Curriculum Map
Standards, sequence, and assessment — how the whole program fits together
How this program works
This is a proficiency-based, communicative K–8 Spanish sequence. Students learn language by using it — games, songs, movement, role-plays, stories, and projects — not by memorizing rules. Vocabulary and structures spiral: everything taught returns, deepens, and combines in later units and grades, so nothing is learned once and forgotten.
Four commitments
- Age-appropriate always: pre-readers never need text; middle schoolers never get babyish content.
- Culture with respect: traditions are studied through the ACTFL products–practices–perspectives lens, never as costume.
- Every learner: built-in supports for IEP/504 accommodations and extensions for heritage speakers.
- Proof of learning: performance assessment in real communication, not multiple-choice grammar.
Standards alignment
Units align to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards — the five goal areas of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities — with NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do statements as student-facing learning targets. Proficiency levels reference the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (Novice Low through Intermediate Low for this program).
Nine years, one connected journey
| Grade | Year theme | Proficiency target | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | Me & My World | Novice Low | 10 units |
| Grade 1 | Mi Familia y Mis Amigos | Novice Low → Novice Mid | 10 units |
| Grade 2 | Mi Escuela y Mi Comunidad | Novice Mid (emerging) | 10 units |
| Grade 3 | Mi Vida Diaria | Novice Mid | 8 units |
| Grade 4 | Mi Región y Tradiciones | Novice Mid → Novice High | 8 units |
| Grade 5 | Puentes — Building Bridges | Novice High (emerging) | 8 units |
| Grade 6 | Comunicación en Acción | Novice High | 6 units |
| Grade 7 | Historias y Comunidades | Novice High → Intermediate Low | 6 units |
| Grade 8 | Mi Voz en Español | Intermediate Low (exit target) | 6 units |
Elementary units run 3–4 weeks (10 per year in K–2, 8 in 3–5); middle school units run ~6 weeks (6 per year) and end in Integrated Performance Assessments. Exit target of Intermediate Low positions students for second-year high school Spanish.
How learning is assessed
Three modes, every unit
- Interpretive: what can students understand? (listening first; reading from Grade 2)
- Interpersonal: can they hold a real two-way exchange?
- Presentational: can they prepare and share something of their own?
By grade band
- K–2: teacher observation checklists during games and tasks — no tests.
- 3–5: short performance tasks plus a growing portfolio (starts Grade 3, defended Grade 5).
- 6–8: full Integrated Performance Assessments each unit; K–8 portfolio defense and exit IPA in Grade 8 for high school placement.
Built-in differentiation
- Heritage speakers: extension pathways in every unit — interviewing family, leading role-plays, reading beyond grade level. Home varieties of Spanish are treated as an asset.
- IEP/504: every activity has a listening-only entry point, visual supports, sentence frames, and extended-time-friendly design.
- Accessibility: keyboard-navigable interactives, screen-reader labels, audio support for all text.
Program roadmap
- Native-speaker recorded audio to replace browser text-to-speech
- Printable teacher guides and family letters per unit
- Classroom progress tools for teachers
Start exploring
The complete Kindergarten year — all 10 units, 20 interactive lessons — is live — flashcards with audio, a matching game, listening tasks, and take-home activities. It is the production template every grade above will follow, with flashcards and audio, matching games, listening tasks, and take-home activities in every lesson.