Wyoming's New Middle School Spanish Curriculum Available on Curriki
Pacific Northwest Council for Languages, Vol 8, No. 3, May 2008
Free Spanish Materials
by Ann Tollefson, PNCFL Representative to JNCL-NCLIS
If you’ve been looking for challenging content-based materials for your classes, you should check out Wyoming’s new middle-school Spanish curriculum and curricular materials available on the nonprofit Web site Curriki. Educators can download these materials for free. They can be used as is or adapted for other students, programs, and grade levels.
How and why were these materials developed? In 2004, the Wyoming legislature appropriated $5 million to establish a five-year K-6 foreign language pilot program. The pilot, now in its fourth year, provides content-based Spanish instruction to over nine thousand elementary students. Spanish-speaking paraprofessionals use the Salsa DVD program, available through Georgia Public Broadcasting, as the basis of the K-2 curriculum. Paraprofessionals in grades 3-5 video conference two hours each week to practice their lessons and teach a content-based program based on the KITE-LL program developed in South Carolina. The available time for language instruction varies from 60 to 120 minutes per week. A task force of Wyoming teachers developed the new sixth grade materials with funding from the legislature’s pilot program. Classrooms across the state are currently field testing the materials. What is Curriki, and why are the materials posted there? Curriki, a nonprofit organization, provides open-source curriculum. The organization began as a way to help underprivileged schools access high quality curricular materials. You can become a member of Curriki and collaborate with colleagues around the world by sharing materials and ideas. You don’t have to be a member, though, to download the materials. What topics do the materials cover? Unit 1 focuses on food, health, and nutrition and also includes Day of the Dead. Unit 2 discusses community and professions, and unit 3 covers leisure activities and entertainment. Students learn travel and places in unit 4. Under what conditions can you download these materials? The materials are offered as a service to the profession. The Wyoming task force asks that those who download the units share how they liked the materials, what changes they made (if any), and what they would improve. Educators can share their thoughts on the Curriki site by clicking on the “comments” tab. Will materials for other grade levels be available at the Curriki Web site? The Wyoming task force is currently developing materials for seventh and eighth grades with funding from the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP). The seventh-grade materials will be posted early in the 2008-09 school year, and the eighth-grade materials will be available the following year. What about culture? Are assessments included? As an essential part of the language learning experience, each unit weaves culture into activities, formative and summative assessments, and interdisciplinary activities. Each unit also includes performance-based assessments. In addition, the materials overview includes a list of ideas for formative assessments. Who served on the Wyoming task force to develop the curriculum? The task force included: Anna Denardi, K-12 Guernsey- Sunrise Schools; Maria Garcia, K-6 Spanish paraprofessional in Casper; Nohemi Grubbs, K-6 Spanish paraprofessional in Saratoga; Kelly Ferguson, Uinta County School District #1 in Evanston; Brandee Mau, Campbell County School District in Gillette; Jill Hollandsworh-Pomroy, Natrona County School District in Casper; Dr. Carolyn Taylor, University of Wyoming College of Education; and Leslie Vandeventer, Natrona County School District in Casper. Ann Tollefson served as the project director, and Greg Duncan served as the primary consultant. Cassandra Celaya, a K-6 paraprofessional trainer and mentor, was the principal editor. Download the units now at http://wyoming-middleschool-spanish.groups.curriki.org
If you’ve been looking for challenging content-based materials for your classes, you should check out Wyoming’s new middle-school Spanish curriculum and curricular materials available on the nonprofit Web site Curriki. Educators can download these materials for free. They can be used as is or adapted for other students, programs, and grade levels.
How and why were these materials developed? In 2004, the Wyoming legislature appropriated $5 million to establish a five-year K-6 foreign language pilot program. The pilot, now in its fourth year, provides content-based Spanish instruction to over nine thousand elementary students. Spanish-speaking paraprofessionals use the Salsa DVD program, available through Georgia Public Broadcasting, as the basis of the K-2 curriculum. Paraprofessionals in grades 3-5 video conference two hours each week to practice their lessons and teach a content-based program based on the KITE-LL program developed in South Carolina. The available time for language instruction varies from 60 to 120 minutes per week. A task force of Wyoming teachers developed the new sixth grade materials with funding from the legislature’s pilot program. Classrooms across the state are currently field testing the materials. What is Curriki, and why are the materials posted there? Curriki, a nonprofit organization, provides open-source curriculum. The organization began as a way to help underprivileged schools access high quality curricular materials. You can become a member of Curriki and collaborate with colleagues around the world by sharing materials and ideas. You don’t have to be a member, though, to download the materials. What topics do the materials cover? Unit 1 focuses on food, health, and nutrition and also includes Day of the Dead. Unit 2 discusses community and professions, and unit 3 covers leisure activities and entertainment. Students learn travel and places in unit 4. Under what conditions can you download these materials? The materials are offered as a service to the profession. The Wyoming task force asks that those who download the units share how they liked the materials, what changes they made (if any), and what they would improve. Educators can share their thoughts on the Curriki site by clicking on the “comments” tab. Will materials for other grade levels be available at the Curriki Web site? The Wyoming task force is currently developing materials for seventh and eighth grades with funding from the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP). The seventh-grade materials will be posted early in the 2008-09 school year, and the eighth-grade materials will be available the following year. What about culture? Are assessments included? As an essential part of the language learning experience, each unit weaves culture into activities, formative and summative assessments, and interdisciplinary activities. Each unit also includes performance-based assessments. In addition, the materials overview includes a list of ideas for formative assessments. Who served on the Wyoming task force to develop the curriculum? The task force included: Anna Denardi, K-12 Guernsey- Sunrise Schools; Maria Garcia, K-6 Spanish paraprofessional in Casper; Nohemi Grubbs, K-6 Spanish paraprofessional in Saratoga; Kelly Ferguson, Uinta County School District #1 in Evanston; Brandee Mau, Campbell County School District in Gillette; Jill Hollandsworh-Pomroy, Natrona County School District in Casper; Dr. Carolyn Taylor, University of Wyoming College of Education; and Leslie Vandeventer, Natrona County School District in Casper. Ann Tollefson served as the project director, and Greg Duncan served as the primary consultant. Cassandra Celaya, a K-6 paraprofessional trainer and mentor, was the principal editor. Download the units now at http://wyoming-middleschool-spanish.groups.curriki.org
