LCA SPANISH
Outline of the LCA Course:
The LCA Spanish course consists of:
2 Modules 1) Social Relationships
2) Travelling & Finding the Way
Oral Exam (End May)
Aural and Written Paper (June)
LCA Spanish may be done in one or two years. It is possible for students to sit the LCA Spanish exam at the end of Year One (fifth year).
Over one year: Module 1: September – January
Module 2: February – May
Over two years: Module 1: September – May, Year One
Module 2: September – May, Year Two.
Modules: Each module is worth one credit (students must complete and have evidence of the 4 key assignments, done to the best of their ability, and have 90% attendance to get the credit).
Module 1 – Social Relationships Module 2 – Travelling & Finding the Way
Unit 1: Introduction and Greetings Unit 1: Travel and Transport
Unit 2: Numbers Unit 2: Shopping and Services
Unit 3: Likes/Dislikes Unit 3: Accomodation
Unit 4: Food and Drink Unit 4: Money
Oral: 35 Marks (5 minute oral, 3rd or 4th week of May)
Aural: 35 Marks Section 1: Listening Comprehension - 20 Minutes
Written: 30 Marks Section 2: Reading Comprehension and Written Exercise
- 40 Minutes
The aural and Written paper is an Hour long exam in June.
2 Modules = 2 Credits
Oral, Aural and Written Exam = 6 Credits.
LCA Spanish = 8 Credits in total.
Module 1 – Social Relationships Module 2 – Travelling & Finding the Way
Unit 1: Introduction and Greetings Unit 1: Travel and Transport
Unit 2: Numbers Unit 2: Shopping and Services
Unit 3: Likes/Dislikes Unit 3: Accomodation
Unit 4: Food and Drink Unit 4: Money
Q. What strategies can I adopt to help teach these modules?
A. There is no one book on the market for LCA Spanish so students should have hard back copies or folders for photocopies.
Use tapes and textbooks from Beginner Spanish Courses, eg. First Year Books..
Past Papers and Aural Practice are vital – ring LCA section in Athlone for cd’s and download the exam papers off the internet (State Exams Commission).
Build up your own Folder with relevant worksheets (eg. First year Spanish textbooks)
Use visuals in the classroom, eg. a list of numbers in Spanish, a clock, posters of food and drink, directions.. should be visible in the classroom.
Repetition all the time. Continuous reinforcement of new vocabulary.
Games to practise vocabulary of all sorts, eg. bingo/loto, quizzes, crosswords, word search, guess the word, hangman..etc. to teach food, days, months, pastimes..
Flashcards and Word Banks to practise and build vocabulary.
Active Methodologies work best – get the students involved.
Get the students to make the posters, get them on the computers to make up crosswords, quizzes and word searches (see list of resources)..
Roleplays and Pairwork should be integrated into the class from the start (short dialogues, simple language)
Visits out (eg. to the local library to look up books on Spain/Spanish food etc.)
Guest speakers (eg. Spanish person working in Ireland?),
Surveys and Vox Pops(eg. to find out how many people have been to Spain, seen a bullfight..),
Brainstorming and classroom discussion (eg. Day 1 – see how many Spanish words they can come up with, or later on they can brainstorm ideas for the research key assignments).
Use the local community as much as possible to link it to the subject, eg. travel agency, Spanish people living in the area, local industries importing to or exporting from Spain, products in the local supermarket that come from Spain..
Keep the Spanish as simple as possible and introduce new vocabulary in bite-size and in a fun and varied way.
Q. Must I complete all of the learning outcomes? (see the Module Descriptor – most important resource for the subject)
A. Yes
(except for the learning outcomes related to peseta/currency conversion – Module 2, unit 2, no. 4 on page 19, and Unit 4, no. 2 and 3 on page 21 – as they no longer apply).
Q. How much detail is required for each learning outcome?
A. The basic language should be covered. The Module descriptor is very clear.
Q. What standard is expected?
A. The standard is basic, communicative Spanish. Students need to be able to recognize and translate basic vocabulary and expressions, and be able to communicate and speak elementary Spanish. They do not need to learn how to spell or write many Spanish words, but they do need to develop aural and reading comprehension skills for the level required. Grammar is very basic – present tense of a limited number of verbs.
Students should be encouraged to achieve as high a standard as they possibly can.
Q. What standard is expected for the Key Assignments?
A. The students must complete 4 key assignments for each of the 2 Modules, and they should be done to the best of each individual student’s ability (you as the teacher must decide whether it is completed or not to the best of their ability. One student may spend ages completing a half page, another may write 6 pages with illustrations. Both may be acceptable but you must decide)
There is a lot of flexibility with relation to the key assignments, eg. the I.D. card could be printed out on computer, made in art class with their photo, a photo of a celebrity, fingerprint, and could be done in one class or over a number of classes, depending on what standard you are seeking or other factors.
Q. Should I take up the Key Assignments?
A. Yes, for your own records and allocation of credits, and in case of an inspection. They need to be kept until the results for that session come back (about 2 months after the session). It is a good idea to collect key assignments as they are completed and store the evidence – posters, folders, tapes with recorded dialogues, and tick off a list for your own record-keeping. Students may misplace their work and the end of the sessions can be a bit chaotic.
Q. Can a task be anchored in Spanish?
A. Yes. The first task in Session 1 – General Education Task – must come out of the General Education section of the course and can be done in a language.
If you have never anchored a task, it is advisable to attend an in-service on tasks, and ask other teachers for advice and help. Cross-curricular links are encouraged.
Active Methodolgies:
Active Methodologies are an integral part of the LCA course and they definitely work best and create a positive attitude towards Spanish if used consistently with plenty of variety. Basic Message: Get the students involved.
Get the students to make posters and displays and put them up around the room. They can also make Flashcards and Word Banks to practise and build vocabulary.
Get them on the computers to make up their own crosswords, quizzes and word searches, armed first with the relevant vocabulary (see list of resources)..
Roleplays should be integrated into the class from the start (short dialogues, simple language, use props)
Pairwork and Group/Team work is to be encouraged as much as possible.
Visits out (eg. to the local library to look up books on Spain/Spanish food etc., to the travel agency for brochures, to a local tapas bar..)
Visitor to the Classroom (eg. Spanish person working in Ireland?)
Questionnaires, Surveys and Vox Pops(eg. to find out how many people have been to Spain, seen a bullfight, been to Barcelona etc.)
Brainstorming and classroom discussion (eg. Day 1 – see how many Spanish words they can come up with, or later on they can brainstorm ideas for the research key assignments).
Use the local community as much as possible to link it to the subject, eg. travel agency, Spanish people living in the area, local industries importing to or exporting from Spain, products in the local supermarket that come from Spain..
Keep the Spanish as simple as possible and introduce new vocabulary in bite-size and in a fun and varied way.
Use visuals in the classroom, eg. a list of numbers in Spanish, a clock, posters of food and drink, directions.. should be visible in the classroom.
Repetition all the time. Continuous reinforcement of new vocabulary.
In each class, make sure there is some oral work built in from the very beginning, ask them simple questions, repeat things in Spanish, until they get accustomed to hearing and speaking a little bit every week.
Games are great to practise vocabulary of all sorts, eg. bingo/loto, quizzes, crosswords, word search, guess the word, hangman..etc. to teach food, days, months, pastimes etc.