Spanish
Introduction
Working within the framework provided for by the syllabus for the teaching and examining of Spanish at Leaving Certificate level the aims of the Spanish Department can best be outlined as follows:
1. To introduce the students to the target language as a living and vibrant method of communication thus helping them to appreciate a culture other than their own.
2. To enable the students to acquire the necessary communicative skills that will allow them to
- take full part in classroom activities in the target language
- participate in everyday transactions and interactions
- extract information from and to interpret the various mass media organs
- make further study and or possible career paths through the medium of their chosen target language a realistic option.
To achieve the above aims the students must be facilitated to develop a critical awareness of how meaning is organised and conveyed by the structures and vocabulary of the target language and to develop an understanding of language in general.
Our aim is to continue and develop the aspects and aims of the Junior Cycle Programme and to develop skills in the following four areas leading to proficiency in all areas of the target language and to succeed in Leaving Certificate Examination.
- Oral Proficiency in a range of personal, social, cultural and topical areas.
- Aural Proficiency. The ability to listen to and answer questions on a wide variety of auditory stimuli.
- Comprehension Proficiency. The students must be able to read, interpret, extract and manipulate texts ranging from literary to contemporary journalism and answer the questions in the target language.
- Written Production Proficiency. The student must be able to react to a given stimulus in grammatically correct everyday Spanish. These stimuli cover the whole range of written production from formal to informal letters, to notes, messages, e-mail, diary entries, dialogues and personal opinions.
There are some books that the students may purchase:
- Oral Proficiency El español bien hablado or Shortcuts to success: The Spanish Oral
- Aural Proficiency ¡Vamos a escuchar! 2
- Prescribed Literature Diario de un náufrago (optional)
- Core Text Book Venga
Supplementary Material Past Examination Papers Additional material used in class will be photocopied throughout Senior Cycle.
Assessment
Assessment at Leaving Certificate consists of an oral examination followed by an aural examination. The written examination is at two levels and includes reading, comprehension and written production. The primary difference between levels is the marking structure used.
Level | Higher Level | Ordinary Level |
Written | 55% | 55% |
Oral | 25% | 20% |
Aural | 20% | 25% |
5th Year
Term 1
Topics | Oral Communication | Grammar | Vocabulary |
Así soy yo |
Role-play 1: Alojamiento Describing yourself |
The present tense The present continuous Adjectives Interrogatives |
How to write informal letters or emails
|
La vida familiar |
Describing your family Family life Talking about chores |
Ser vs Estar Comparative and superlative adjectives Possessive adjectives |
Informal letters/e-mails How to write a diary entry |
La cultura juvenil |
Describing your friends Talking about the weekends Conversations in the past tense |
The preterite |
Informal letters/e-mails How to write a diary entry Translating a dialogue |
Term 2 & 3
Topics | Oral Communication | Grammar | Vocabulary |
Los pasatiempos |
Role-play 2: El portátil roto Describing your hobbies and pastimes |
|
Translating a dialogue Diary entry |
Donde vivo |
Describing your home, area, town or city |
The imperfect tense Prepositions Demonstrative adjectives |
Diary entry How to write your opinion |
El instituto |
Role-play 3: Un cámper Talking about school, subjects, uniform, school rules Describing your daily routine |
Gustar and verbs like gustar Verbs of obligation |
How to write your opinion |
Learning outcomes: By the end of Term 1, students will:
• have performed Role play 1
• be able to talk about themselves, their families and household chores
• be able to talk about their friends
• have understood, described and discussed about family values in Spain and Ireland
• have understood, described and discussed about young people in Spain and Ireland
• have consolidated Comparisons, Adjective endings, Possessive Adjectives, Present tense
• have consolidated the new information learned about time expressions and Preterite
• be able to write diary entries, informal letters and dialogues
By the end of Terms 2 and 3, students will:
• have performed Role plays 2 and 3
• be able to talk about their hobbies
• be able to talk about their homes and their area
• be able to talk about their school subjects, their school facilities and their teachers
• be able to talk about their daily routine
• have understood, described and discussed about country life versus city life
• have understood, described and discussed about bullying
• have consolidated Prepositions, Demonstrative Adjectives, Gustar and verbs like gustar
• have consolidated the new information learned about the Imperfect tense
• have consolidated the new information learned about Verbs of obligation
• have revised Reflexive verbs
• be able to write opinion pieces
6th Year
Term 1
Topics | Oral Communication | Grammar | Vocabulary |
Las vacaciones | Role-play 4: El medioambiente Describing your holidays and plans for next summer | El futuro El condicional | Diary entry Writing your opinion Dialogues |
La tecnología | Role-play 5: Avería de coche Talking about your internet usage | Por vs para Imperative | Formal letters |
La salud | Describing the food you like to eat | Obejct pronouns | Formal letters Writing your opinion |
Term 2 & 3
Topics | Oral Communication | Grammar | Vocabulary |
El mundo laboral | Describing your part-time job Talking about your plans for the future | The imperative | Diary entry Writing your opinion |
La moda | Describing your clothes and style | The present subjunctive | How to write a note |
Temas de actualidad | Debating current affairs issues Talking about learning to drive | The imperfect subjunctive Si clauses | Informal letters/e-mails Diary entry Writing your opinion Dialogues |
Learning outcomes: By the end of Term 1, students will:
• have performed Role plays 4 and 5
• be able to talk about their holidays and memories
• be able to talk about their future plans
• be able to talk about their food habits
• have understood, described and discussed about various environmental issues
• have understood, described and discussed about technological and scientific advances and their impact in students’ own lives
• have revised Future tense
• have consolidated the new information learnt about por and para
• have consolidated the new information learnt about the Conditional tense
• have consolidated the new information learnt about the Object pronouns
• be able to write formal letters
By the end of Terms 2 and 3, students will:
• be able to talk about their work experiences
• be able to talk about their school uniform and clothes they wear
• have understood, described and discussed about a number of social issues such as immigration, homeless people and fast fashion
• have understood, describe and discussed about the current economic situation in Europe
• have consolidated the new information learned about the Imperative
• have consolidated the new information learned about Subjunctive
• be able to write messages
Useful Links
https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Senior-cycle/Senior-Cycle-Subjects/Spanish/