Primary Spanish Toolkit (revised, 3.6.13)
1 Evidence from brain research.
Language learning is an activity of the brain, in which connections and networks are built up and reinforced, whatever channel of communication is used.
Blakemore and Frith, The Learning Brain (Blackwell, 2005) includes this simple diagram showing brain cells establishing connections.
As we use our new connections, tiny charges of electricity flow along them, reinforcing the connections and stimulating the deposit of layers of the
insulator myelin. This process, which is similar to that in music practice, speeds things up. The areas of the brain that deal with language, spoken and
written, are interconnected. This diagram, (Language Matters, ALL, Spring 2013), shows the areas concerned with hearing in blue, and reading in red.
Not only are these areas touching, but the small magenta areas in each cluster are active in both. The whole is a virtuous cycle to which all channels of
communication contribute - provided we don't overload them and cause the circuit to blow.
2.How the toolkit works.
The toolkit introduces the key structures of Spanish clearly and in way that children have found enjoyable. It uses the simplest possible content to
enable them to adjust their thinking to Spanish in a context that they fully understand, and moves quickly to the formation of positive and negative
sentences, giving them control of what they are saying. As the goal is to build understanding, reading, writing, speaking and listening are taught
together, using and adapting children's knowledge of phonics to exploit the high degree of regularity in Spanish spelling and give them confidence in
reading and writing. Wherever possible, it uses plain words rather than technical terms or jargon. In particular, the meaning of the content of the
first lessons is self-evident, so that pupils can direct their full attention to adjusting their thinking to the requirements of the new language. Each
new feature is unpacked and explained. !Buenos días!, for example, does not mean hello, but, literally good days, much as Australian English speakers
might greet with G'day. !Hola!, is very close to our Hello! So, we are learning to say things differently, and to use slightly different sounds. Spanish
people often take shortcuts, for example, by incorporating personal pronouns into verbs, so that Tengo means I have. These and other key elements
of Spanish are built into the initial lessons, so that the key changes in thinking are established quickly, and a foundation is built for later work. All work
is reinforced by displays in the classroom, and preferably in the school too, and by short bursts of practice between lessons.
Each lesson after the first begins with a brisk starter to reinforce previous understanding, followed by a main teaching focus, and a final session to
consolidate and review the new learning. The half-hour format allows time for a clear focal point for each lesson, without placing undue strain on
curriculum time, but experience has shown that it needs to be reinforced with short sessions between lessons if children are to make consistent
progress. This is in line with the findings of HMI in Modern Languages, Achievement and Challenge, (Ofsted, 2011). The recommended ICT resources
make native-speaker pronunciation and accuracy available to all teachers, whatever their personal confidence with French, and this toolkit will be
accompanied by a free internet course in Spanish for teachers wishing to update their skills. The approach has been tested in Hackney primary schools
over the past seven years. Teachers and pupils have enjoyed using it, and it has shown clear gains in learning, particularly in the integration of written
work, which has led to consultancy with the Teaching and Development Agency and numerous conference presentations. Questioning techniques
borrowed from Ruth Miskin's Read, Write, Inc, provide a simple means of early assessment, which is followed up by work sampling. This integrates
assessment into the normal pattern of teaching, and saves time. The themes of politeness and respect for teachers, and of school life in Spain, provide
provide an important cultural element.
The toolkit is under continuous review. Comments are welcome.
John Bald
01223 891069
[email protected]
Copyright © John Bald, 2013. Permission is granted for the Toolkit to be copied and used for non-profit purposes.
Some Key Points

Children respond well to a brisk start in the first lesson, presenting chunks such as colours, days and numbers quickly, reinforced with songs. Using
these as starters for the next few lessons builds confidence, reminding children that they already know some Spanish.

We teach spoken and written language together, drawing attention to the ways in which we adjust our thinking when reading and writing in Spanish.

Progression is built into the toolkit. The brisk starters reinforce the idea that pupils already know some Spanish, remember it, and are learning
well. Then each lesson introduces some new application of what they’ve learned, or some specific reinforcement of a new point, so that children are
building their understanding. The teacher varies the amount of reinforcement and the introduction of new material to suit the needs of the class –
this is a toolkit, not a straitjacket.

Shared words - we encourage children to notice words that are shared or nearly shared between English and Spanish - eg las matemáticas, la
geografía, la historia, and explain where possible how this has come about. The reason is often rooted in Latin and Greek, which spread through all
European languages. Explaining it at the beginning prepares pupils for learning other European languages later.

Assessment for learning is built into the toolkit. The evaluation column should focus on pupils' understanding. It is important to make sure that
support and extra practice are provided for lower attaining pupils at the beginning.

We present language in a way that encourages pupils to think about it and ask questions. At no time are pupils presented with language without being
given the means to understand it. We do not go too fast for children to understand.

Questions are phrased so that all pupils have to try to answer, sometimes after discussion with a partner.

Pupils do not copy. Instead, they build using Clicker 5 or six if available, and then learn to write their own.

We reinforce learning between lessons through displays and short activities, including songs and games, by labelling as much of the school as possible
in Spanish, and by translating classroom routines into Spanish. These are listed separately, and can be introduced as each class is ready.

The teacher does not need to be a languages graduate or native speaker. Good models of the language are available using ICT, and it is often helpful
for the teacher to be seen to learn alongside the pupils. The scheme contributes to lifelong learning by giving teachers another chance to learn
Spanish. Any teacher who is interested can give his or her pupils an interesting and enjoyable introduction to Spanish.
Organisation
Children can start at any time their teacher thinks they are ready, but, in trials, progress in the initial stages has been faster for those beginning in
the later stages of Year 2 or Year 3 than for children starting earlier. Less formal approaches, related to their curriculum, have been effective with
younger children. Until Spanish becomes established within a school, children will start at different ages, sometimes in Year 6, but the early stages are
likely to follow a similar pattern – learn short items quickly to build confidence, and then extend into networks. The toolkit has also formed the basis of
an effective short course for Year 6 pupils who are going to start Spanish in Year 7.
Half an hour seems the best length for a lesson, with short reinforcement activities, songs and games, as often as possible between lessons. These
nuggets may last no more than two minutes, but they really help learning. Without them, it is seriously impeded. It is, in practical terms, difficult for
many schools to protect more than half an hour for a lesson, but
There is no need to use the suggested lesson format all the time, or for rigid timing - the teacher is the only fully-informed judge of what needs
reinforcement and when to move on. When asking a question, it is useful to have the children discuss the answer with a partner. You can then sample
children’s learning by asking how many agree with a range of answers, including the right answer, or by asking for opinions.
The lesson plans can be kept on the computer or printed off. It is useful to make a quick note - it might just be a tick - on the evaluation section to
refine the plans to meet future needs. At any stage, an activity can be repeated for reinforcement during the next lesson – activities are short and
should not lead to boredom. If anything does not work, please tell me.
Tools
The following resources have proved helpful. Co-ordinators need to ensure that they have their copy, keep it safe (a resources register is
recommended), and have it installed on networks or classroom computers. Software is easily lost!
Clicker 5 or 6 + Acapella Speech Engine. www.cricksoft.com
Being Spanish BBC/Pearson. A very friendly video of English children living and attending school in Valencia, with attendant activities.
Little Tails www.beelingua.com Four fairy tales in Spanish, with a twist in each one. Emphasis on high frequency words. Site licence
Vale, Venga Vamos (www.taugtbysong.com). A DVD with simple songs covering the initial stages of Spanish, including greetings, weather, days,
information about oneself and counting. Popular with children, though not quite as good as the original French version.
Early Start Spanish DVDs 1 and 2 Useful introductory and cultural materials, shot in Spanish schools.
Speekee. A very substantial Spanish course that would enable teachers and pupils to learn together.
¡Oye! (free outside school hours, modest subscription for use 9-4) Languagesonline.org.uk www.spanishtown.com
Languagesonline.vic.gov.au
Good free sites to practise basic Spanish. Linguee.com is brilliant – insert an English phrase, and receive a selection of equivalent Spanish phrases or
sentences that will allow you to select the best equivalent for your context. There is also much original work, songs and animations on You Tube, and
Google Earth/Google Maps will take you anywhere you want to go in Spain.
Each class learning Spanish needs a display. Each time a child’s eye meets the display and they notice it, early learning is reinforced. Assistants and
teachers can also direct children’s attention to the display for brief spells of reinforcement. Displays in trial schools really accelerated learning last
year. Materials for basic displays can be found at www.schoolslinks.co.uk, and you can add specific items related to your class’s work. Clicker grids and
sentences can be printed off, downloaded and used as displays.
Note on lessons 1-6. Meaning in the first lessons is as far as possible self-evident, so that children can focus all of their attention on adjusting
their thinking as they move from English to Spanish. At the same time, similarities between the languages and shared words are brought out, to build
understanding and confidence. At no point are children given language that they are not in a position to understand, and features are explained in
English where necessary. Suggestions for reinforcement (nuggets) and extension are included with each lesson.
We do not all teach at the same pace - if you find that you prefer to bring an item forward, or leave something till the next lesson, do so - you are the
person who knows your class, and you may prefer to take some activities in a different order. Presentation should be dynamic and smiling.
Main Differences between Spanish and English
Some letters give us a different sound, and there are some new letters.
All nouns have a gender, and words associated with them or accompanying them often reflect this.
Words are often longer, with more voice sounds (vowels), which are usually shorter (lesson, asignatura; unfortunately, desafortunadamente).
As a result, Spanish has more syllables per 100 words than English, and so Spanish people seem to speak very quickly.
The form of verbs varies more than in English.
Shared features, and some areas where Spanish is straightforward
Spanish and English share many words – these do not have to be learned from scratch. (posible, possible; situation, situación)
There are fewer double letters in Spanish, and they are clearly pronounced.
English and Spanish words usually have one syllable that is stressed more than the others. In Spanish, the stress is usually on the penultimate syllable.
Where stress does not come where we expect it, it is sometimes marked with an accent (una tilde).
Silent letters are very rare (h at the start of a word is the only frequent example), so if we write what we hear, it will almost always be correct.
Negatives in Spanish are very, very easy - just begin the sentence with No.
Two tricky features for later
There are two verbs to be in Spanish. Ser, when referring to something personal, is usually permanent - Soy inglés (m) Soy inglesa (f) (I am English).
Estar is usually more temporary - Estoy cansado/cansada (I am tired.) The tricky part is that the location of buildings and even mountain ranges,
which are pretty permanent, use estar.
Spanish has formal and informal ways of saying "you", and each has a singular and plural form. Usually, Tu (singular) and vosotros (plural) is used, but
people we either meet in formal situations or don't know may be addressed as Usted or Ustedes, with the verb in the third person. The more formal
version is unlikely to be needed much in primary Spanish, but it is useful for teachers to know about it. It is also much more common in South America
than in Spain.
Content
Activities
Lesson 1.
counting
to 10,
colours, ,
naranja,
blanco,
negro,.
days,
months.
Saying
hello,
other
greetings
, body
parts.
Many of the new features of Spanish pronunciation can be learned through colours. One
way to start is to write rojo on the board, and go round the room pointing at red things and
having children repeat the word. Then have them study the word. What letter is not giving
us the same sound as in English? They will notice j. Then look away from the board and
trace rojo on their sleeve with their finger. Who got it nearly right? Who got it completely
right? Who remembered j? They will probably all have got it right first time.
Repeat with other colours:
•
•
•
•
•
rojo Stress on first syllable, j giving h sound.
azul Stress on second syllable, z giving th sound.
amarillo, stress on penultimate syllable, 11
verde, Spanish v sound, very light touch of the lips. Have pupils say very, and feel
their top teeth touch their bottom lip. The teeth don't touch in Spanish, but the
sound is not a hard plosive as in bad.
marrón Ask if children can see anything here they wouldn't see in an English word.
They might call the accent a line or something similar. Explain that the accent is our
friend, and tells us what to stress
Days of week – put up display, say, then sing to Frère Jacques
lunes, martes
lunes, martes
miércoles, miércoles
jueves, viernes
jueves, viernes
Nuggets/
Extension
N: Refer to the
content of the
first lesson as
often as
possible during
the week,
drawing
attention to the
display. Use
¡Hola! ¡Buenos
Días! and Adios,
if possible
singing the
adios song
before children
go home.
Try to include
Hoy es + day
each morning putting this on
the display gets
children used to
it. Establishing
Hoy es will
Evaluation
sábado domingo
sábado domingo
There is not much shared with English here, though Wednesday and miércoles are both
slightly longer than the other days. Ask, though if children can see anything miércoles and
sábado they wouldn't see in an English word. You might introduce the sentence Hoy es
(today is) with whatever day it happens to be.
Explain that Spanish people say ¡Buenos Días! as well as ¡Hola! Explain what this means,
compare with Australian G’day. Discuss the two exclamation marks in ¡Hola! and compare
with hello. What is the difference in spelling? Explain that there are fewer double letters
in Spanish, and that we only use one when we’ve learned we need it.
Put up Spanish numbers to 10, (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, nueve, diez) count
through slowly, and sing to whatever song you like – Frere Jacques will do if you can’t think
of another –children do not seem to tire of it. If available, play the animiation from Lesson
3 of Vale, Venga, Vamos, which reinforces counting in a very clever animation of two girls
sharing a bag of sweets.
Summary Go over how much we’ve learned, praise, say not to worry if don’t understand all
at once as we’ll practise – include quick practice sessions as often as possible in first week.
Sing adios song - Adios, Adios, Adi, Adios
Adios amigos, adi, adios
Works to the last two lines of PollyWollyDoodle.
make it easy to
introduce
tenses later, by
adding
tomorrow will
be (Mañana
sera... and
yesterday was
Ayer fue .)
E: show
children how to
use the online
materials and
encourage them
to explore.
Content
Activities
Lesson 2.
Revise 1,
Starter. Numbers, colours, days (+Hoy es) Lesson 1. Should not take more than 10 mins
and you may do it in 5. Once children are clear on numbers to 10, add once and doce to
prepare for telling the time.
Ser
Gender
Raise hand
Ser +
adjective
Main activities. Ser (to be) – new song. To Three Blind Mice. Ask class who likes to take
shortcuts and discuss why we take them. Explain that Spanish people like to take
shortcuts. One of theirs is not to use two words to say I am, but just to use one word,
soy, that builds the idea of I into the way they say am. They take similar shortcuts with
you, he, she etc, and we can learn how they do it with a little song. We point with our
whole hand as we sing – one hand for the singulars, two for the plurals.
Soy (point to self - one hand)
Eres (point to partner)
Es (point to someone else)
Somos (inclusive sweep with both hands)
Sois (point to two other people and look at them as you do so)
Son (point to at least two other people, and don’t look at them as you do so).
Repeat as necessary, or indeed ad infinitum. Any other tune in ¾ time can be substituted
– try the Blue Danube! This is a key element in introducing verbs.
Explain that, as we learn and new language, we are not just learning new words, but
learning different ways of saying things and different ways of thinking. If we go back to
ancient history, Egypt, Greece and Rome, most religions had gods and goddesses.
Nowadays, most have one. The idea of male and female, boys and girls, men and women
ran right the way through the way people in the ancient world thought, and their
languages divided words into male and female words, even if they had no obvious
connection with men and women. So, the Latin word for table was female, even though
tables are nothing to do with male or female and don’t have any male or female
Nuggets/
Extension
N: Practise
counting to 12
and other items
as fillers.
Use
levanta/levantad
la mano where
possible.
E:
Evaluation
characteristics. English doesn’t do this any more, but a lot of other languages do, and
Spanish is one of them. Luckily, we have an indication of whether words are male or
female – and lot of the time of the time (not always), female words end in a, and male
words in o. One Spanish word for boy is chico, and for girl chica. Put your hand up if
you’re chica? Chico? Other words for boy and girl are niño, niña. Who is a niña_ Who is a
niño? Hermana, hermano mean sister and brother. Who thinks Hermana would be a
sister? Praise if they´re beginning to get the idea. If not, might need to discuss the idea
again next time. Invite questions about this, and make the point that to be absolutely
sure if a word is girls' or boys', we need to look at the short words that go with it.
Raise your hand, and say Levanto la mano. Put it down and say Bajo la mano. Repeat once
or twice. Say to a pupil (pick one who is likely to get the idea quickly) Levanta la mano.
Much praise if they do it (Muy bien, or shared word excelente). If not, model some more.
Once they get it, baja la mano. Once two or three have got it, ask the whole class,
gesturing with both hands, Levantad la mano, bajad la mano. Switch between the
individuals and the whole class until they're confident. This activity should take 5-10mins.
( If time) Ser +. Point to self, then say Soy inglesa (f) or Soy inglés as appropriate.
Have the girls say Soy inglesa and the boys Soy inglés. If any aren't English, they can
either pretend to be for the moment and you can find the correct nationality later, or
you may prefer to prepare by checking their nationalities in advance. The key point for
the moment is the masculine or feminine ending. See if they can understand Levanta la
mano si eres inglesa/inglés. Prompt/help if need be.
Body parts Head and Shoulders, Knees and toes to London Bridge is Falling Down. Do song
all in Spanish, very slowly pointing at parts, and let children make the link with the
English song. A display will help.
–
–
Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, dedos (rpt)
Ojos, nariz, boca, orejas.
Finish with Adios song.
Free model
Spanish
commands are at
http://www.spani
shtown.ca/
Content
Activities
Lesson 3.
Revisit content of 1 and 2. Hoy es and Ser song. For colours, try holding up three
coloured pencils and call out three colours. Have pupils put up their hand - levanta la
mano - when you call the correct combination of colours. Make sure numbers to 12 are
clear. Practise levanta/d baja/d la mano. Add, in a pleasant tone of voice, por favor, and
gracias, and see if they can work out what these mean. You might introduce Vale, Spanish
for OK.
Tengo
Positive and
negative
sentences
.
Tengo. Ask how many words we need to write to say I have in English, and explain that
we only need to write one word to say I have in Spanish - the Spanish take their shortcut
again. The word is tengo. Write tengo slowly on the board, and ask children to put up a
hand once they see an English word. Pause after ten if you need to. Then ask them to put
up a hand when they see another English word. Explain that in Spanish, what we hear is
usually what we see and what we write. Do they think they could write tengo? Clean
board, have them “write” tengo on their desk or arm with their finger. Was that easy?
Just write what you can hear and you won’t go wrong.
Make some sentences with Tengo + un perro, un gato, un papagayo, un gatito - all the
nouns are masculine, and draw attention to perro, the one word with a double letter).
Also draw attention to the short word, un. If Clicker is available, it will read the
sentences back as they are written. If not, I tend to use words on cards which can be
fixed with Bluetack. Once you've practised, ask if they could try writing a sentence on
their boards. Give them a few more seconds to look – no copying – minimise the grid, and
have them try to write a sentence. If they’ve all got it right, go to next step. If some
have made a small mistake, praise what’s right, maximise the board again, and make some
more sentences so that they understand. Then have another go. Make sure they add full
stop (un punto).
Next, discuss how we add don’t to make a negative in English. Explain that Spanish is
simpler – we just start the sentence with a word everyone knows, No. Make some
sentences. Then have the children write a positive and a negative sentence, as above, and
Nuggets/
Extension
Spanish people
use tengo to say
a lot more things
- these will come
later, but you
might prefer to
bring them
forward - eg
tengo hambre
(I'm hungry)
Tengo sed (I'm
thirsty)
Evaluation
check them.
Revise Soy Inglés/Inglesa, with levanta/baja la mana. Begin this section seated. Say , Me
levanto then stand up. Say Me siento and sit down. Repeat once or twice. Point to a
child, and say levántate , giving more physical prompts if needed. Once they've stood up,
say siéntate, and repeat/prompt until they sit down. Repeat with some other pupils. Once
this is in place, with both hands, say levantaos and siéntaos. Practise distinguishing
singular and plural. Some classes take longer to distinguish between putting up a hand and
standing up, so practise this during the week.
Summarise what they’ve learned about sentences. Finally, repeat the Cabeza, hombros
song from Lesson 1.
Content
Activities
Lesson 4
Telling the
time, A
teaching
clock is
useful
Starter Ser song, through days, hoy es, numbers to 12, colours in groups as L3 as they
improve, use up to five or six pencils: levanta/baja la mano. Levatate/aos, Sientate/aos.
Levanta la mano si eres niño, niña. Revise sentences with tengo, and add personal touches
- eg Tengo tres hermanas, dos perros y un gato.
Main activity: Dar La Hora.
Explanation. Who thinks they’re niño? Who is niña? So, who thinks the girls’ words
often end in a? We tell the time - Spanish people say it differently - to give the hour dar la hora.. La hora is a girls' word/feminine. The Spanish take a short cut, though –
they don’t say Es una hora, but Es la una – it’s the one. We take shortcuts too – we don’t
say two of the clock, far less two of the wristwatch. So, that’s why it’s Es la una. Once
we move to two o’clock, we have a plural, so add an s to la – son las dos, son las tres etc.
Go round the clock. Then sing to Frère Jacques.
Half past is y media (and half) – eg, Son las cuatro y media, it’s half past four. Go round
from half past one.
Quarter past is y cuarto (and quarter) Es la una y cuarto, it’s quarter past one. There
may be no need to go right the way round, but put in a selection of y cuarto and y media.
Introduce - Quarter to is menos cuarto (less quarter) Son las diez menos cuarto, It’s
quarter to ten. Point out similarity between menos and minus.
Final Activity. It's particularly difficult to know how long this main activity will take.
Final activity should therefore use one or more videos from Vale, Venga Vamos.
Nuggets/Extens
ion
Tell the time in
Spanish
whenever you do
so in English
during the week.
As children
become more
confident, move
to giving the
time in Spanish
only.
Try to give
classroom
requests in
Spanish and
extend them.
Escucha/d me listen to me
Mira/d me look at me.
Evaluation
Content
Activities
Lesson 5
Starter. At discretion, revise as much earlier content as possible, but always including
verbs and time. Use the questioning technique of offering correct and incorrect answers
and asking pupils to raise hand.
El tiempo
Main Activity - El tiempo. Explain that Spanish people don't talk about the weather quite
as we do. We ask what the weather's like, they ask what it's doing, or making. Play
Weather song from Vale, Venga, Vamos, and ensure pupils understand it. Probably play
twice. Use supplied ppt to have pupils pick out weather - eg Who thinks that (point to an
illustration, offer correct/incorrect answers.) Go through the ppt, which has a native
speaker soundtrack, and have pupils repeat each weather. The ppt is subject to further
development, but may be used freely.
Final activity. At discretion, possibly Cabeza, hombros. Finish with adios song
Nuggets/Extens
ion
Incorporate
weather into
display. Begin
each day with
Hoy es... and
weather Eg Hoy es lunes,
hace calor.
Evaluation
Content
Lesson 6
¿Cómo te
llamas?
Me llamo,
Me
gusta/no
me gusta
Activities
Starter. At discretion, as in L5.
Me llamo. Now we’ve learned to put Spanish words together, we can start to say things
to Spanish people. Spanish people don’t usually say “My name is”, but Me llamo. What
word in me llamo looks like an English word? Me. They’re really saying something like I
call me. To ask someone what they’re called, we say ¿Cómo te llamas? Write them up,
pointing out the ¿.
Have the class ask with you, together, ¿Cómo te llamas?. Answer yourself first, and have
class repeat your answer. Then all say question together, point to a child (a confident one
first) and have all children repeat your answer. Clap as you do so – roughly 4 claps per
sequence, and give plenty of practice with this. Children will often lack confidence at
first, and it’s important to have everyone reply, even if you have to reply for a child, and
have them say it after you. Much praise for correct responses. I first saw this system
of introducing speaking at Nightingale Primary school, where it was introduced by
Benedicte Lorand. It may take 10 minutes to go round the class, but it is worth it.
¿Cómo te llamas?
Me llamo John.
¿Cómo te llamas?
Me llamo Abdul.
Me gusta/no me gusta. Another way of using the construction in Me llamo. Spanish
people don't say they like things in quite the way we do - they say that things please
them. Me gusta if it's one thing, me gustan if more than one. This construction is in the
counting song from VVV - Me gustan los dolces... Start with some very obvious shared
words - las matemáticas, la geografía, la historia. Add a negative.
Final activity. Return to ¿Cómo te llamas?, as above, with particular reinforcement for
Extnsn/sppt
Evaluation
less confident children. If time, insert some of Sonica numbers game before this. Sing
Adios song.