Grade Three
Proficiency Target: Novice
In third grade, students receive Spanish instruction three times a week for 25 minutes with lessons centered on the essential question: “Who am I? What do we find in our global community?” The cultural contexts for third grade instruction are Spain and China, which parallel the third grade Social Studies curriculum. Students learn the Spanish language and Hispanic culture through direct instruction, stories, poems, songs, games, and activities. Students who meet expectations in third grade can communicate on very familiar topics using a variety of words and phrases that they have practiced and memorized. Students are also beginning to combine words and phrases to create simple sentences, sometimes supported by memorized language. The topics covered in third grade include world geography, fruits and animals from around the world, and more. Students can recognize some familiar words, phrases and simple sentences from these topics when they hear them spoken or see them written. Students can also introduce themselves, say hello and goodbye, express how they are feeling, state additional personal information, indicate likes and dislikes, talk about the weather and seasons, and respond to and ask simple questions.
Units of Study include:
Who are the people and places in my school?
How do I read a map and globe? What is an example of a continent, country, state, city, and town?
What is the culture of Spain?
Where do different types of fruit come from? How can I express my personal preference for fruit? How can I describe the fruits?
What are some of the animals found around the world?
What is the culture of China?