Spanish Ab

 

Spanish ab Initio is a two-year course which will provide students with the necessary skills and intercultural understanding to enable them to communicate successfully in an environment where the language studied is spoken.

Offered at SL only, language ab initio is a language acquisition course designed for students with no previous experience in – or very little exposure to – the target language. Spanish ab initio students develop their receptive, productive and interactive skills while learning to communicate in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Students develop the ability to communicate through the study of language, themes and texts.

There are five prescribed themes:

  1. Identities
  2. Experiences
  3. Human ingenuity
  4. Social organisation
  5. Sharing the planet.

 

They will be assessed regularly on the 4 equally weighted skills of Speaking / Reading / Writing and Listening.

Please click on the arrow for a detailed breakdown:

Unit / Block of workKey Episodes / QuestionsAdditional DetailsLength of time.Possible Symbol?Learner Attribute(s)
Unit 1 – IDENTITY
Personal attributes 
AgeGrammar:
Key verb ‘SER’
Pronunciation and intonation
Numbers
Agreements
TEXT – letter
3 weeksWaving handRisk-taker
Date of birth
Languages
Nationalities
Greeting
Family members
Unit 2 – IDENTITY
Personal Relationships
Physical descriptionAgreements
Present tense regular
Pronominal verbs
TEXT: Diary
3 weeksHeartCaring
Personality
Clothes
Family members
Professions
Unit 3 – EXPERIENCE
Daily Routine
Days of the weekReflexive verbs
Sequencing events
Adverbs of time
Verb soler
TEXT: Timetable
3 weeksClockBalanced
The home
Dates
Telling the time
Daily routine
Unit 4 – IDENTITIES
Food and Drink
DescriptionImperative
Modal verbs
Agreements
Quantities
TEXT: recipe, formal letter
3 weeksAppleOpen-minded
Food and drink
Instructions
Ordering at a restaurant
Health and diet
Unit 5 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION
My neighbourhood
City and townAgreements
Prepositions
Ser vs estar
IR + preposition
TEXT: social media post
3 weeksHouseKnowledgeable
Directions
Buildings
Types of housing
Public transportation
Unit 6 – SHARING THE PLANET
Climate and Geography
Weather phrasesHay vs está vs es
Preterite
Adverbs of time
TEXT: brochure
3 weeksRaincloudPrincipled
Current weather conditions
Natural catastrophes
Climate
Unit 7 – EXPERIENCES
Holidays
Modes of transportPreterite and imperfect
Future tense
Conjuctions
Time expressions
TEXT: blog
3 weeksAeroplaneReflective
Types of destination
Holiday inquiries
Location facilities
Making reservations
Past trips
Unit 8 – EXPERIENCES
Leisure and Entertainment
Sports centresPreterite – irregular
Gustar + adverbs of quantity
Adverbs of negation
Negative sentences
TEXT: interview
3 weeksFootballCommunicator
Clubs and teams
TV
Types of sport
Recreational activies
Unit 9 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION
Education
School subjectsComparatives
Superlatives
Conditional tense
TEXT: proposal
3 weeksSchoolInquirer
Teachers
Clothing and uniforms
Educational Systems
Unit 10 – EXPERIENCES
Celebrations
Cultural eventsModal verbs
Stem-changing verbs
Impersonal verbs
Superlative -ísimo
TEXT: travel guide
3 weeksParty hatInquirer
Recreational activies
Festivals
Unit 11 – IDENTITIES
Wellbeing
Fitness and healthPerfect tense
The verb doler
Modal verbs
Gving advice
Expressing obligation
Expressing prohibition
TEXT: poster
3 weeksStethoscope Balanced
Body parts
Illnesses
Addition
Lifestyle
At the doctors
Health and diet
Unit / Block of workKey Episodes / QuestionsAdditional detailsLength of time.Possible Symbol?Learner Attribute(s)
Unit 12 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION
Shopping and Markets
Types of shopsOrdinal numbers
Diminutives
Direct object pronouns
Impersonal verbs
TEXT: advert
3 weeksEuro signKnowledgeable
Online shopping
Purchases and payments
Markets
Transactions
Products
Unit 13 – HUMAN INGENUITY
Technology and Social Media
Friends, community and familyExpressing and constrasting opinions
Expressing agreement and disagreement
TEXT: social media post
5 weeksiPhoneBalanced
Internet and social media
Relationships among online users
Unit 14 –  SOCIAL ORGANISATION
World of Work
Places of workPluperfect
Review of all verbs
Connectives
Subjunctive + future
TEXT: personal statement / CV
5 weeksHandshakeRelfective
Jobs
Professsional language
Applying for jobs
Unemployment
Unit 15 – HUMAN INGENUITY
Entertainment and Media
Everyday technologySubjunctive with verbs of desire
Prepositions for description
Possessive pronouns
TEXT: film review
5 weeksA film cameraOpen-minded
TV and Radio
The internet
Film types
Film reviews
Unit 16 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION
Global and Social Issues
EnvironmentExpressing cause and effect
Conditional statements
TEXT: Speech
8 weeksA globeBalanced
Caring
Technology and the environment
Global issues and solutions
Social issues and solutions

IB1 – IB Spanish Ab initio – Panorama

Main Vocabulary Themes

Identities: Personal Attributes

Age

Date of birth

Languages

Nationalities

Greetings

Family (introduction)

 

Identities: Personal Relationships

Physical description

Personality

Clothes

Family (continuation)

Professions

 

Experiences: Daily Routine

Days of the week

At home

Dates

Time

 

Identities: Food and Drink

Quantity

Food

Instructions to cook

Restaurants

Health and diet

 

Social Organisation: My Neighbourhood

City and town

Directions

Buildings

Types of housing

Public transportation

 

Text types:

Map

Interview

List

Notes

Diary

Article

Informal letter

E-mail

How we share the planet: Climate & Physical Geography

Seasons

Impact of climate on daily life

Geographical features

Meteorological conditions

 

Experiences: Holidays

Human Ingenuity: Transportation

Means of transport

Types of destinations

Holiday inquiries facilities

Reservations

 

Experiences: Leisure & Entertainment

Sport centres

Clubs and teams

TV

Types of sport

Recreational activities

 

Social Organisation: Education

Subjects

Teachers

Clothes

Educational systems

 

Experiences: Celebrations

Cultural events

Recreational activities

Festivals

 

 

 

Text types:

Blog

Brochure

Leaflet/Pamphlet

Poster

Postcard

Formal letter

Advertisement

Invitation

 

Social Organisation: My Neighbourhood

Types of shops

Online shopping

Purchases / payments

Markets

Transactions

Products

 

Identities: Physical Wellbeing / Food & Drink

Fitness and good health

Parts of the body

Illnesses

Addiction

Lifestyle

Remedies / medicines

Health and diet

 

Identities: Personal Relationships

Human Ingenuity: Media & Technology

Friends, community and family

Internet and social media

Relationships among online users

 

 

Text types:

Interview

E-mail
Questionnaire

Survey

Website

Presentation

 

Main Assessment

Listening: 1 extract 

Reading: 1 text

Writing: 1 Question, known text type

Oral assessment: one picture to describe (3 prepared at home).

 

Listening: 2 extracts 

Reading: 2 texts

Writing: 1 Question w/choice of text types

Oral assessment: 2 unseen pictures to describe (students pick one).

Listening: Full Paper 

Reading: Full Paper

Writing: 2 Questions

Oral assessment: 2 unseen pictures to describe (students pick one).

Skills

Using a mark-scheme to identify opportunities for improvement (All skills, esp. Writing & Speaking in term 1)

 

Comparing weather in the Middle East and European countries (Climate)

 

Comparing and contrasting cultural differences around the world (Celebrations, cultural holidays)

 

Researching unfamiliar cultures and systems, and presenting findings (Spanish education system vs. others)

Analysing and identifying the key points of a visual stimulus (Oral Cards)

 

Combing and differentiating between fundamental linguistic concepts (Imperfect vs. Perfect tense)

Justifying choices with regards to personal and physical health (Healthy living & diets)

 

 

 

IB2 – IB Spanish Ab initio – Panorama

Main Vocabulary Themes

 

Social Organisation: Workplace

Places of work

Professional Language

Applying for jobs

 

Human Ingenuity: Technology, Entertainment & Media

Everyday technology

TV & Radio

The Internet

Film types, reviews & ratings

 

Text types:

Review

Interview

Chat

 

How we share the planet: Environment & Global Issues

Social Organisation: Social Issues

Environmental Challenges

Technology and the Environment

Global Issues & Solutions

Social Issues & Solutions

 

Revision of all topics

 

Use of Past Papers for revision

 

Text types:

Speech

Report

Proposal

Examination takes place in May

Main Assessment

Mock Examinations:

Listening, Reading Writing Full Papers

Full individual oral

Past paper practice

Listening, Reading Writing Full Papers

 Examination in May

 

Skills

 

 

Evaluating and presenting critical opinions (Film reviews)

Reflecting upon personal skills and attributes for the future (Workplace)

 

Highlighting strengths and weaknesses in preparation for final exams and targeted revision

 

 

Comprehend and apply different revision strategies to all skills

 

Collaborating with peers in order to practice key skills (Speaking and writing)