In this THREE-week interactive, semester-long Spanish course, we will meet as a group FOUR time to develop the ability to understand and communicate in Spanish while playing games and having a ton of fun through reading short stories and class novels. Here is what you can expect throughout the course.

Hola! Welcome to my Spanish  course. This course will be great for students that have had TWO years of exposure to Spanish. Students will be able to read, write, speak, and listen in Spanish at an intermediate level after completing this course. I also offer 1:1 private tutoring if they need extra live help. I also offer a full curriculum for Spanish 2 and 3 if you wish to continue down the path of learning Spanish.

I use Google Slides to teach this unit. Students do not to have  previous knowledge of Spanish to join this class.  I teach with a focus on Comprehensible Input and not grammar since that is not how language is naturally acquired.  Comprehensible input Spanish readers are a game changer in the classroom. Leveled readers in Spanish tell captivating stories and incorporate repetition of high-frequency language making them an extremely effective way to engage students.  We will read a novel entirely in Spanish, have discussions in Spanish and play games/activities to expose students to the target language. Some fun traditional games that we will play are Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect 4, Sorry, Snakes and Ladders and Pictionary. The focus will be on developing skills in the areas of listening, speaking and reading.  

The focus will be on developing skills in the areas of listening, speaking and reading. Class novels and games/activities will be used to expose students to the target language. Please note that it is important for your child to be willing to repeat the Spanish words during class, and practice saying them with me in the lessons.
There are TWO class novels for this class.  They are called Minerva and La Vida Y Muerte de La Salvatruchas.  They are perfect novels to learn Spanish because they are filled with common repetitive phrases, structures and vocabulary words to help students acquire the language. 

Minerva Book Description-Minerva Mirabal relentlessly fought for justice for the people of the Dominican Republic, and didn't back down even in the face of death.

Even as a young girl growing up in Ojo de Agua, Dominican Republic, Minerva Mirabal had a keen sense of justice and was never afraid to stand up for the powerless. Not surprisingly, the tenacious young woman became a lawyer and an activist. However, as the threats of a tyrannical dictatorship edged closer to her own home and family, her refusal to be silent became more dangerous. This is the inspiring account of one woman and her sisters, the “Butterflies,” who defied their fear and raised their voices, courageously becoming an inspiration to the world.

This Comprehension-based™ reader, ‘Minerva’, strategically weaves high-level language structures into a compelling story, based on high-frequency vocabulary. Even upper-level language students need repeated exposure to language structures in order to acquire them, and Fluency Matters’ intermediate readers maintain a high-frequency factor of high-level language structures, thus helping learners progress beyond typical proficiency levels. But do not focus on language structures or the advanced grammatical features embedded in this story.


La Vida Y Muerte de La Salvatruchas Book Description
Being born into a violent Los Angeles gang is tough. Escaping it might be impossible.
This compelling drama recounts life (and death) in one of the most violent and well-known gangs in Los Angeles, La Mara Salvatrucha. Joining MS-13 brings certain gang-related responsibilities, but being born into La Salvatrucha requires much more. Sometimes it even requires your life! This is a gripping story of one gang member’s struggle to find freedom.

Note: Although this is not a true story, it is inspired by true events. It neither glorifies gang life nor promotes it. On the contrary, it paints a realistic picture of the pain, suffering, and stress that gang life naturally causes and compels the reader to consider the human condition as it relates to our need for love, friendship, belonging, and forgiveness.

This Comprehension-based™ reader, ‘Vida y Muerte en la Mara Salvatrucha’, strategically weaves high-level language structures into a compelling story, based on high-frequency vocabulary. Even upper-level language students need repeated exposure to language structures in order to acquire them, and Fluency Matters’ intermediate readers maintain a high frequency factor of high-level language structures, thus helping learners progress beyond typical proficiency levels.

Class Novel 1-Minerva

Class 1- Intro and review of Spanish  basics. 
Students will read and discuss Chapters 1-3 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. Students will learn about the Dominican Republic during this novel. Students will learn how to form the future and conditional verb tenses.

Class 2- Students will read and discuss Chapter 4-6 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. Students will learn how to form the future and conditional verb tenses.

Class 3- Students will read and discuss Chapter 7-8 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. Students will learn how to form the future and conditional verb tenses.

Class 4- Students will read and discuss Chapter 9-10 of the novel.Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. Students will learn how to form the future and conditional verb tenses.

Class 5- Students will read and discuss Chapter 11-12 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 

Class 6- Students will read and discuss Chapter 13-14 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. Students will be provided an optional writing assessment over the book.

Class 7-  Students will read and discuss Chapters Prologue-2 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 

Class 8 - Students will read and discuss Chapters 3-5 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 

Class 9- Students will read and discuss Chapters 6-8 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 

Class 10 - Students will read and discuss Chapters 9-11 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 

Class 11 - Students will read and discuss Chapters 12-14 of the novel. Practice vocabulary and structures in a variety of fun and engaging activities. 
 
Class 12- An intense review of the novels and grammar topics during our last class. Students will be provided an optional writing assessment over the book.