This unit is intended for eighth grade level of Spanish native speakers. The school where the unit will be taught is highly populated by bilingual and ELL (English Language Learners) where students learn Spanish in a differentiated way from the regular Spanish as a second language class. This group contains approximately 34-40 students who are fluent Spanish speakers, and they work alternatively with a regular curriculum and an addendum for native speakers.
The materials that teachers use on a daily basis are authentic resources for Spanish speakers that match their level of language proficiency.
Because the materials are very structured and already designed, this group of youngsters is missing an opportunity to be creative in their writing and also presentational speaking. Native Spanish speakers have a great understanding of their language. They are exposed to the Spanish language in their daily lives. It is the primary language spoken at home and in the neighborhood where most of the students reside. However, there is a gap in the way native Spanish speakers perform in written and spoken academic Spanish. Students are lacking the rich vocabulary that would allow them to speak the standard Spanish language and to express their thoughts freely using English. As the students progress in school and in all subjects, they learn more academic English, whereas the Spanish language does not progress at the same rate. Some of the materials that I use for this group of students are a book series by Pearson Education, called "Realidades." Nonetheless, along with the books, teachers have the flexibility to use different sources such as reading articles, short poetry, and other materials that will incite students' interest.
Such students have reached a certain point where they are comfortable communicating using limited, basic communication skills, whereas the proficiency level of academic Spanish has not made any progress. It remains within the frames of a simple communication of basic needs. The gap consists in the language input and output. In other words, our students can absorb the language, yet are not able to produce a satisfactory output, communicate freely and use standard, literary Spanish. Students are reluctant to speak in complete sentences, write solid paragraphs and properly enunciate words.
The purpose of the curriculum unit is multilayered. First, it will give students exposure to a rich Spanish language. It will allow students to bring into class and share their family heritage; they will explain, describe, and illustrate in writing and speaking their childhood memories using academic and standard Spanish. Secondly, it will give the students the confidence to speak clearly in public, express their opinions, and share their own experiences. Thirdly, it will give teachers who work with native Spanish speakers the opportunity to explore the resources I have used to write the unit and implement them in their lessons. Lastly, this curriculum unit will add to the native speaker curriculum in the City of New Haven and will offer to its teachers many ways to differentiate the lessons in a classroom.
There is a lot of research and many excellent curriculum units already written on this topic. However, this unit will contribute to helping our native Spanish speakers become proficient in writing and speaking. At a district level it might help other teachers who work in the same schools as I do plan lessons in order to meet the learning needs of our student population. At a national level, other teachers might benefit from the unit in ways that will bring more diversity in planning and teaching in the classroom.