Teachers provide models of good
communication skills. They also facilitate learning by setting up a range of
interactive situations in which Spanish can be spoken and by using Spanish when
managing classroom activities. They initiate, and sometimes participate in,
conversational exchanges between students. Both teachers and students are
communicators, actively engaged in the process of communication.
The Process of Teaching and Learning
Learning activities should focus on communication. Students choose what to say
or write, and practise the language acquired as they learn. They experiment with
new language and receive feedback on the effectiveness of their communication.
Frequently, students work in small groups, using authentic Spanish materials
whenever possible. Consistently, the focus is on purposeful communication in
Spanish, with English playing only a minimal role.
There are several techniques which support students in learning Spanish,
particularly in the early stages. Teachers may use visual cues or prompts, key
words, gestures, mime, repetition, rephrasing, or examples, or they may provide
models for learners. Initially, students may need guidance on how to approach
particular tasks. Tailoring tasks and activities to the needs of the students, so that
they are motivated to learn Spanish and maintain their interest in it, is a
challenge for all teachers.

Language Structures
Language structures are learned best when they are used to fulfil communication
functions. The simple structures are generally learned first, for each function.
However, more complex structures may be introduced early if they occur
frequently or are of high interest value. Teachers encourage students to explore
the range of the language and its possibilities, and they model structural patterns
in communicative contexts. As students internalise language patterns, they
acquire the ability and confidence to use more complex structures and become
independent communicators. 11
From the beginning, students are exposed to all forms of discourse —
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Each form will reinforce the others,
and the reinforcement of structural patterns in meaningful contexts is an essential
part of the language programme. Practice is a very important part of language
learning.

Responding to Error
Teachers need to find a productive balance between encouraging spontaneous
communication and correcting errors. Errors are natural in the learning process.
Even with incomplete structural knowledge of a language, students can still be
effective communicators. During spontaneous conversation, teachers may choose
to let the communication flow and allow some linguistic mistakes to go
unnoticed for the time being, so that students in the early stages of learning can
grow in confidence and willingness to use the language. As students progress
through the levels, they will learn to communicate more accurately, just as small
children do when learning their first language. Increasingly, they will become
aware that accuracy is needed for really effective communication.
 The Learning Framework
The learning framework is based on eight progressive levels, defined by a series
of achievement objectives. Choosing how to develop and deliver programmes to
realise these objectives is the responsibility of schools and of teachers.
The framework includes aims, language development descriptors,
achievement objectives (which include communication functions and language
level indicators), suggested socio-cultural aspects, suggested structures and
vocabulary, suggested learning activities, and suggested assessment activities.
These are intended to guide teachers in planning programmes.
Themes and topics are not specified in the framework. In planning
programmes, teachers are encouraged to build on learners’ prior knowledge,
needs, and interests, and on the material and people resources available. Possible
areas of experience and related topics are indicated in the suggested socio-
cultural aspects which are provided at each level. The Appendix (on pages 70-72)
provides further examples for teachers to consider.

12
 The aims of the learning framework cover all eight levels.

Aims
for language learning
which include general aims
and achievement aims

At each level, the framework consists of the following parts.

Language development descriptors

which are general statements about
language development

Achievement objectives
include communication functions, which reflect
communicative uses of Spanish in everyday situations,
and language level indicators, which describe
the language students will use to perform these functions
at each level for each of the four strands,
listening, speaking, reading, and writing

13

Suggested socio-cultural aspects

which identify historical and social content
specific to the language

Suggested structures and vocabulary

which indicate the linguistic content expected and, when used in
conjunction with the communication functions and the language level
indicators, suggest the level of difficulty expected for each level

Suggested learning activities

which are ways of using and reinforcing Spanish in realistic,
communicative, language learning contexts

Suggested assessment activities

which measure progress in realistic communicative situations
through self assessment, peer assessment,
and teacher assessment
 Aims
General Aims
The general aims for learning a new language are consistent with the principles
for Language and Language stated in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework (on
page 10). The aims are:
• to encourage the learning of another language from the earliest practicable age;
• to broaden students’ general language abilities and bring their own language
into sharper focus;
• to enrich students intellectually, socially, and culturally;
• to develop in students an understanding of the ways in which other people
think and behave;
• to further international relations and trade.
Achievement Aims
The aims for learning Spanish are simple and practical, and provide a sense of
purpose for the learning framework. Students should be:

• listening for understanding, interest, and enjoyment;

• speaking to be understood by native speakers of the language;
• reading for meaning and for appreciation of the language and culture;
• writing for a purpose and to be understood.

Levels
The eight levels define a natural progression of difficulty. It is assumed that
14 students will become increasingly familiar with the language contexts, the
vocabulary, and the structures as they progress through the levels.
Differentiation between levels is built in through:
• the increasing complexity of the learning activities;
• the increasing range and variety of the language used;
• the expectation of increasing learner independence.
The levels defined by the framework do not necessarily coincide with traditional
form levels or students’ years of schooling. The age at which students begin
learning a language will be one factor in determining how many levels a class
might cover in any one year. For instance, a form 1 class might cover levels 1
and 2. If learning Spanish is to begin at the third form, then levels 1 to 3 might
be covered in one year.
Note that, for the purposes of national awards, levels 5, 6, and 7 of this
curriculum statement equate with levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Qualifications
Framework.

The Language Development Descriptors

These describe, in practical terms, the kind of language students should be able to
understand and produce at each level. There are four developmental descriptors,
each of which spans two achievement levels. They have been placed
immediately before the relevant levels:

• Emergent Communication for levels 1 and 2, on page 21;

• Survival Skills for levels 3 and 4, on page 33;
• Social Competence for levels 5 and 6, on page 45;
• Personal Independence for levels 7 and 8, on page 57.
The Achievement Objectives
The achievement objectives consist of two interrelated parts: communication
functions, and language level indicators.
Communication Functions
These reflect the communicative competence students are expected to achieve at
each level. They indicate how the language is to be used in authentic
communication at each level. Although different functions are described for each
level, teachers can return to functions at any level, increasing the complexity of
the structures and vocabulary for more advanced students.
Language Level Indicators
These indicate the degree of linguistic competence which students are expected to
achieve at each level. They describe the language students will use to perform
the communication functions through the strands of listening, speaking, reading,
and writing. As they progress, students can be expected to show an increasing
sophistication in their Spanish language skills, and to use Spanish more and more
accurately in a wider range of contexts.

The Strands
In the learning framework, the strands at each level consist of oral language
(listening and speaking) and written language (reading and writing). However,
useful and logical connections can also be made when the achievement objectives
are grouped as receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and
15
writing).
Receptive Language
Receptive language objectives include understanding the global meanings of
spoken or written language (“getting the gist of it” without necessarily
recognising individual words), and recognising detail in spoken or written
passages (drawing specific and appropriate meaning from the passages).
Receptive language arises from listening and reading.
Listening
Listening objectives include:
• understanding and responding appropriately in a conversational context;
• getting the gist of spoken language;
• recognising detail and drawing specific meaning from information in spoken
language.
Reading
Reading objectives include:
• getting the gist of written language;
• recognising detail and drawing specific meaning from information in written
language.
Productive Language
Achievement objectives for productive language describe progressive levels of
fluency and accuracy in oral and written language, and greater competence in
making oral and written presentations. Productive language arises from
speaking and writing.
 Speaking
Speaking objectives include:
• speaking fluently and with increasing accuracy and complexity;
• conversing in social exchanges with increasing competence;
• speaking to an audience with increasing competence.
Writing
Writing objectives include:
• writing with increasing fluency and accuracy;
• adapting text, writing pieces based on models, and using different genres.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

The historical and social aspects suggested in this curriculum statement define a
minimal cultural content. Although cultural aspects are described at each level,
the ideas presented are neither exhaustive nor exclusive — they can apply at any
level. Depending on students’ interests and the resources available, teachers
should try to broaden and vary the cultural content of their teaching. They
should also keep their cultural knowledge up to date. It is important to compare
the New Zealand experience with that of other cultures. It is also desirable to
link the socio-cultural aspects to the communication functions.

Suggested Structures and Vocabulary

Structures and vocabulary are suggested to indicate the linguistic content
16 expected at each level. These lists should be read in conjunction with the
achievement objectives and the suggested socio-cultural aspects. Teachers are
not required to keep strictly to the content of the consecutive levels as it is
presented in this curriculum statement. The structures and vocabulary are only
suggested, not prescribed, and teachers should feel free to modify and expand
these to match the resources available and meet their students’ needs.

Suggested Learning Activities

The suggested learning activities introduce and reinforce functions, culture,
structures, and vocabulary at each level. As starting points may vary for learning
Spanish in New Zealand schools, teachers of younger students (form 1 and
below) will need to present learning activities which are suitable for the ages of
the children they teach. Similarly, teachers of older students will need to adapt
and interpret the curriculum to meet their needs. Examples of possible learning
activities suitable for different age groups have therefore been included in this
statement. Wherever possible, the learning activities should be tailored to suit
students by acknowledging and including their backgrounds and cultures. When
teachers modify learning activities to match the needs, interests, and
backgrounds of their students, the programmes become more enjoyable and
meaningful.

Suggested Assessment Activities

The suggested assessment activities arise from the suggested learning activities.
They provide ideas for measuring language learning in realistic communicative
situations. Typically, teachers’ assessments will be ongoing, providing
immediate, frequent, and regular feedback to enable students to develop their
language skills. Assessment will include teachers’ informal observation of
classroom learning as well as end-of-unit tasks designed to measure and record
the acquisition of skills. Assessment can be included in both class work and
homework.
Students should be encouraged to monitor their own progress, using peer-
or self-assessment strategies and teacher-designed tasks in a range of learning
situations and contexts. These tasks include pair work and self assessment using
specific criteria to check their own progress.
Assessment should be based on activities which measure skills in
communicative contexts. All forms of assessment should be regarded as
diagnostic, providing students with constructive feedback and helping teachers
to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes. It is important for teachers to
ensure that assessment procedures are explained clearly, so that students
understand them.
Assessment is a continuing process which measures the development of
knowledge and skills against the stated objectives. Assessment should:
• motivate students;
• evaluate the effectiveness of both teaching and learning;
• diagnose and monitor students’ strengths and weaknesses, to provide
information for future programme planning;
• provide feedback to students, parents, school administrators, and the wider
community.

Teachers are advised to:

• talk regularly and informally with students about their progress, their needs, 17
and the kind of help they require;
• help students develop peer- and self-assessment strategies;
• observe and record the progress of individual students (for example, by
preparing individual learning profiles).

Students should be encouraged to:

• measure and record their progress on checklists showing achievement in
terms of what they can do with the language;
• reflect on what and how they have learned, so that they can understand the
learning process better and work more effectively towards their language
learning objectives;
• maintain folios of their work, including samples of written language, tapes
recording progress in oral language, and language-related projects.

Assessment tasks should reflect the situations, the expected language content,
and the purposes for which skills are used in everyday situations. Assessment
should measure both communicative competence and linguistic accuracy, and
should allow for a range of students’ responses, rather than anticipating strictly
predetermined language content.
When assessing progress and achievement, the emphasis given to the four
strands should reflect the balance of class activities, the particular needs of the
learner, and the stage of language learning. For example, class programmes will
often focus on oral language (listening and speaking) in the early stages and move
on to written language (reading and writing) later, so assessment procedures may
need to reflect this sequence.
 Programme Planning
Schools and teachers should work through a logical series of steps to create
successful school and classroom programmes in Spanish. It is suggested that
teachers:
• incorporate the philosophy and aims for learning Spanish as set out in this
curriculum statement;
• identify the needs, interests, and prior language experiences of learners, and
any special requirements or school policies relating to language learning;
• look at the long-term programme, considering the school-wide language
programme (for example, the sequencing of levels, timetabling, possible
national awards), and possible links with programmes in other learning
institutions, as well as the short-term programme (for example, the term
programme, the weekly plan);
• identify the achievement objectives from the relevant strand or strands;
• establish short-term objectives for each unit;
• decide on suitable themes;
• develop appropriate topics within the main themes to provide a balanced
learning programme;
• select and gather suitable resources;
• select or develop suitable learning activities to enable learners to combine and
apply the four strands for meaningful communication, together with specific
content such as structures, vocabulary, and cultural and general knowledge;
• prepare communicative exercises to reinforce structures and vocabulary;
18 • select or create appropriate assessment activities;
• develop a homework plan to encourage language study outside the classroom;
• evaluate the learning programme against the objectives;
• consider the sequence or progression of the main themes and topics;
• look for ways of connecting language learning with other curriculum areas or
specific subjects, to enhance integrated learning (for example, with history,
geography, music, or food preparation);
• consider the cyclical development of functions, activities, structures, and
vocabulary to provide opportunities for reinforcement, consolidation, and
extension of language skills and usage.
 An Approach to Programme Planning
The diagram shown here illustrates one possible planning process, with many
possible starting points.

Identify students’ needs and

prior language experiences.

➣
Identify achievement
Evaluate the learning and objectives (communication
teaching. functions and language level
indicators) from each strand
at the appropriate level.
➣

➣
Monitor students’ progress Refer to school policy for
against the objectives. language learning and
consider school-wide
19
programme.
➣

Decide on suitable themes

Carry through the activities,
and develop appropriate
including reinforcement and
topics within main themes.
assessment activities.
➣

Plan appropriate learning

activities.
Look for ways of connecting
Spanish with other curriculum
subjects.
➣

Gather suitable resources.

Develop assessment strategies

and a homework plan.
 The National Qualifications Framework
and Unit Standards
This curriculum statement is the guiding document for the development of a
teaching and learning programme. It also provides the basis for developing unit
standards, which are the “building blocks” of the National Qualifications
Framework. These unit standards are not units of work in themselves; their
function is to specify standards of assessment.
Assessment for the National Qualifications Framework should be integrated
with learning, and will generally be done within the school, by the teacher. The
New Zealand Qualifications Authority will provide advice on appropriate
assessment procedures to be used for this purpose.
Unit standards for schools encompass levels 1 to 3 of the National
Qualifications Framework. These qualification levels equate to levels 6, 7, and 8
of the New Zealand Curriculum Framework.

20
Levels 1 and 2: Emergent Communication
By the end of level 2

learners can understand language that contains well-rehearsed sentence

patterns and familiar vocabulary, and can interact in predictable
exchanges. They can read and write straightforward versions of what they
have learned to say. They are aware of and understand the typical cultural
conventions that operate in interpersonal communication. Although they
may be enthusiastic participants in class, learners may still be reticent
about using Spanish outside the classroom.

21
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 1: Emergent Communication

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 1. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• greet, farewell, and thank people; hola, buenos días, adiós, hasta
luego, gracias

• introduce themselves and others; Soy Luis. Me llamo Matilde. Te

presento a Juan.

• recognise and respond to greetings, mucho gusto, encantado, adiós,

farewells, introductions, and thanks; de nada, gracias

• ask for and respond to simple ¿Cómo te llamas? Me llamo Ana.

personal information; ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien, gracias.
22
¿De dónde eres? Soy de Chile.
¿Cuál es tu ocupación? Soy
estudiante.

• recognise and respond to simple ¡Escucha! ¡Repitan!

classroom instructions;

• understand and express dates and ¿Qué día es hoy? Hoy es el 7 de

time. enero. ¿Qué hora es? Son las dos.
Es la una y media.
Language Level Indicators
In personal and familiar contexts, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • identify letters of the alphabet,
appropriately (in words or actions) to combinations of letters, accents,
simple words and phrases; and punctuation, and their
• get the gist of phrases and short associated sounds;
sentences; • recognise and understand
• recognise and understand key words simple words and phrases.
in simple phrases.

Speaking Writing
23
• approximate pronunciation and • write alphabet letters, names,
intonation by imitating sounds, and simple words and phrases,
simple words, names, and phrases; using accents and punctuation.
• respond appropriately to simple set
phrases, questions, or visual stimuli.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Where Spanish is spoken (geographical overview) • Different accents,

pronunciation, and vocabulary (for example, in Spain and Latin America)
• Greeting people (including formal and informal address) • Body
language (including handshakes, hugging, kissing) • Birthdays and
saints’ days • Common perceptions and cultural stereotypes
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary

Subject pronouns yo, tú, usted

ser (Soy neocelandés/estudiante.) Nationalities, occupations

ser + de (Soy de Nelson.) Place names

llamarse (Me llamo Pedro.) Names

Interrogatives ¿qué? ¿cómo? ¿de dónde? ¿cuál? ¿quién?

(¿Quién es? Es María.)
la dirección, el número de teléfono
Numbers: 1-31

Gender and number (singular/plural) Gender nouns: el chico/las chicas

Definite articles el/los, la/las

Indefinite articles un/unos, una/unas

Cognates: exact el animal, la idea, la unión

close el fútbol, la clase, el profesor
false asistir, once, quince

Negation no
24
Sentence structure (subject + verb + object)
(El niño es boliviano.)

Time: ¿Qué hora es? la hora, el día, mediodía, medianoche

Es la una y cuarto. y, menos, media, cuarto, en punto
Son las cinco.

Dates: ¿Qué día es hoy? Months, days

Hoy es el tres de abril. hoy, mañana, la semana, el mes, el año
Hoy es domingo.
el cumpleaños ¡Feliz cumpleaños! el santo
por favor, gracias, de nada
Greetings and farewells ¡hola! ¿qué tal? ¿cómo estás? ¿cómo te llamas?
Me llamo ..., buenos días, buenas tardes/noches,
adiós, hasta luego/mañana/la vista

Classroom instructions ¡escucha! ¡repite! ¡lee! ¡habla! ¡escribe! ¡ven aquí!

¡vete! ¡canta! ¡dime! ¡abre! ¡cierra! ¡siéntate!
¡levántate! ¡cállate!
Use/non-use of capital letters

Punctuation: accents, tilde

question marks
exclamation marks

Conjunctions y

Prepositions a, de, con, en

Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• listening to people from Spain and Latin America talking on audio tape, and
showing understanding by ticking boxes, answering questions, or filling gaps;
• listening to and singing simple songs (Feliz Cumpleaños, La Bamba, number
songs);
• role-playing introductions and farewells, or asking for names, addresses,
phone numbers, and birthdays;
• making a poster about a Spanish-speaking country;
• labelling things in the classroom;
• playing communicative games, for example, circular word/name/alphabet
chains, or Lo Tengo);
• reading and filling in a personal information form;
• making a class map of the world showing Spanish-speaking countries;
• making a class calendar for each month showing their own birthdays, saints’
days, and holidays in New Zealand and Spanish-speaking countries;
• introducing the Spanish alphabet letters and sounds with words, including
definite articles and some familiar words (cognates), for example, C — el
círculo, la casa, la cena;
• spelling aloud names, numbers, and other words, and writing them from
dictation;
• taking part in a class discussion about the Spanish language and Spanish 25
speakers;
• using classroom expressions and commands which have been introduced
orally, with gestures, by the teacher, for example, when acting out expressions
or commands written in Spanish on cards, while other students guess the
words;
• playing number games like ¡Caramba!, where students sit on desks and recite
Spanish numbers in turn until they come to a multiple of five, when they
shout “¡Caramba!” instead, (that is, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, ¡Caramba!, seis, siete
...) while students who do say the name of a number which is a multiple of
five (5, 10, 15 …) sit down on their chairs, and the game continues;
• marking time on a blank clock in pairs — one partner has a particular time
written in Spanish on a paper and reads it aloud, and the other partner draws
the hands on the clock in the right places;
• having a class discussion about greetings, formal and informal address (usted,
tú), and body language, and following this with role plays;
• making flashcards with pictures of Spanish words, numbers, and vocabulary
items;
• doing a cognate search with partners, using a page from a Spanish newspaper,
highlighting all the familiar words (cognates), then selecting one article, and
guessing the main point from their knowledge of the cognates;
 • making a “chain drill” which begins with the teacher, who says, for example,
“Mi número de teléfono es 528 4567”, then asks a student, “¿Cuál es tu
número de teléfono?” — the student answers, then asks the next student the
question, and so on;
• making alphabet posters in groups, which are each given a single letter of the
Spanish alphabet, then cut out up to ten pictures of objects which begin with
that letter in Spanish, and label them;
• using the word processor to type the vocabulary they know, individually,
without the definite articles (for example, words like día, profesor) for five
minutes, then changing places with a partner who puts the correct article in
front of each word;
• typing on the computer questions such as ¿cómo te llamas? or ¿qúe tal?, then
changing partners and answering each other’s questions;
• using available computer programmes and games, in pairs, to reinforce their
language learning;
• playing a pronunciation ball game in which the teacher writes ten words on
the board, numbers them, then throws a ball to a student and calls out one of
the numbers. The student pronounces the word that goes with that number,
and throws the ball back to the teacher. If the pronunciation is correct, the
teacher moves to another student. If it is incorrect, the teacher throws the ball
back to the same student to try again (up to three tries), after which other
students can help. Teachers can speed the game up as the students become
more proficient.
26

Suggested Assessment Activities

Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can greet people and farewell them.

I can introduce myself.
I can introduce others.
I can use numbers for time and dates.

• beginning to keep a folio of their work, including audio tapes for oral work.

Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress when they are:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together.
Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• reading and filling in a personal information form (reading, writing);
• completing written questions with interrogatives (¿qué? ¿quién? ¿cómo?) and
answering them (reading, writing);
• listening to a passage and then completing a true/false exercise (listening);
• listening to different dates and times and choosing the correct ones from three
options (listening, reading);
• marking times on pictures of clocks, from dictation, then writing the time
below each picture (listening, writing);
• completing a conversation by adding the missing words, which could be
greetings, interrogatives, or ser (reading, writing);
• matching pictures with words, for example, greeting or farewell scenes, or
people with different occupations (reading, writing);
• role-playing introductions and farewells, or asking someone’s name, address,
phone number, and birthday (speaking, listening);
• locating and labelling Spanish-speaking countries on a map (reading, writing).

27
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 2: Emergent Communication

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 2. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• ask about and respond to personal ¿Cómo se llama ella? Se llama Ana.
information about themselves and ¿Cuántos años tienes? Tengo 15 años.
others;

• describe themselves and others; ¿Cómo es tu amigo? Es alto y guapo.

• recognise descriptions of Soy joven y tengo los ojos azules.

themselves and others;

• describe places, animals, and Es un parque muy bonito.

things; Mi perro tiene orejas muy largas.
28
Las computadoras son fantásticas.
• recognise descriptions of places,
animals, and things;

• point out and/or identify people, ¿Qué es? Es una escuela.

places, and things; ¿Quién es? Es la profesora.

• recognise, express, and enquire ¿Tienes hambre? Sí, tengo mucha

about physical states (hot, cold, hambre. ¿Tienes frío? No, no tengo
hunger, thirst, age); frío.

• recognise, express, and enquire ¿Quiénes son? Son mis padres.

about the relationships between ¿De quién es este libro? Es de Mario.
people and the ownership of
things.
Language Level Indicators
In personal and familiar contexts, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of simple dialogue and
appropriately to phrases and information;
simple information; • recognise and understand key
• get the gist of simple dialogue words and phrases in simple texts.
and information;
• recognise and understand key
words or phrases in simple
dialogue and information.
29
Speaking Writing
• speak simple words and phrases • write simple phrases and
with increasingly accurate sentences;
pronunciation and intonation; • write simple words and phrases
• initiate and respond in brief from memory.
conversations using learned
words and phrases.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

First names and double last names • Gestures and differences in body
language (talking with hands, facial expressions, loud voices, closeness,
touching) • The range of characteristics of Spanish speakers (physical and
social) • Affection among Spanish speakers (diminutives and endearments,
such as mi hijita, mi cielo, mi vida) • Background history of Spain
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary
Personal pronouns yo, tú, usted, él, ella
nosotros, vosotros, ustedes, ellos, ellas
ser + de (possession/material)
(El libro es de Pablo.)

tener

tener expressions hambre, sed, calor, frío, sueño, miedo, razón,

(Tengo sueño. ¿Tienes sed?) años, éxito, ganas de ...
(¿Cuántos años tienes? Tengo
13 años.)

Adjectives: agreement Descriptive

placement Colours: rojo, azul, amarillo, verde
Size: grande, pequeño, alto, bajo, largo, corto,
mediano
Age: joven, viejo, nuevo
Qualities: bueno, malo, bonito, guapo, listo,
simpático, rizado, lacio, ondulado
Eye and hair colour: rubio, pelirrojo, negro,
castaño, café claro, azules, verdes, negros, grises

30
Limiting
Number: mucho, poco, bastante, todo

Adjectives ending in “-ísimo” buenísimo

Demonstrative adjectives este/esta, ese/esa, aquel/aquella

Possessive adjectives mi, tu, su, nuestro, vuestro and plural/

feminine forms
Question structure
(¿Eres tú de Samoa? ¿Tú eres
de Samoa?)

Diminutives casita, chiquito, perrito

Numbers: 31-100
Animals: gato, perro, ave, pájaro, caballo, oveja,
vaca, gallina, cerdo
Animal sounds: pío-pío, guau-guau, quí-quí-ri-quí
Face parts: los ojos, el pelo, la nariz, la boca, las
orejas, los dientes, los labios
Place names: la escuela, la casa, la tienda, el
supermercado, la playa, el cine, el parque, el
café, el restaurante
Classroom vocabulary: el libro, el lápiz, el
cuaderno, el bolígrato, el/la estudiante, el/la
profesor/a, el escritorio, la mesa
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• beginning to develop a “treasure box” of props for role play and dressing up;
• listening to (or reading) a description and identifying the person described,
from a selection of pictures;
• developing, through role play in pairs, a dialogue in which personal
information is asked for and given;
• drawing a funny picture (a cartoon) according to oral instructions, for
example, El monstruo tiene un ojo grande y un ojo pequeño;
• writing a description of a person (favourite actor, friend, or cartoon figure) to
match a photo or picture;
• conducting a simple survey, in writing, of the characteristics or preferences of
class members (hair colour, eye colour, pets);
• singing and memorising a simple song, for example, La Finca de Papá;
• making a “nombre” mobile showing their own double surname structure and
giving two or three adjectives to describe themselves;
• taking part in a group discussion, after which they make a poster illustrating
an expression of affection, or a diminutive, through contrast and comparison,
for example, hijo/hijito, casa/casita;
• making a multi-cultural poster which shows some of the different kinds of
Spanish speakers, using pictures and words to indicate adjectives, countries;
• contributing to a class project — the creation of a historical timeline of Spain
which may include written facts, descriptions of events, photographs, pictures,
and articles from Spanish magazines or newspapers (teachers should assign a 31
“chunk” of time to a pair or group for research);
• working in pairs, where one student describes aloud a person, place, animal,
or thing and the other student draws it;
• filling in bubbles with descriptions (hot, cold, tired) of people in pictures;
• playing charades to describe physical states (hot, cold, thirsty, tired);
• identifying the physical states of people or animals from pictures;
• role-playing, with props, using vocabulary and structures which relate to
possession of objects (¿De quién es este lápiz? ¿Es tu lápiz? Sí, es mi lápiz);
• adapting “Little Red Riding Hood” (“Caperucita Roja”) for role play and
presenting it to the class (vocabulary could include ojos, boca, nariz, orejas,
dientes, words for family members, and adjectives);
• playing Pictionary on the board, with two teams;
• making posters about themselves and their lives, using “ser” for half the
poster and “tener” for the other half, with pictures and words describing
themselves or family members, for example, Mi perro es ... Mi perro tiene ...;
• using the word processor to conjugate verbs, then checking each other’s work;
• working in pairs to type descriptions of someone who all the students know,
then going to another pair’s computer and guessing who they have described;
• using the computer with drawing software, selecting a picture and typing a
description of it;
• using the computer, in pairs, to type in words for people, places, or things,
then changing to another pair’s computer and adding the possessive pronouns
for the words typed;
• using the computers and Spanish software in their free time.
 Suggested Assessment Activities
Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can describe myself and others.

I can describe and point out places, animals, and things.
I can understand and respond to simple instructions.
I can talk about which people possess which things.

• keeping a folio of their work, including audio tapes for oral work.

Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress when they are:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together.

Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
32
• writing, from dictation, a dialogue with greetings and personal information, or
descriptions of people, places, or things (listening, writing);
• listening to descriptions of people and identifying them from pictures
provided (listening);
• completing a written conversation about personal details (reading, writing);
• doing a reading comprehension exercise with multiple-choice questions or
true/false statements about a picture or a passage of text (reading);
• role-playing a conversation about the possession of something (speaking,
listening);
• giving a simple talk, either introducing themselves or talking about someone
else, or about an animal, a place, or an object (speaking);
• describing someone from a picture (writing, speaking);
• choosing the correct place in a picture, when the teacher describes different
places (listening);
• completing a written conversation by writing in appropriate questions for the
answers given (reading, writing);
• talking about someone famous, giving details of their name, occupation, and
nationality (speaking);
• saying or writing how the people in certain pictures appear to feel — for
example, tiene hambre, sed, frío (speaking, writing);
• reading statements about pictures, or about a written passage, relating to the
history of Spain, and marking them true or false (listening, reading).
Levels 3 and 4: Survival Skills
By the end of level 4

learners can cope with a variety of routine situations when visiting

Spanish-speaking countries or when dealing with Spanish speakers in New
Zealand. They can use familiar language with some flexibility and pick up
some new language from its context. They can read and write simple notes
and short letters, and fill out most parts of official forms. They can
understand and make use of many of the customs and beliefs of Spanish-
speaking cultures. Although their confidence is growing, they may still be
hesitant about talking to native speakers in some situations.

33
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 3: Survival Skills

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 3. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• understand, state, and ask about Hay veinte estudiantes en clase.

the existence of people, places, Aquí hay muchas ovejas.
and things;
Hay un libro en la mesa.

• understand, state, and ask about Los chicos están en la clase.

the location of people, places, and ¿Dónde estás? Estoy en casa.
things; La tienda está cerca de la plaza.
El coche está enfrente del banco.
34
• recognise, express, and ask about ¿Te gusta estudiar? No me gustan
likes and dislikes; los exámenes.

• recognise, express, and ask about Tenemos que practicar la lección.

obligations; Debes llegar temprano a casa.

• recognise, express, and ask about ¿Cómo estás? Estoy cansado.

how they and others feel;

• ask how to say something in ¿Cómo se dice “I like”?

Spanish.
Language Level Indicators
In a range of personal and familiar contexts, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of longer dialogue
appropriately to dialogue and and information;
information in simple language; • recognise and understand detail
• get the gist of longer dialogue and in longer dialogue and simple
information; language.
• recognise and understand detail in
longer dialogue and simple
language.
35
Speaking Writing
• speak a range of words, phrases, • write a range of words, phrases,
and sentences with increasingly and simple sentences with
accurate pronunciation and increasingly accurate spelling, use
intonation; of accents, and punctuation;
• initiate and respond appropriately • apply knowledge about
in brief conversations, using vocabulary and structures to vary
variations of learned words and phrases and sentences.
phrases;
• use simple language to give brief
presentations.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Popular sports and leisure-time activities in the Hispanic world • Layout

of cities and houses (plaza) • Traditional music, dancing, and costumes
Pre-Hispanic cultures in America
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary
Present tense of regular verbs -ar verbs: bailar, cantar, estudiar, hablar,
mirar, practicar, tomar, trabajar, jugar
(infinitive only)
-er verbs: comer, beber, leer, comprender
-ir verbs: abrir, escribir, vivir, recibir,
discutir
Hay (Hay muchos chicos en clase.)

Estar (Los chicos están aquí.) ¿dónde?

(¿Cómo estás?)
¿por qué?, porque
Prepositions of location aquí, ahí, allí
cerca (de), lejos (de)
por aquí, por allí
al lado de, enfrente de, detrás de, encima
de, debajo de, en medio de, en el rincón,
en la esquina

Contracted prepositions al, del

Present participles (-ar: hablando)

(-er: comiendo)
(-ir: viviendo)

36 Estar + present participle

(Estoy estudiando.)

Tener + que + infinitive

(Tengo que estudiar.)

Deber + infinitive
(Debo estudiar.)

Gustar (Me gusta el chocolate.)

Gustar + infinitives Sports vocabulary: los deportes, los

(Me gusta jugar.) pasatiempos

Adjectives of feelings bien, mal, contento, enfermo, alegre, feliz,

(Estoy feliz.) triste, regular, deprimido, aburrido, cansado

Adjectives of quantity mucho, poco, demasiado, bastante, más,

menos

Adverbs muy, también, demasiado, bastante, más,

menos, antes, después
House/city/country vocabulary: la finca, la
granja, la hacienda, la estancia, la ciudad, el
campo, el pueblo, el barrio, la plaza
Furniture vocabulary
Clothing vocabulary
Numbers: 100-1000
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• locating places on a map, working in pairs, using “estar” to ask and answer
questions, for example, ¿Dónde está el banco? Está cerca de la tienda;
• identifying feelings shown in pictures by saying aloud or writing how the
subject appears to be feeling;
• writing a short conversation about introductions and feelings, and presenting
it to the class either in written form, or through role-playing (live or on audio
tape);
• reading and discussing a model letter with the class, then writing a similar
letter to a penfriend with details about themselves (name, nationality, likes,
dislikes);
• singing traditional songs (Cielito Lindo, La Cucaracha, ¡Qué viva España!);
• learning a traditional dance;
• group work, using a written form to survey the class’s likes and dislikes, then
reporting findings to the class orally;
• making a poster of Hispanic sports, singers, or costumes;
• playing a communicative game, for example, ¿Qué hay sobre la bandeja?
(where players memorise up to twelve objects on a tray and give the Spanish
words for the objects later);
• watching a video on flamenco or traditional Latin American dancing, then
trying the dance themselves;
• watching a video on bull-fighting, rodeo, or gauchos, then discussing the 37
subject or role-playing it;
• having a class discussion about fiestas, then planning a party and making a
piñata and tapas (this activity could take one or two weeks);
• practising substitution drills aloud in pairs, for example, one says “Tengo que
ir (tú)” and the other responds “Tienes que ir”;
• labelling pictures of activities using tener + que + infinitive and deber +
infinitive;
• drawing a picture of their house or school and labelling the rooms in Spanish;
• creating a city with posters (small groups could each create and label parts of
the city — barrio, centro, escuela, iglesia, hospital, plaza, parque, cine — and
then put their posters together to form the whole city);
• writing an advertisement to sell a house (describing the house);
• role-playing a telephone call to a real estate agent to enquire about buying a
house, for example, “Deseo comprar una casa,” “¿Tiene usted una casa?”
“¿Cómo es?” “¿Qué tiene?”;
• creating simple crucigramas (crosswords) using verb conjugations;
• making a “chain drill”— Me gusta tu camisa, ¿Te gusta mi camisa? Mi casa
está cerca de la escuela, ¿Dónde está tu casa?;
• doing a mini-project on traditional music, instruments, dancing, and
costumes, and presenting it as a poster or written article;
• watching a Copa Mundial match with commentary in Spanish, and discussing
it, focusing on what they like and don’t like about the game;
 • giving a short talk (three minutes) to the class on their own favourite sports or
leisure activity — the talk should be based on set questions, for example,
¿Qué? ¿Cuándo? ¿Dónde? ¿Por qué? ¿Cómo? and followed up with the
production of a poster;
• listening to traditional music and playing along with percussion instruments
to explore the various rhythms;
• continuing the historical timeline begun at level 2 to include information on
the pre-Hispanic cultures of America;
• making cards or posters using sports pictures cut from magazines along with
Spanish words, for example, Juego al rugby, Me gusta el tenis, La natación es
fantástica;
• using the computer to make posters, birthday invitations and cards, and
advertisements to sell their own houses;
• typing -ar, -er, and -ir verb infinitives on the computer with partners, then
changing to another pair’s computer, conjugating their verbs, making
sentences using these verbs, and saying the sentences to one another;
• using CD-ROM programmes on the computer to research information on
cultural aspects for projects on the Hispanic world.

Suggested Assessment Activities

Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
38
• using a checklist like this one;

I can talk about where places and people are.

I can talk about likes and dislikes.
I can talk about how I feel and how others feel.
I can talk about what I have to do or should do.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned in a given
period, and how they have learned it;
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.

Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress when they are:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together.
Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• designing a tourist brochure which describes New Zealand’s features, using
hay, ser, and estar (writing);
• filling in gaps with prepositions of location, for example, El banco está __ el
cine (reading, writing);
• showing their comprehension of a piece of writing in Spanish, for example, a
letter, by answering questions in English (reading);
• interviewing the teacher, or role-playing a guided dialogue, about likes and
dislikes (speaking, listening);
• answering written questions after listening to a dictated passage (listening,
writing);
• giving a talk about their own feelings, including their likes and dislikes
(speaking);
• giving, orally or in writing, a simple description of a city or town square as it
looks in a photograph or painting (speaking, writing);
• completing a paragraph about sports, leisure activities, or pre-Hispanic
cultures in America, by selecting words from a list to fill in blanks (reading,
writing);
• completing a guided dialogue (spoken or written) about the location of a place
(listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• responding to brief verbal instructions with the appropriate action — Toma el
lápiz, Escribe tu nombre, Abre la boca, and so on (listening); 39
• drawing rooms in a house from a dictated description, drawing furniture in
the rooms, then labelling the items (listening, writing).
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 4: Survival Skills
Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 4. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• ask for and respond to ¿Estudias o trabajas?

information about events in the Siempre leo mucho en clase.
present;
Discutimos el problema juntos.

• understand and talk about where, ¿Dónde trabaja Juan?

when, and how often activities ¿Cuándo estudias español?
take place;
¿A qué hora van a la escuela?

• understand, ask about, and ¿Cuándo vamos a viajar a Chile?

40 express future plans; Voy a ver una película mañana.

• ask for and respond to simple ¿Dónde está la oficina? Está a la

directions; derecha.

• understand and use words Dos kilos de bananas.

relating to measurement; Una taza de azúcar.
Tres metros de largo.
Mi casa está a quince kilómetros del
centro.

• compare and contrast people, Mi hermano es mayor que yo.

places, and things. Auckland es más grande que Thames.
El español no es tan difícil como el
japonés.
Language Level Indicators
In a range of personal and familiar contexts, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of more complex
appropriately to more complex dialogue and information;
dialogue and information in • recognise and draw meaning from
simple factual and expressive detail in longer dialogue, and
language; understand detailed information in
• get the gist of more complex simple factual and expressive
dialogue and information; language.
• recognise and understand detail
in simple factual and expressive
language.
41
Speaking Writing
• speak confidently and with • write brief passages using simple
increasingly accurate sentences with increasingly accurate
pronunciation and intonation, spelling, use of accents, and
using learned words, phrases, punctuation;
and sentences; • apply knowledge about vocabulary
• initiate and maintain brief and structures to create simple text.
conversations using simple
factual and expressive language;
• use simple descriptive language
in brief presentations.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Family in the Hispanic world • Telephone conventions • Daily routines

in the Hispanic world (siesta, meal times, school, work) • Shopping and
bartering • Food and cooking • Money systems and currency • Spain
and the discovery and conquest of America
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary
Present tense of regular verbs Regular -ar verbs
Regular -er verbs
Regular -ir verbs
Non-use of subject pronouns
(Hablo muchas lenguas.)
Ir (Ir de compras)
Immediate future (ir + a + infinitive)
(Voy a trabajar mañana.)
Verbs of motion + a Directions: a la derecha, a la izquierda, todo
(Llego a la escuela temprano.) derecho
Personal “a”
(Veo a Julia.)
Question words ¿por qué? ¿dónde? ¿adónde? ¿cuándo? ¿cómo?
¿cuánto? ¿quién? ¿qué? ¿cuál?
Tag questions ¿verdad? ¿vale? ¿no? ¿no es cierto? ¿no crees?
Time (¿A qué hora vas a la escuela?)
(Voy a la escuela a las ocho.)
Hacer for weather (¿Qué tiempo hace?)
Weather expressions hace sol/buen tiempo/mal tiempo/frío/calor, está
despejado/nublado, hay nubes/viento/neblina/
niebla/sol
42 llover (la lluvia), nevar (la nieve)
la temperatura, grados centígrados
Comparative adjectives mejor, peor, mayor, menor
más __ que, tan __ como, menos __ que
Superlative adjectives caro, más caro, el más caro, carísimo
Ordinal numbers primero, segundo, ... décimo
Weights and measures: kilos, metros, tazas,
cucharadas, kilómetros
Adverbs of time siempre, nunca, vez + variations
Direct object pronouns me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las
(Lo tengo.)

y and variations y, e, o, u (e inglés, u otro)

si
Family vocabulary
Food and kitchen vocabulary: la cena, el desayuno,
el almuerzo, la merienda
Shopping vocabulary: el precio, una ganga, una
rebaja, caro, barato, regatear, ¿cuánto cuesta/vale/es?
Telephone vocabulary: dígame, te habla __ , no
cuelgue, la operadora, una llamada a cobro revertido,
una llamada de larga distancia/una conferencia
Money vocabulary: el dinero, la moneda, el cambio,
el suelto, el peso, la peseta, el cheque, la tarjeta de
crédito, el cheque de viajero
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• listening to a timetable for school, work, or meals, and marking it on a chart;
• completing a verb chart where one or two conjugations are given;
• preparing and producing an interview about daily activities, or plans for the
immediate future, with questions like ¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana?;
• listening to directions for finding a place and marking the route on a map;
• answering simple oral or written questions about a schedule, letter, timetable,
or brochure which has been read to the class;
• writing down a shopping list as dictated over the telephone;
• setting up an open-air market and role-playing the parts of shoppers and
vendors, bartering and exchanging money (imitation or real);
• preparing a snack or meal from different Spanish-speaking countries;
• role-playing a restaurant or bank dialogue (discussing menus and/or money);
• making a family-tree poster with photos or drawings, labelling their own
family members in Spanish and presenting the poster to the class orally;
• drawing pictures of their immediate family and giving information, for
example, Mi padre se llama ..., Es ..., Tiene ... años, Trabaja/Estudia ..., Le
gusta ..., Es más ... que ...;
• writing a weekly diary of their class activities;
• watching and discussing a video on the conquest of the Americas;
• making an appointment or date using the telephone; 43
• comparing shopping, schools, and daily routines in New Zealand and
Spanish-speaking countries, and presenting the information on a poster or
orally, for example, En Nueva Zelandia voy a la escuela a las nueve, En
Panamá voy a la escuela a las siete y media;
• continuing the historical timeline from levels 2 and 3 to include information
on the discovery and conquest of America;
• making a “chain drill”— ¿A qué hora tomas la cena? Tomo la cena seis;
• listening to a weather report on audio or video tape and drawing weather
symbols on a map, showing the regional weather;
• keeping a weather chart based on the question ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? —
pairs of students record conditions and report daily findings to the class;
• using the computer in pairs, typing a shopping role-play with questions, then
changing partners and answering one another’s questions, forming a dialogue
to present orally to the class;
• using the computer to produce a short story about their families, pets,
birthdays, and where they live, then swapping computers, reading one
another’s stories, and typing two questions for the author to answer;
• working in pairs to think up, and type on computer, questions about food,
meal times, daily routines, and shopping in Spain and Latin America. They
could then research the answers in a CD-ROM programme such as Encarta (or
in the library) and answer the questions. Students could also change
computers and answer each other’s questions.
 Suggested Assessment Activities
Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can talk about time and events in the present.

I can ask and express opinions.
I can talk about plans in the immediate future.
I can understand and respond to simple directions.
I can compare and contrast people, places, and things.
I can talk about what I do every day.
I can talk on the telephone.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned and how;
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.

Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress when they are:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on computers together;
• filling in checklists relating to one another’s language work.

Teacher Assessment
44 Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• listening to someone making plans for a trip and plotting the itinerary on a
map, or marking statements true or false (listening);
• using a photograph to introduce their family to the class and talking about
their daily routines (speaking);
• listening to descriptions of a Hispanic family and filling in their family tree
(listening, writing);
• writing a message about what they plan to do after school (writing);
• reading a passage in Spanish about daily routines and then, in English,
answering questions about these routines (reading);
• writing down a dictated “telephone” message and relaying the message back
to the teacher (listening, speaking, writing);
• “chatting on the telephone” in pairs, sitting back-to-back (listening, speaking);
• looking at pictures of cities, people, or things and making comparisons
(speaking, writing);
• listening to an answerphone message and answering simple questions about it
(listening, speaking, writing);
• ordering food and/or drinks in a restaurant (listening, speaking);
• looking at pictures and saying what the people in them are going to do
(speaking, writing);
• listening to a passage in Spanish about the discovery and conquest of
America, and answering related multi-choice questions, in English (listening);
• identifying foods from pictures, aloud or in writing (speaking, writing);
• listening to the weather forecast for a particular country and answering
questions about it in Spanish (listening, speaking, writing).
Levels 5 and 6: Social Competence
By the end of level 6

learners are confident enough to seek out opportunities to use Spanish.

They can initiate and sustain a conversation with a sympathetic native
speaker, and speak at some length if required. They can interact flexibly in
familiar social situations and cope with some less familiar ones. They can
use basic language patterns spontaneously. They show a willingness to
experiment with new language and to read independently. They can write
extended passages, long personal letters, and simple formal letters. Their
behaviour is culturally appropriate in most social situations, and they are
sensitive to the values held by people from Spanish-speaking cultures.

45
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 5: Social Competence

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 5. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• understand, ask about, and express ¿Has visto Terminator 2?

events or facts in the past; He comido mucho hoy.

• ask about, express, and respond to ¿A qué hora te levantas?

states, actions, or events referring to Pienso acostarme tarde el sábado.
themselves;

• ask for, offer, accept, and refuse help; ¿En qué puedo servirle?
¿Puedo ayudarte con tu tarea?
¡Claro! ¡Por supuesto! ¡Cómo no!

46 • recognise, enquire about, and express ¿Sabes esquiar?

ability or inability; Puedo llamarte luego.

• recognise, enquire about, and express ¿Quiere viajar a México?

wishes and intentions; Deseamos comprar un coche.

• understand, issue, accept, and decline ¿Quieren ir al cine esta noche?

invitations; Sí, gracias, es una buena idea.
No, gracias, tengo que trabajar.

• recognise, enquire about, and express ¿Estás de acuerdo con la ley?

agreement and disagreement; No, no estoy de acuerdo.

• give and receive apologies; Siento haber llegado tarde. No

importa.

• recognise, ask for, and express ¿Qué piensas del uniforme?

opinions with reasons. Creo que es muy práctico.
Language Level Indicators
In familiar contexts, and some that are less familiar, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of a wide range of
appropriately to dialogue, texts containing some unfamiliar
narrative, and information language;
expressed in more complex • recognise detail and interpret
language; meaning from a range of texts.
• get the gist of more complex
language;
• recognise and understand detail in
more complex dialogue and
information.
47

Speaking Writing
• speak confidently, with • write simple passages using more
increasingly accurate pronunciation complex language confidently
and intonation and with increasing and with increasing accuracy;
fluency; • write simple passages with some
• use more complex language in linking of sentences and
simple conversations to seek structuring of ideas.
information and respond
appropriately;
• use more complex language to
present information and ideas.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Formal and informal letters • Weddings, anniversaries, and festivals

Religion, first communion, Christmas, Easter • Dress in the Hispanic
world (styles and formality) • Health • Spain and Spanish colonisation
(el mestizaje, la iglesia, la esclavitud)
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary
Present tense of irregular/radical stem-
change verbs:
Class I (pensar) venir, querer, sentar, sentir
Class II (poder) dormir, jugar, volver, recordar
Class III (pedir) decir, vestir, seguir, conseguir
First person singular changes salir, hacer, traer, poner, conocer, saber

creer, pensar, estar de acuerdo (acordarse)

Reflexive verbs and pronouns acostarse, bañarse, cepillarse, despertarse,

(Me lavo, te vas, se viste) enamorarse, lavarse, levantarse, llamarse,
peinarse, preocuparse, sentarse, ponerse, sentirse,
vestirse, irse

Regular/irregular past participles hablado, comido, vivido

escrito, hecho, visto
Present perfect
(He hablado ...)

Sentir + haber + past participle

(Siento haber llegado tarde.)
Acabar + de + infinitive
(Acabo de comer.)
Hacer for time (“ago”, duration)
(Hace un año que lo he estudiado.)
48 (Hace un año que estudio.)
Desde hace + present perfect
(He estudiado desde hace un mes.)
Adverb formation (prefix, suffix) pacientemente, cuidadosamente, con paciencia,
con cuidado
Adverbs quizás, tal vez, todavía, ya

Indefinite pronouns algo, alguno, alguien

Negative pronouns nada, ninguno, nadie
Negative adverbs aún no, ni, ya no, nada más, nunca, jamás,
tampoco
Negative expressions (double)
(Nunca digo nada a nadie.)

Forms of address, in letters querido, estimado, sinceramente, atentamente,

besos y abrazos, cariñosamente
Set phrases: enhorabuena, gracias por, lo siento
mucho, perdón, felicidades, ¿te gustaría ...? ¿qué
tal si ...?

Parts of the body

Health/medical vocabulary: sano, enfermo, la

dieta, estar en buena forma, el resfriado, la tos, la
gripe, la fiebre

doler (Me duele la garganta.)

Expressions of acceptance and agreement ¡Claro! ¡Por supuesto! ¡Cómo no!

Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• playing action games, for example, Pepe Dice (using reflexive verbs), charades
(naming feelings), or Lo Tengo (naming body parts);
• role-playing doctors and patients in a tourist situation in a Spanish-speaking
country — patients explain how they feel (symptoms with body parts) and
doctor gives suggestions (tener + que + infinitive, deber + infinitive);
• listening to a Spanish news bulletin or advertisement, then answering
questions about it;
• role-playing a number of telephone conversations — inviting a friend out,
thanking someone, declining an invitation, apologising for something;
• role-playing a dialogue (in pairs) to plan a trip, outing, or excursion (using
irregular verbs);
• creating and presenting a dialogue using responses appropriate to a particular
situation (congratulations, thanks, apology), for example, Hoy es mi
cumpleaños ... ¡Feliz cumpleaños! He sacado una buena nota ... ¡Enhorabuena!
or ¡Felicidades!;
• debating a given topic, for example, ¿Qué piensas del uniforme de la escuela?
... Creo que es horrible porque ... or (No) estoy de acuerdo porque ...;
• reading wedding, anniversary, or first communion messages in a Spanish
newspaper, then telling in their own words, in Spanish, what the
announcement is about;
• creating a drama depicting Christmas celebrations in several Spanish-speaking
countries, for example, Las Posadas (Mexico) and el Día de los Reyes Magos
49
(Spain), and singing Christmas carols (villancicos);
• making posters showing the Spanish colonies and their dates of colonisation;
• writing a Work Wanted advertisement in Spanish, describing their own
abilities (poder);
• labelling pictures, using the present perfect tense, to show what people have
done, for example, El chico ha hecho su tarea ... Las mujeres han ido de
compras;
• creating and conducting a class survey to find out where students have been
or what they have done or seen, for example, ¿Has viajado a ...? ¿Has visto ...?;
• presenting a fashion parade, in pairs, with one student dressing up and the
other describing to the class what he or she is wearing;
• describing and comparing the clothing and fashions in advertisements in a
Spanish magazine (orally and in written form);
• redesigning the school uniform and presenting the new design, with pictures
or OHPTs, to the class (comparatives, colours, adjectives);
• reading formal and informal Spanish letters and using them as models for
writing their own letters;
• using the telephone to invite people to a party celebrating a special occasion;
• continuing the historical timeline started at level 2 to include information on
the Spanish colonisation of the New World;
• making a “chain drill”— ¿Hace cuánto tiempo has estudiado español? He
estudiado español desde hace dos años (present perfect), ¿A qué hora te
levantas? Me levanto a las siete (reflexives);
• brainstorming, in Spanish, good and bad health habits and following up (in
groups) by making posters illustrating these habits;
 • making short oral presentations (about three minutes) based on the question,
¿Qué haces para estar en buena forma?;
• using the computer in pairs — one partner types simple sentences, the other
rewrites the sentences in the present perfect;
• taking turns with a partner to type infinitives for stem-changing verbs — each
partner then conjugates the other’s infinitives;
• using the computer to type a list of adjectives, then changing them to adverbs;
• writing, on the word processor, a story about their own daily routines (using
reflexive verbs), then finding a partner and editing one another’s work.

Suggested Assessment Activities

Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can ask for and offer help.

I can talk about what I and others can or can’t do.
I can talk about wishes and intentions.
I can issue, accept, and decline invitations.
I can congratulate, thank, and apologise.
I can talk about what I and others have done.
50
I can write a formal and an informal letter.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned in a given
period, and how they have learned it;
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.

1 Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress by:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together;
• filling in checklists relating to one another’s language work.

Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• listening to a conversation or invitation and writing the details in Spanish —
date, time, place, occasion (listening, writing);
• writing a postcard or letter from their holiday place stating what they have
done and what they have not done (writing);
• completing a conversation by responding to questions in the present perfect
tense (listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• listening to a news bulletin or advertisement, then answering written
questions about it (listening, writing);
• role-playing a telephone conversation inviting a friend out (listening,
speaking);
• completing a conversation by providing the appropriate questions for given
responses (listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• listening to statements about pictures — of a wedding, festival, or religious
celebration — and marking them true or false (listening);
• reading a passage about colonisation or celebrations and answering multi-
choice questions about it (reading);
• changing affirmative statements to negative ones, using indefinite and
negative pronouns — Hay alguien aquí = No hay nadie aquí (reading,
writing);
• preparing and writing a dialogue in which one person issues an invitation and
the other declines or accepts (speaking, writing);
• answering and asking questions in a conversation about abilities and
possibilities — ¿Puedes venir a mi casa? Sí, puedo venir (listening, speaking);
• describing their own daily routine, or a friend’s, using reflexive verbs and
referring to time (speaking, writing);
• following pictures and clocks and writing a diary entry for a worker, home-
maker, or student (writing);
51
• role-playing a doctor-patient situation (speaking, writing);
• reading a formal letter and writing an answer to it (reading, writing).
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 6: Social Competence

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 6. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:

• understand, ask about, and express Hoy me levanté tarde.

events or facts in the past; Cuando era niña, me levantaba
temprano.

• recognise, ask about, and express ¿Te cae bien Felipe? No me cae
likes and dislikes, giving reasons; bien porque es arrogante.

• ask for, offer, and respond to ¿Qué te parece si organizamos una

suggestions about plans; fiesta? Me parece estupendo.

• express acceptance and refusal, ¿Qué tal si vamos al cine?

52 giving reasons; Lo siento, no puedo hoy.

• understand and express descriptions Primero fuimos al museo. Luego

of activities, events, and facts in a visitamos la torre. Después
sequence; comimos en el café.

• express and respond to concern, No salí bien en el examen. ¡Qué

surprise, happiness, and interest lástima!
about an event or fact; Me encontré un billete de $50.
¡Qué bien!

• understand and describe how to do Para hacer una tortilla española: Se

or use something. baten los huevos, se pican las
cebollas, se pelan las patatas ...
Se usa esta llave para abrir la
puerta.
Language Level Indicators
In a range of contexts and selected genres, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of a wide range of texts
appropriately to more complex containing some unfamiliar
dialogue, narrative, and language;
information; • recognise detail and interpret
• get the gist of language from meaning from a range of texts.
selected authentic sources such as
Spanish visitors or Spanish
television programmes, videos, or
audio tapes;
• recognise detail and interpret
meaning in more complex
53
language.

Speaking Writing
• speak confidently and fairly • write simple passages of linked
fluently with increasingly accurate paragraphs using more complex
pronunciation and intonation; language with confidence and
• use more complex language increasing fluency and accuracy;
appropriately and with confidence • write a sequence of descriptive
in conversation; statements in a logical progression,
• use a wide range of language to following a model.
present information and ideas.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Education systems • Working in the Hispanic world (city and country)

Travel and transportation • Trade and industry • Dating and
relationships (piropos) • Spain and the independence of the Spanish
colonies
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary

Uses of articles with reflexive

(Me pongo el sombrero.)

Indirect object pronouns gustar, quedar bien, doler, encantar, interesar,

(me, te, le, nos, os, les) importar, sorprender, caer bien, preocupar
(Le escribo./Se la escribo.)

Preterite past tense: ayer, la semana pasada, el año pasado, hace diez
regular/irregular forms, días, anteayer, en el siglo XIV
spelling changes

Imperfect past tense:

regular/irregular forms

Prepositions por, para

Linking conjunctions luego, después, pues

Exclamations ¡Qué lástima! ¡Qué bien! ¡Qué lata! ¡Caramba!

54 ¡Qué alegría! ¡Qué horror! ¡Qué suerte!

”Se” for passive voice se

(Se habla español aquí.)
(Se venden revistas allí.)

Suggestions ¿Qué tal si ...? ¿Qué te parece si ...? ¿Te apetece ...?

Travel and transportation vocabulary: en avión/

barco/autobús/tren/coche/bicicleta, a pie/
caballo, el billete, el boleto, el vuelo, la visa, el
pasaporte, hacer una reservación (reserva)

Trade and industry vocabulary: el comercio, la

agricultura, la industria, la compañía, la
economía, desarrollar, la solicitud de trabajo, la
entrevista

Employment vocabulary

Education vocabulary
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• writing an autobiography and presenting it to the class as a poster or book;
• watching a video or television programme, or listening to a native speaker,
live or on tape, to collect material for a project on a specific topic, then
answering, in Spanish, questions which relate to the topic;
• writing a diary entry, letter, or postcard, using the preterite or imperfect past
tense, describing recent activities;
• role-playing a telephone call and talking about plans for the weekend or
making a date, suggesting possibilities (when, where, why) and responding to
suggestions, for example, ¿Qué tal si ...? ¿Te gustaría ...? ¿Qué te parece si ...?;
• reading and following recipes;
• reading a recipe and telling the class in their own words how to prepare it
(se + present tense);
• reading and responding to a model letter asking for personal information, for
example, about their likes and dislikes, plans, and past events in their lives;
• role-playing a telephone call where the caller describes a new possession and
explains how it works, while the listener asks questions to guess what it is;
• listening to a passage about education in the Hispanic world and answering
questions relating to it, orally or in writing;
• studying and reciting “trabalenguas”(tongue twisters) and “refranes”
(proverbs) and making up new ones;
• making a chart showing comparisons between New Zealanders and Spanish- 55
speaking people — likes, dislikes, interests, and customs, including customs
relating to dating and relationships (les gusta, les interesan, les encanta);
• writing to pen-friends who are students in Spanish-speaking countries;
• updating the posters on colonisation made at level 5, showing dates and
important facts about the independence of these colonies;
• reading a passage about social aspects of Spanish culture and extracting the
main idea in English, or answering questions in English;
• writing letters to organisations such as consulates, embassies, or trade
departments asking for information on schools, student exchanges, study
programmes, education, health, employment, trade, or tourism in Spanish-
speaking countries, and setting up an information booth;
• continuing the historical timeline begun at level 2 to include information on
Spain and the independence of the former Spanish colonies in America;
• making a “chain drill” — ¿Adónde fuiste ayer después de la escuela? Fui a
casa, ¿Dónde vivías cuando eras pequeño? Vivía en Nelson;
• role-playing, in groups, the parts of people at a travel agency organising a trip
to a Spanish-speaking country — making reservations, discussing prices and
dates of travel, and also talking about which country to visit and why;
• making a short oral presentation about a recent holiday or trip;
• filling in a job application form in Spanish and role-playing a job interview;
• writing short passages in the present tense on a computer, then changing to
another computer and putting another student’s passage into the past tense;
• using the computer to produce a Work Wanted advertisement in Spanish,
describing their own talents and qualifications.
 Suggested Assessment Activities
Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can talk about events in the past.

I can talk about likes and dislikes, giving reasons.
I can ask for and give suggestions.
I can accept and refuse, giving reasons.
I can describe how something is done.
I can describe the use of an object.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned and how;
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.
Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress when they are:
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• filling in checklists relating to one another’s language work.
Teacher Assessment
56 Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• listening to a conversation (two young people making a date) and answering
questions on details — when, where, who, feelings of speakers (listening, writing);
• reading and responding in writing to a penfriend’s postcard telling about their
recent holiday and asking about the reader’s (reading, writing);
• replying aloud to spoken remarks, giving an appropriate response, for example,
concern, shared pleasure, interest (listening, speaking);
• completing a conversation by responding to questions in the preterite or imperfect
past tense (listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• reading an advertisement and writing down the main facts given (reading, writing);
• reading or listening to a passage in Spanish (on employment, history, or
education) and answering questions (listening, reading, speaking, writing);
• writing a postcard describing recent activities, using the preterite or imperfect
past tense (writing);
• giving a talk about similarities and differences between New Zealanders and
Spanish-speaking people, using les gusta, les interesa, les encanta (speaking);
• describing an older person as they were when young, or a place as it was fifty
years ago (speaking, writing);
• listening to a conversation between two people talking about their likes and
dislikes and their reasons for these, and answering written questions about what
was said (listening, writing);
• completing a conversation asking for plans, and offering suggestions about them
— ¿Qué tal si vamos al cine? and so on (listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• looking at pictures and explaining how something is done — Se deposita la
moneda ... Se marca el número, and so on (speaking, writing);
• role-playing a phone call telling what they did yesterday (listening, speaking).
Levels 7 and 8: Personal Independence
By the end of level 8

learners can take part in general conversation with native speakers,

understanding most of what is said, and contributing relevant comments.
They can explain and debate about many of their own ideas and opinions,
and use language imaginatively. They can read a variety of authentic
materials on non-specialised topics, and write expressively for a variety of
purposes. They are comfortable interacting with native speakers,
especially those of their own age, in social situations.

57
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 7: Personal Independence

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 7. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:
• interpret selected and adapted media Según el artículo, no habrá escuelas
(newspapers, magazines, television, en el futuro.
video, radio, and popular music); Lo malo es que hay mucha violencia
en este programa.

• give and ask reasons for or against an Deberíamos conducir más. No estoy
idea or activity; de acuerdo. Deberíamos conducir
menos para ahorrar energía.

• understand and respond appropriately Si tenemos tiempo, iremos al café.

to information about actions or events
which are conditional upon other
58
actions or events;

• express and enquire about actions or Si paso el examen, mi padre me

events which are conditional upon comprará un coche.
other actions or events;

• report what someone said or wrote; Mi amigo me dijo que vendría hoy.

• ask someone to do or not do Enciende la luz, por favor. No la

something; apagues todavía.

• understand commands and respond to Ven acá. Ya voy.

them;

• understand and respond appropriately ¿Qué vendrá en el examen?

to expressions of wonder about an
event or activity;

• express wonder about an event or ¿Dónde estarán los chicos?

activity.
Language Level Indicators
In a wide range of contexts and genres, students should be able to:
Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of a range of texts,
appropriately to abstract ideas including texts which convey
expressed in more complex opinions, attitudes, and emotions;
language; • comprehend detail and summarise
• recognise opinions, attitudes, and meaning.
emotions;
• comprehend detail and
summarise meaning.

59
Speaking Writing
• speak confidently and fairly • write longer passages, which have
fluently, using more complex more complex sentences and
language with increasingly paragraphs, with confidence and
accurate pronunciation and increasing fluency and accuracy;
intonation; • write factual and imaginative
• initiate and confidently maintain passages to present ideas,
conversation which may have information, and points of view.
some unpredictable content;
• use various kinds of complex
language to present points of
view.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Socio-economic concerns (unemployment, rural and urban migration, social
welfare, family, education, health, the rights of indigenous peoples) • Roles
of women and men (machismo) • Media and film • Literature • Modern
history (nineteenth and twentieth century) in the Hispanic world
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary

Future tense (estaré, haré)

(regular/irregular forms)

Wonder (¿Qué hora será?)

Conditional tense (estaría, haría)

(regular/irregular forms)

debería + infinitive
(Debería terminar pronto)

Wonder (¿Dónde estaría la llave?)

Future perfect (habré hecho)

Neuter pronouns lo, lo que, esto, eso

Relative pronouns que, cual, donde, quien

60 Possessive pronouns mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, vuestro, (el mío …)

Refranes, dichos, idiomatic expressions

Imperative (commands)
(affirmative/negative)
Formal (Ud/Uds)
Informal (tú/vosotros)

Pronouns with imperative

(Pregúntaselo.)
(No se lo preguntes.)
Media vocabulary: la telenovela, las noticias,
los anuncios publicitarios, el canal, la
pantalla, el corresponsal, la entrevista, el
pronóstico

el desempleo, el paro, los indígenas

Linking expressions a pesar de, por lo tanto, además de, aunque,

sin embargo, según, en cuanto a, con
respecto a

Words for clarifying communication por ejemplo, en otras palabras, lo que quiere
decir es ...
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• preparing questions and interviewing native speakers (possibly exchange
students) on particular cultural, social, or economic issues;
• writing an article based on a given newspaper headline, for example, “Estudiante
descubre un tesoro perdido” or “Estudiante salva la vida del profesor de
español”;
• listening to interviews in Spanish (taped or read aloud) on familiar topics,
identifying the feelings and attitudes of speakers, and comparing these with their
own responses by filling in a grid, for example, Está contento/Le encanta/Le
gusta/No está de acuerdo;
• reading travel brochures, planning an outing, making an itinerary, presenting
this to the class, and saying what will happen and what they will do as a group;
• making a publicity poster or an advertisement, using formal commands to urge
readers to do, see, or buy something;
• reading and summarising short articles or stories, or making editorial comments
on them (acordarse, gustar);
• setting up a reading/reference library in class, including “published” work of
students, and ordering Spanish magazines and newspapers;
• watching a video of a news programme, or a documentary about a social
situation or problem, and discussing (in Spanish) what they have seen (indirect
speech);
• surveying classmates on their preferences in fast food, music, and hobbies, then
reporting the results to the class, using indirect speech;
61
• producing, in class, a soap opera which includes a lot of dramatised emotion;
• playing word games, for example, Hangman, Chain Messages, or Chinese
Whispers around the class — “María dice que ...” (indirect speech);
• making posters featuring important historical identities of Spain and Latin
America (for example, Isabella and Ferdinand, Pancho Villa, Simón Bolivar, Ché
Guevara, Franco, Rey Juan Carlos, Evita Perón);
• reading selected literature, as a class or individually;
• making a bulletin board or scrapbook of articles about the Hispanic world from
New Zealand newspapers and magazines;
• reading a New Zealand newspaper article and reporting in Spanish what it says,
to the class (indirect speech);
• continuing the historical timeline begun at level 2 to include information about
modern history in the Hispanic world;
• making a “chain drill” — ¡Levántate! No quiero levantarme (No voy a
levantarme) ¿Dónde estarás en el año 2000? Estaré en ...;
• attending Spanish film festivals and discussing the films they see;
• watching a video of a popular Hispanic television or music programme and
comparing it with New Zealand television or music;
• researching and writing an essay, in Spanish, comparing the roles of men and
women in New Zealand and Hispanic countries;
• debating for and against an idea or activity, for example, Deberíamos tener clases
el sábado;
• using the computer, in pairs, to type a passage in the present tense, then
changing to another pair’s computer and re-writing their passage, using the
future and conditional tenses;
 • using the computer to type ten media vocabulary words, then exchanging words
with a partner and creating sentences or a short passage with those words;
• using the computer to establish pen-friend links with another New Zealand
school which has Spanish classes.

Suggested Assessment Activities

Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can read and interpret media.

I can talk about events in the future.
I can report what someone said or wrote.
I can talk about events that are conditional upon other events.
I can tell someone to do or not do something.
I can argue for and against an idea or activity.
I can express wonder about an event or activity.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned in a given
period, and how they have learned it, working with partners or in groups;
62
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.

Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress by:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together;
• filling in checklists relating to one another’s language work.

Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• writing interview questions on issues such as smoking, violence, television, or
the interviewee’s music preferences, presenting the interview orally in pairs,
then writing a report in which they analyse the information gained (listening,
speaking, reading, writing);
• making an itinerary which says what certain tourists will do and when they
will do it (speaking, writing);
• matching newspaper articles to headlines (reading);
• rewriting, in the future tense, a paragraph which was written in the present
tense (reading, writing);
• preparing, and presenting to the class, a talk in which they discuss their own
goals and plans, using the future tense (speaking);
• rewriting direct speech as indirect speech, for example, “Hola ¿cómo estás?”
Juan pregunta, becomes: Juan preguntó cómo estaba (reading, writing);
• responding orally to a given stimulus, which could be, Cuando saco una
buena nota en un examen me siento orgulloso, or, Cuando hay un terremoto
tengo miedo (listening, speaking);
• role-playing a telephone call about what activity to do and why (listening,
speaking);
• reading a newspaper or magazine article in Spanish, and answering written
questions on it (reading, writing);
• taking a set of historical events, written in Spanish, and putting them into the
correct sequence (reading);
• answering questions using the conditional, such as ¿Qué harías con mil
dólares? (listening, speaking, reading, writing);
• reading an article or book and saying, or writing in their own words, what it
is about (reading, writing, speaking);
• writing an imaginary horoscope for a friend (writing).

63
 Spanish in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 8: Personal Independence

Achievement Objectives
The communication functions illustrate the communicative competence students should
have at level 8. The language level indicators illustrate the linguistic competence
students should show while performing the communication functions.

Communication Functions Ejemplos

Students should be able to:
• understand, express, and respond Si tuviera dinero, compraría más.
to the consequences of actions Si fueras rico, no trabajarías.
and events (if ... then);

• give, seek, and receive advice; Te aconsejo que veas ese programa.

• recognise, express, and enquire Dudo que tengan este libro.

about the doubt, possibility, Es probable que llueva mañana.
probability, and uncertainty of
Espero que lo haya visto.
actions and events;
64
• make and respond to requests for La profesora quiere que terminemos el
something to be done; proyecto hoy.

• ask and direct others to do No quiero que salgas con ese chico.
something or not to do it, to go Ve a la fiesta, pero no vayas con él.
somewhere or not to go there;

• understand, express, and respond Habrá una cafetería en la escuela.

to a prediction or hypothesis and No creo que tengan bastante dinero.
argue for and against it;

• understand and express Sería bueno que tuviéramos más

advantages and disadvantages, profesores porque habría menos
giving reasons. estudiantes en cada clase.
Language Level Indicators
In a wide range of contexts and genres, students should be able to:

Listening Reading
• understand and respond • get the gist of a wide range of
appropriately to complex texts;
dialogue, narrative, and • recognise fine detail and draw
information; inferences and conclusions.
• interpret opinions, attitudes, and
emotions;
• recognise fine detail and draw
inferences and conclusions.
65
Speaking Writing
• speak confidently and fluently • adapt format, length, and style in
with fairly accurate pronunciation writing to suit both purpose and
and intonation; audience;
• initiate and confidently maintain • write longer factual and
conversation with a variety of imaginative passages in a range
speakers; of genres, with confidence and
• use various kinds of complex fluency.
language structures to present,
argue, and support points of view.

Suggested Socio-cultural Aspects

Hispanic humour contrasted with that of other cultures • Government

systems in New Zealand and the Hispanic world (Spanish monarchy, Latin
American governments) • Religion in the Hispanic world • The
environment • Modern trends in the Hispanic world • Hispanic links
with New Zealand
 Suggested Structures Suggested Vocabulary
Subjunctive forms and mood: espero/quiero/puede/necesito/es
Present subjunctive (hable) importante/es probable/ojalá/tengo miedo
de/no creo (+ que + subjunctive)
Present perfect subjunctive
(haya hablado)
Imperfect subjunctive
(hablara/hablase)
Pluperfect subjunctive
(hubiera/hubiese hablado)

Conditional perfect
(habría hablado)

Sequence of tenses:
(Quiero que vengas.)
(Quería que vinieras.)
(Lo habría hecho si hubiera tenido
más tiempo.)

Prepositions: verbs with soñar con, depender de, consistir en, contar
con, enamorarse de, casarse con, tratar de
verbs without agradecer, lograr, buscar, pagar, mirar

66 Al + verb
(Al ver a Juan, lo saludé.)

Negative conjunctions sino, ni siquiera

Infinitives as nouns
(Ver es creer.)

Passive voice: Ser + past participle

(Fue escrito por ...)
(Ha sido escrito por ...)
(Será escrito por ...)
Politics vocabulary: el partido, el gobierno, el
presidente, el primer ministro, la corte

Religion vocabulary

Environment vocabulary: el medio ambiente,

la ecología, la conservación, la naturaleza

Revision and Extension

Classic “pitfalls” Reflexive verbs and pronouns
Gender/number agreement and exceptions Preterite and imperfect past tenses
Use/non-use of articles Imperative
Personal “a” and verbs with “a” Subjunctive
Irregular verbs (all tenses) Position of pronouns
Position of adjectives False cognates
Ser and estar Use of prepositions (por/para)
Object pronouns (direct/indirect) Words and verbs often confused
Suggested Learning Activities
Students could be learning through:
• chatting spontaneously with “surprise” visitors from Spanish-speaking
countries;
• debating particular social issues, for example, drugs, alcohol, dating, ecology,
driving, or education;
• listening to a Spanish media interview on controversial issues, for example,
drug trafficking, education, or smoking, and then producing a poster showing
their own points of view on the subjects;
• reading and reviewing a song, poem, or short story, and using it as a basis for
creative writing;
• making a brochure outlining the special features of their own town or area,
and telling Spanish speakers to come to New Zealand (using commands), as
well as explaining why they should come;
• producing a video talk show on current issues, including an interview, a
debate, a survey of the audience, and advertisements;
• writing a short piece, in prose or verse, protesting about a social issue;
• making a graffiti board for the class (¡Viva el español! ¡Más vacaciones!
¡Menos tarea!);
• taking part in a home reading programme with reading materials in Spanish;
• making a “Hispanic trivia” poster, showing basic information about a
Spanish-speaking country and noting some of its unique features;
• reading and following a Spanish cartoon series regularly, for example,
“Mafalda”, and creating their own cartoons;
• regularly updating the class history timeline begun at level 2, adding current 67
information about the Spanish-speaking world;
• using information from embassies and consulates (gathered at level 6) to
produce a resource (poster, book, or pamphlet) and presenting it orally, in
Spanish, to the class;
• playing a Hispanic trivia game in teams, making up questions and answers,
for example, ¿Cuántos países hay en Sudamérica? ¿Cómo se escribe la palabra
“izquierda”?;
• playing Escrúpulos (Scruples), giving situations, responding with “sí” or “no”,
arguing points of view, and offering reasons;
• designing and producing a “for or against” advertisement relating to a social
issue (for example, drugs, alcohol, smoking, ecology, or education), using
commands;
• researching the economic, social, and political links between New Zealand
and Spanish-speaking countries through New Zealand government
departments and through embassies and consulates, and presenting
information, in posters and orally, to the class;
• making “chain drills” — ¿Qué quieres que haga yo ahora? Quiero que me
hagas una hamburguesa;
• filling in speech bubbles in a comic strip with humorous exchanges;
• reading Spanish jokes, riddles, and “adivinanzas” to the class and having class
members respond, or guess the answers, in turns;
• using the computer, in groups, to create a class newspaper covering current
affairs, world news, fashion, advertisements, jobs, and horoscopes in Spanish,
then printing the paper for the class to use with follow-up comprehension
activities.
 Suggested Assessment Activities
Self Assessment
Students could monitor their own progress by:
• using a checklist like this one;

I can talk about the consequences of actions and events.

I can give and seek advice.
I can talk about actions and events that may be doubtful, possible,
probable, or uncertain.
I can ask for something to be done.
I can ask or direct someone to do or not to do, to go or not to go.
I can argue for and against a hypothesis.
I can talk about advantages and disadvantages, giving reasons.
I can appreciate Spanish humour.

• describing, in a class diary, what new Spanish they have learned in a given
period, and how they have learned it;
• keeping a folio of their own work up to date.

68 Peer Assessment
Students could monitor one another’s progress by:
• using bilingual vocabulary and phrase tests;
• taking part in guided dialogues;
• doing question and answer tests together;
• doing substitution exercises together;
• working on a computer together;
• filling in checklists relating to one another’s language work.

Teacher Assessment
Teachers could assess students’ progress when students are:
• giving a short, impromptu talk on a current issue (speaking);
• organising and producing a team project, including research, and presenting it
with visual, written, and spoken elements (speaking, reading, writing);
• listening to a taped media interview about modern trends or a controversial
issue in the Hispanic world, and answering written questions about the
interview (listening, reading, writing);
• writing and producing a radio advertisement which uses commands to get
listeners to do something, for example, to conserve energy, to learn another
language, or to vote (writing, speaking);
• listening to a song of protest in Spanish and marking statements about it
“true” or “false” (listening, reading);
• considering a cartoon, then writing a paragraph in which they state the main
points in the cartoon and give their own opinions of it (reading, writing);
• writing a letter to the editor of a Spanish newspaper (or magazine) about one
of their articles which the students have read (reading, writing);
• writing a dialogue in speech bubbles for a comic strip series (writing);
• completing sentences using the subjunctive — Es importante que ... Quiero
que ... Espero que ... (reading, writing);
• talking about the advantages or disadvantages of, for example, wearing a
uniform, attending a single-sex school, or learning another language, giving
their reasons (speaking, writing);
• reading a Hispanic newspaper or magazine article about recent events or
social issues in Spain or Latin America, and answering questions about it
(speaking, reading, writing).

69
 Appendix

Areas of Experience and Topics

Possible areas of experience and related topics are listed here for teachers to
consider. It is not an exhaustive list; teachers and students will have further
ideas for organising language learning programmes. Students should be
encouraged to explore their own interests within a particular focus, and to make
creative links with other areas of the curriculum.
Many of the ideas in this list overlap. Most, however, can be used at any
level and, over the learning period, can be organised to provide a spiral
curriculum. Vocabulary and structures can be revised, reinforced, and extended
as more complex activities are introduced to match the language competence of
students. Open-ended activities within individual topics enable students to work
at their own ability level, and thus cater for multi-level teaching in the classroom.

Suggested areas of experience Suggested topics

Personal and social life personal history

(relations with other people, health and fitness
social attitudes, institutions)
family
family histories
friendships
70
growing up
peer groups
peer relationships
roles and duties
stereotyping
customs and behaviours
festivals and celebrations
religious beliefs
political events
institutions (school, clubs, church)

Everyday activities domestic routines

school routines
hobbies and interests
holiday activities
sports
pets
travel and transport
shopping
entertainment
food, drink, cooking
eating out
Suggested areas of experience Suggested topics
World around us houses and housing
home/town/city
rural/city life
land/sea
industry
local projects
environmental issues
migration
plants/animals
geography
architecture
history
indigenous peoples

World of work family occupations

holiday work
finding jobs
writing letters
local jobs/trades
career plans/hopes
tourism
business projects
71
farming/fishing
unemployment
money/exchange
banking
goods and services

Communications and technology letters

telephoning
postal system
television and radio
print media
comics and cartoons
graffiti
advertising
computers
benefits/problems of technology

International world overseas travel

exchanges
national customs
languages
groups/organisations (United Nations)
co-operation/conflict
contributions to arts, science, technology
 Suggested areas of experience Suggested topics

Imagination and creativity designing/making

music/dance
fashion/jewellery
film/theatre
circus/puppets
street performers
games/toys
folklore/stories
superstitions
fiction/poetry
drawing/painting/
sculpture/pottery
crafts

Cross-curricular content (areas and other languages

topics related to studies in other
art
subjects)
career studies
economics
English
72 environmental studies
geography
history
home economics
music
science
social studies
technology