Spanish: We believe that through the study of the Spanish language and culture, our students will gain a broader understanding of the world, and their own relationship to a larger community. Students will develop within them, the ability to express themselves meaningfully and confidently in the language. We believe that St. Mark's Spanish Program will prepare our students for success not only at the high school level, but also in a multi-lingual society.


Standard 1:  Uses the target language to engage in conversations, express feelings and emotions,
and exchange opinions and information

Benchmark 1. Uses verbal and written exchanges to share personal data, information, and preferences (e.g., events in one's life, past experiences, significant details related to topics that are of common interest, preferred leisure activities, likes, dislikes, needs)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses verbal exchanges to share personal data, information, and         preferences
    2. Uses written exchanges to share personal data, information, and         preferences
    3. Uses verbal exchanges to share events in one’s life
    4. Uses written exchanges to share events in one’s life
    5. Uses verbal exchanges to share past experiences
    6. Uses written exchanges to share past experiences
    7. Uses verbal exchanges to share significant details related to topics that are of common interest
    8. Uses written exchanges to share significant details related to topics that are of common interest
    9. Uses verbal exchanges to share preferred leisure activities
    10. Uses written exchanges to share preferred leisure activities
    11. Uses verbal exchanges to share likes and dislikes
    12. Uses written exchanges to share likes and dislikes
    13. Uses verbal exchanges to share needs
    14. Uses written exchanges to share needs

Benchmark 2. Uses the target language to plan events and activities with others (e.g., using authentic schedules, budgets)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses the target language to plan events with others
    2. Uses the target language to plan activities with others
    3. Uses the target language to make plans with others using authentic  schedules
    4. Uses the target language to make plans with others using budgets

Benchmark 3. Uses vocabulary and cultural expressions to express the failure to understand the message or to request additional information (e.g., requests that the speaker restate the message, asks appropriate questions for clarification)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses vocabulary to express the failure to understand the message
    2. Uses cultural expressions to express the failure to understand the message
    3. Uses vocabulary to request additional information
    4. Uses cultural expressions to request additional information
    5. Requests that the speaker restate the message
    6. Asks appropriate questions for clarification

Benchmark 4. Uses appropriate verbal strategies and cues (e.g., rephrasing, circumlocution, repetition, tone, stress, intonation) to communicate spoken messages and maintain listening comprehension

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses appropriate verbal strategies to communicate spoken messages
    2. Uses appropriate verbal strategies to maintain listening comprehension
    3. Uses appropriate verbal cues to communicate spoken messages and maintain listening comprehension
    4. Uses appropriate verbal cues to maintain listening comprehension
    5. Uses rephrasing appropriately
    6. Uses circumlocution appropriately
    7. Uses repetition appropriately
    8. Uses tone appropriately
    9. Uses stress appropriately
    10. Uses intonation appropriately

Benchmark 5. Uses and responds to culturally appropriate nonverbal cues (e.g., gestures, physical distance, eye contact) to communicate spoken messages and maintain listening comprehension

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses culturally appropriate nonverbal cues to communicate spoken  messages
    2. Uses culturally appropriate nonverbal cues to maintain listening comprehension
    3. Responds to culturally appropriate nonverbal cues to maintain listening comprehension
    4. Uses and responds to gestures appropriately
    5. Uses and responds to physical distance appropriately
    6. Uses and responds to eye contact appropriately

Benchmark 6. Gives and follows oral and written directions in the target language (e.g., for travel, for other tasks, for a recipe, for a word maze)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Gives oral directions in the target language
    2. Follows oral directions in the target language
    3. Gives written directions in the target language
    4. Follows written directions in the target language
    5. Gives and follows oral directions for travel situations
    6. Gives and follows written directions for travel situations
    7. Gives and follows oral directions for tasks
    8. Gives and follows written directions for tasks
    9. Gives and follows oral directions for a recipe
    10. Gives and follows written directions for a recipe
    11. Gives and follows oral directions for a word maze
    12. Gives and follows written directions for a word maze

Benchmark 7. Uses appropriate vocabulary to acquire goods and services through basic negotiation of procedures and exchange of monies (e.g., shopping in a supermarket)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses appropriate vocabulary to acquire goods and services through basic negotiation of procedures
    2. Uses appropriate vocabulary to acquire goods and services through exchange of monies
    3. Uses appropriate vocabulary in tasks to acquire goods and services, such as shopping in a supermarket

Benchmark 8. Uses verbal and written exchanges to express opinions in the target language (e.g., concerning current events, about topics of personal or community interest)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses verbal exchanges to express opinions in the target language
    2. Uses written exchanges to express opinions in the target language
    3. Expresses opinions concerning current events, in both verbal and written forms, in the target language
    4. Expresses opinions concerning topics of personal or community interest, in both verbal and written forms, in the target language

Standard 2:  Understands and interprets written and spoken language on diverse topics from diverse media

Benchmark 1. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from diverse, authentic, ability-appropriate spoken media (e.g., radio, television, film, live presentation) on topics of personal interest or interest to peers in the target culture
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands the main ideas from ability-appropriate spoken media on topics of personal interest or interest to peers in the target culture
    2. Understands the themes from ability-appropriate spoken media on topics of personal interest or interest to peers in the target culture
    3. Understands the basic details from ability-appropriate spoken media on         topics of personal interest or interest to peers in the target culture
    4. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from radio  programs
    5. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from television programs
    6. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from films
    7. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from live presentations

Benchmark 2. Understands the content of ability-appropriate primary sources on familiar topics (e.g., personal letters, pamphlets, illustrated newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands the content of ability-appropriate personal letters
    2. Understands the content of ability-appropriate pamphlets
    3. Understands the content of ability-appropriate illustrated newspapers
    4. Understands the content of ability-appropriate illustrated magazine  articles
    5. Understands the content of ability-appropriate advertisements

Benchmark 3. Understands spoken announcements and messages from peers and adults on a variety of familiar topics or topics of personal interest (e.g., favorite activities, popular events, school subjects)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands spoken announcements from peers and adults on a variety of familiar topics or topics of personal interest
    2. Understands spoken messages from peers and adults on a variety of familiar topics or topics of personal interest
    3. Understands spoken announcements and messages about favorite activities
    4. Understands spoken announcements and messages about popular events
    5. Understands spoken announcements and messages about school subjects

Benchmark 3. Understands spoken announcements and messages from peers and adults on a variety of familiar topics or topics of personal interest (e.g., favorite activities, popular events, school subjects)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands spoken announcements from peers and adults on a variety  of familiar topics or topics of personal interest
    2. Understands spoken messages from peers and adults on a variety of familiar topics or topics of personal interest
    3. Understands spoken announcements and messages about favorite activities
    4. Understands spoken announcements and messages about popular  events
    5. Understands spoken announcements and messages about school subjects

Benchmark 4. Understands nonverbal and verbal cues when listening to or observing a user of the target language
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands nonverbal cues when listening to a user of the target language
    2. Understands verbal cues when listening to a user of the target language
    3. Understands nonverbal cues when observing a user of the target language
    4. Understands verbal cues when observing a user of the target language

Benchmark 5. Understands various phrase groupings and structures in spoken forms of the target language (e.g., expressions, questions, polite commands)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands various phrase groupings in spoken forms of the target  language
    2. Understands various structures in spoken forms of the target language
    3. Understands various expressions in the target language
    4. Understands various questions in the target language
    5. Understands various polite commands in the target language

Benchmark 6. Uses context clues (e.g., known language, diagrams, text features, graphics) to decode unfamiliar words and phrases in complex messages or texts

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses context clues to decode unfamiliar words in complex messages or texts
    2. Uses context clues to decode unfamiliar phrases in complex messages or texts
    3. Uses known language to decode unfamiliar words and phrases in complex messages or texts

Benchmark 7. Understands the main ideas, themes, principal characters, and significant details of ability-appropriate authentic literature (e.g., narratives, shorts stories, poems, plays)
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands the main ideas of ability-appropriate authentic literature
    2. Understands the themes of ability-appropriate authentic literature
    3. Understands the principal characters of ability-appropriate authentic literature
    4. Understands the significant details of ability-appropriate authentic literature
    5. Understands the main ideas, themes, principal characters, and significant details of narratives
    6. Understands the main ideas, themes, principal characters, and significant details of short stories
    7. Understands the main ideas, themes, principal characters, and significant details of poems
    8. Understands the main ideas, themes, principal characters, and significant details of plays

Standard 3:  Presents information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

Benchmark 1. Presents information in the target language on topics of shared personal interest in one's daily life at home or school (e.g., brief reports to the class, tape or video recorded messages)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Presents information in the target language on topics of shared personal interest
    2. Presents brief reports to the class on topics of shared personal interest
    3. Presents tape or video recorded messages on topics of shared personal interest

Benchmark 2. Presents cultural and literary works in the target language that are appropriate at this developmental level (e.g., presents short plays and skits, recites selected poems and anecdotes, performs songs)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Presents cultural works in the target language that are appropriate at         this developmental level
    2. Presents literary works in the target language that are appropriate at         this developmental level
    3. Presents developmentally appropriate plays and skits
    4. Recites developmentally appropriate poems and anecdotes
    5. Performs developmentally appropriate songs

Benchmark 3. Writes in the target language in a variety of formats (e.g., notes, short letters, e-mail, business letters, thank you letters, descriptions, narrations, personal essays, poems, short stories, plays, songs, journals)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Writes notes in the target language
    2. Writes short letters in the target language
    3. Writes emails in the target language
    4. Writes business letters in the target language
    5. Writes thank you letters in the target language
    6. Writes descriptions in the target language
    7. Writes narrations in the target language
    8. Writes personal essays in the target language
    9. Writes poems in the target language
    10. Writes short stories in the target language
    11. Writes plays in the target language
    12. Writes songs in the target language
    13. Writes journals in the target language

Benchmark 4. Writes to peers on topics of shared personal interest (e.g., everyday events, activities at home or in school)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Writes to peers about everyday events
    2. Writes to peers about activities at home or in school

Benchmark 5. Summarizes the plot and provides brief descriptions of characters in selected poems, short stories, folk tales, and anecdotes

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Summarizes the plot in selected poems
    2. Summarizes the plot in selected short stories
    3. Summarizes the plot in selected folk tales
    4. Summarizes the plot in selected anecdotes
    5. Describes the characters in selected poems
    6. Describes the characters in selected short stories
    7. Describes the characters in selected folk tales
    8. Describes the characters in selected anecdotes

Benchmark 6. Uses repetition, rephrasing, and gestures effectively to assist in presenting oral reports or presentations

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses repetition effectively to assist in presenting oral reports or  presentations
    2. Uses rephrasing effectively to assist in presenting oral reports or presentations
    3. Uses gestures effectively to assist in presenting oral reports or   presentations

Benchmark 7. Uses language conventions and style (e.g., complex grammatical structures, slang, humor, idioms, small talk, polite forms and status indicators, vernacular dialects, content area vocabulary) appropriate to different audiences and settings (e.g., formal, informal, social, academic, ceremonial)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Uses complex grammatical structures appropriate to different audiences and settings
    2. Uses small talk appropriate to different audiences and settings
    3. Uses polite forms appropriate to different audiences and settings
    4. Uses status indicators appropriate to different audiences and settings
    5. Uses vernacular dialects appropriate to different audiences and settings
    6. Uses content area vocabulary appropriate to different audiences and settings
    7. Uses appropriate language conventions and style for ceremonial settings

Standard 4:  Understands traditional ideas and perspectives, institutions, professions, literary and artistic expressions,
and other components of the target culture

Benchmark 1. Knows various age-appropriate cultural activities practiced in the target culture (e.g., adolescents' games such as card games, board games, and outdoor games; sports-related activities; music; television)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows age-appropriate card games, board games, and outdoor games of the target culture
    2. Knows age-appropriate sports activities of the target culture
    3. Knows age-appropriate music of the target culture
    4. Knows age-appropriate television programs of the target culture

Benchmark 2. Knows cultural traditions and celebrations that exist in the target culture and how these traditions and celebrations compare with those of the native culture (e.g., holidays, birthdays, "coming of age" celebrations, seasonal festivals, religious ceremonies, recreational gatherings)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows traditions that exist in the target culture
    2. Knows celebrations that exist in the target culture
    3. Knows how traditions of the target culture compare with those of the native culture
    4. Knows how celebrations of the target culture compare with those of the native culture
    5. Knows how holiday celebrations in the target culture compare to holidays in the native culture
    6. Knows how birthday celebrations in the target culture compare to birthdays in the native culture
    7. Knows how "coming of age" celebrations in the target culture compare to celebrations in the native culture
    8. Knows how seasonal festivals in the target culture compare to festivals in the native culture
    9. Knows how religious ceremonies in the target culture compare to ceremonies in the native culture
    10. Knows how recreational gatherings in the target culture compare to gatherings in the native culture

Benchmark 3. Knows patterns of behavior or interaction typical of one's age group in various settings in the target culture (e.g., dating, telephone usage, etiquette)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows patterns of behavior typical of one’s age group in various settings in the target culture
    2. Knows patterns of interaction typical of one’s age group in various settings in the target culture
    3. Knows patterns of behavior or interaction typical of one’s age group in dating situations
    4. Knows patterns of behavior or interaction typical of one’s age group when using the telephone
    5. Knows the etiquette typical of one’s age group in the target culture

Benchmark 4. Knows a variety of age-appropriate utilitarian forms of the target culture (e.g., educational institutions or systems, means of transportation, various rules as they apply to the peer group in the culture being studied), their significance, and how these forms have influenced the larger community

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows a variety of age-appropriate utilitarian forms of the target culture
    2. Knows a variety of age-appropriate utilitarian forms of the target         culture, such as educational institutions or systems
    3. Knows a variety of age-appropriate utilitarian forms of the target         culture, such as means of transportation
    4. Knows a variety of age-appropriate utilitarian forms of the target         culture, such as various rules as they apply to the peer group in the         culture being studied
    5. Knows the significance of various utilitarian forms of the target culture
    6. Knows how various utilitarian forms of the target culture have influenced         the larger community


Benchmark 5. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture (e.g., popular music and dance; appropriate authentic texts, such as children's magazines, comic books, children's literature, folktales; the use of color; common or everyday artwork such as designs typical of the culture's clothing, pottery, ceramics, paintings, architectural structures) and how these expressive forms compare with those of the native culture

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture
    2. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture,         such as popular music and dance
    3. Knows how expressive forms of the target culture compare with those of         the native culture
    4. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture,      such         as authentic texts
    5. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture,         such as the use of color
    6. Knows a variety of age-appropriate expressive forms of the culture,      such         as common or everyday artwork

Benchmark 6. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and expressive products (e.g., music, visual arts, literature) in the target and native cultures
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         expressive products in the target culture
    2. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         expressive products in the native culture
    3. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         music in the target culture
    4. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         music in the native culture
    5. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         visual arts in the target culture
    6. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         visual arts in the native culture
    7. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         literature in the target culture
    8. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         literature in the native culture

Benchmark 7. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and practices (e.g., holidays, celebrations, work habits, play) in the target and native cultures

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         practices in the target
    2. Understands the general relationship between cultural perspectives and         practices in the native cultures
    3. Understands there is a relationship between holidays and celebrations in         cultures
    4. Understands there is a relationship between work habits and play in         cultures

Benchmark 8. Knows how "local" opinions of various aspects of the native culture compare with the views of peers from the target culture

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows how "local opinions" of the native culture are similar to the views         of peers from the target culture
    2. Knows how "local opinions" of the native culture are different from the         views of peers from the target culture

Benchmark 9. Knows how various community members use the target language in their work
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Know how the target language is utilized in the larger community

Benchmark 10. Knows historical and cultural figures from the target culture and their contributions
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows historical figures from the target culture
    2. Knows the contributions of historical figures from the target culture
    3. Knows cultural figures from the target culture
    4. Knows the contributions of cultural figures from the target culture

Benchmark 11. Knows chronological order and significance of important historical events in the target culture

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows the chronological order of important historical events in the target culture
    2. Understands the significance of important historical events in the target culture

Benchmark 12. Knows the location(s) and major geographic features of countries where the target language is/was used

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows the location(s) of countries where the target language is/was used
    2. Knows the major geographic features of countries where the target language is/was used

Standard 5:  Understands that different languages use different patterns to communicate and applies this knowledge to the target and native languages

Benchmark 1. Understands how idiomatic expressions have an impact on communication and reflect culture (e.g., anticipates larger units of meaning rather than individual word equivalencies)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands how idiomatic expressions have an impact on communication
    2. Understands how idiomatic expressions reflect culture
    3. Anticipates larger units of meaning rather than individual word equivalencies

Benchmark 2. Draws conclusions about the relationship among languages (e.g., based on cognates and idioms)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that there are underlying relationships among languages
    2. Draws conclusions about relationships among languages based on cognates.
    3. Draws conclusions about relationships among languages based on idioms.

Benchmark 3. Understands that languages have critical sound distinctions that convey meaning

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows there is a relationship between how a word sounds and the meaning it conveys