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:
- Identities
- Experiences
- Human ingenuity
- Social organisation
- 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 work | Key Episodes / Questions | Additional Details | Length of time. | Possible Symbol? | Learner Attribute(s) |
| Unit 1 – IDENTITY Personal attributes | Age | Grammar: Key verb ‘SER’ Pronunciation and intonation Numbers Agreements TEXT – letter | 3 weeks | Waving hand | Risk-taker |
| Date of birth | |||||
| Languages | |||||
| Nationalities | |||||
| Greeting | |||||
| Family members | |||||
| Unit 2 – IDENTITY Personal Relationships | Physical description | Agreements Present tense regular Pronominal verbs TEXT: Diary | 3 weeks | Heart | Caring |
| Personality | |||||
| Clothes | |||||
| Family members | |||||
| Professions | |||||
| Unit 3 – EXPERIENCE Daily Routine | Days of the week | Reflexive verbs Sequencing events Adverbs of time Verb soler TEXT: Timetable | 3 weeks | Clock | Balanced |
| The home | |||||
| Dates | |||||
| Telling the time | |||||
| Daily routine | |||||
| Unit 4 – IDENTITIES Food and Drink | Description | Imperative Modal verbs Agreements Quantities TEXT: recipe, formal letter | 3 weeks | Apple | Open-minded |
| Food and drink | |||||
| Instructions | |||||
| Ordering at a restaurant | |||||
| Health and diet | |||||
| Unit 5 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION My neighbourhood | City and town | Agreements Prepositions Ser vs estar IR + preposition TEXT: social media post | 3 weeks | House | Knowledgeable |
| Directions | |||||
| Buildings | |||||
| Types of housing | |||||
| Public transportation | |||||
| Unit 6 – SHARING THE PLANET Climate and Geography | Weather phrases | Hay vs está vs es Preterite Adverbs of time TEXT: brochure | 3 weeks | Raincloud | Principled |
| Current weather conditions | |||||
| Natural catastrophes | |||||
| Climate | |||||
| Unit 7 – EXPERIENCES Holidays | Modes of transport | Preterite and imperfect Future tense Conjuctions Time expressions TEXT: blog | 3 weeks | Aeroplane | Reflective |
| Types of destination | |||||
| Holiday inquiries | |||||
| Location facilities | |||||
| Making reservations | |||||
| Past trips | |||||
| Unit 8 – EXPERIENCES Leisure and Entertainment | Sports centres | Preterite – irregular Gustar + adverbs of quantity Adverbs of negation Negative sentences TEXT: interview | 3 weeks | Football | Communicator |
| Clubs and teams | |||||
| TV | |||||
| Types of sport | |||||
| Recreational activies | |||||
| Unit 9 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION Education | School subjects | Comparatives Superlatives Conditional tense TEXT: proposal | 3 weeks | School | Inquirer |
| Teachers | |||||
| Clothing and uniforms | |||||
| Educational Systems | |||||
| Unit 10 – EXPERIENCES Celebrations | Cultural events | Modal verbs Stem-changing verbs Impersonal verbs Superlative -ísimo TEXT: travel guide | 3 weeks | Party hat | Inquirer |
| Recreational activies | |||||
| Festivals | |||||
| Unit 11 – IDENTITIES Wellbeing | Fitness and health | Perfect tense The verb doler Modal verbs Gving advice Expressing obligation Expressing prohibition TEXT: poster | 3 weeks | Stethoscope | Balanced |
| Body parts | |||||
| Illnesses | |||||
| Addition | |||||
| Lifestyle | |||||
| At the doctors | |||||
| Health and diet |
| Unit / Block of work | Key Episodes / Questions | Additional details | Length of time. | Possible Symbol? | Learner Attribute(s) |
| Unit 12 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION Shopping and Markets | Types of shops | Ordinal numbers Diminutives Direct object pronouns Impersonal verbs TEXT: advert | 3 weeks | Euro sign | Knowledgeable |
| Online shopping | |||||
| Purchases and payments | |||||
| Markets | |||||
| Transactions | |||||
| Products | |||||
| Unit 13 – HUMAN INGENUITY Technology and Social Media | Friends, community and family | Expressing and constrasting opinions Expressing agreement and disagreement TEXT: social media post | 5 weeks | iPhone | Balanced |
| Internet and social media | |||||
| Relationships among online users | |||||
| Unit 14 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION World of Work | Places of work | Pluperfect Review of all verbs Connectives Subjunctive + future TEXT: personal statement / CV | 5 weeks | Handshake | Relfective |
| Jobs | |||||
| Professsional language | |||||
| Applying for jobs | |||||
| Unemployment | |||||
| Unit 15 – HUMAN INGENUITY Entertainment and Media | Everyday technology | Subjunctive with verbs of desire Prepositions for description Possessive pronouns TEXT: film review | 5 weeks | A film camera | Open-minded |
| TV and Radio | |||||
| The internet | |||||
| Film types | |||||
| Film reviews | |||||
| Unit 16 – SOCIAL ORGANISATION Global and Social Issues | Environment | Expressing cause and effect Conditional statements TEXT: Speech | 8 weeks | A globe | Balanced 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 | 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 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) |