3-4 Content Descriptions - Understanding language and culture
Understanding systems of language
recognise and use modelled combinations of sounds, pronunciation and intonation patterns of Spanish to form words and phrases
applying the rules of the silent h as in hamaca, ahora and almohada and recognising that loan words, for example, hotel, hipopótamo, hospital, héroe, hamburguesa, helicóptero also do not pronounce the h as they would in English
recognising and using different intonation for statements, commands, exclamations and questions, for example, Rosa va a la escuela; ¿Rosa va a la escuela?; ¡Vamos todos! ¡Ay, ay, ay!
using knowledge of familiar sounds and patterns to spell new words, for example, predicting how to spell Pablo having first learnt the spelling of hablo, pato and gato, or lápiz and lapicero
playing games, such as Word Bingo and Snap, with more difficult sounds, for example, the letter c in camino/coco compared with cero/ciruela
exploring the function of accents in relation to stress and pronunciation, for example, café, teléfono, árbol
understanding that some letters blend to make single sounds, for example, gu in seguimos or qu in queso
using onomatopoeia during group reading and spoken text, for animal sounds, actions and reactions, for example, Achís, Auuuu, Boing
recognise Spanish language conventions, grammatical structures and basic syntax in familiar texts and contexts
using personal pronouns, for example, yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ellos/as
exploring the use and omission of subject pronouns by looking at verb endings and conjugations, for example, tengo instead of Yo tengo; Vivo en Australia. Estudio en la escuela. (Ella) Es Lourdes.
identifying the use of familiar singular, plural and gender forms in simple sentences, for example, La motocicleta es negra, Los pantalones son verdes, Los niños están felices
using some possessive adjectives in familiar singular and plural forms, for example, nuestra clase, vuestra escuela, tu abuela, mis amigos, tus compañeros
identifying some nouns (from a list) that do not follow the regular masculine/feminine ending pattern, for example, el mapa, el problema, la mano
using numbers in context to indicate quantity, tell the time, dates and ages, noticing patterns, for example, tengo cinco amigas, Son las tres en punto, Hoy es veintiuno de agosto, Tengo nueve años
- applying modelled punctuation and capitalisation rules when writing, for example, exclamation marks; comparing capitalisation in Spanish and English, for example, nationalities
specifying location or direction using prepositions such as en, encima, debajo, a la izquierda and a la derecha, for example, La vaca está en la granja
using and responding to imperatives to follow instructions and ask others to do something, for example, date prisa, colorea el dibujo, abre tu libro
using question words in modelled structures to seek information, for example, ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Dónde está tu casa? ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? ¿Quién es tu mejor amigo?
using a range of adjectives to describe appearance and to express feelings or personality, for example, extraño, fantástico, estupendo, serio, responsable, inteligente
using common verbs in familiar contexts, for example, ser and estar, dormir, estudiar and cantar
using adverbs to locate events in time, for example, hoy, ayer, mañana, to describe weather, Hoy hace calor, and to name days of the week, Mañana es lunes
linking simple ideas using conjunctions, such as y, o and pero
recognise familiar Spanish language features and compare with those of English, in known contexts
building metalanguage to talk about grammar and vocabulary singular, plural, masculino, femenino, artículo, adjetivo, sinónimo … and comparing with equivalent terms in English
recognising similarities and differences between spoken and written forms of different types of texts in both Spanish and English, for example, comparing a written story with a spoken one or a letter with a phone call
comparing features of similar texts in Spanish and English, for example, greeting cards, interactive games or canteen menus, and discussing the use of words, expressions and word order
recognising language of familiarity and how the language of texts such as invitations, apologies or greeting cards may vary, depending on the relationship between the sender and the receiver
using English punctuation knowledge to apply to Spanish texts, for example, commas, semicolons, capital letters for start of sentence and proper nouns, and to compare the use of exclamation and question marks
beginning to recognise Spanish cognate patterns, for example, the common Spanish and English suffix –ción/ tion used to form noun versions of verbs, acción/action, celebración/celebration, condición/condition, nación/nation, and ficción/fiction
Understanding the interrelationship of language and culture
identify connections between Spanish language and cultural practices
- using terms such as identity, behaviour, celebrations and beliefs to talk about language and culture, for example, responding to prompts such as What does it mean when…? Why do you think people…? Do you have similar responses or behaviours?
- expressing their reactions to ways of communicating or behaving in Spanish that feel familiar, unfamiliar, enjoyable or difficult, for example, gestures such as a handshake, kiss on the cheek, and identifying similarities and differences with their own culture(s)
- reflecting on how they communicate with family and friends and with people less close to them, noticing differences in language use and forms of politeness, for example, with young children or with unfamiliar adults
- exploring representations of information used in cultural expressions of First Nations Australians and making connections with those of Spanish language and culture, for example, discovering different regional words used by First Nations groups to identify themselves, such as Zenadth Kes, Koori, Koorie, Noongar and Nunga, and finding out if similar identification occurs in Spanish-speaking cultural groups
- understanding that language carries information about the people who use it, and that common expressions and conventions often reflect cultural values, for example, the explicit expression of affection reflected in the use of diminutives primita, mami, papito, hermanito, and the importance of cultural beliefs reflected in the use of names with religious associations such as Rosario, Mercedes, Pilar
- finding examples of words and expressions that have been introduced into the Spanish language in recent times, reflecting changes in interests and access to additional cultural experiences, for example, Hacer zapping, cambiar de look, hacer footing, ir al super