Students develop more sophisticated communication skills in all for areas – listening, speaking, reading and writing – with emphasis on the ability to interact orally and in writing. The authentic reading selections are emphasized at this level. Students communicate using more complex language structures and express abstract ideas with reasonable fluency. Students are able to create and listen with understanding to reports and presentations. They are also able to describe, summarize and discuss selected Upper Levels POS themes and topics.

This course’s primary goals, aligned with Virginia and national standards, are to:

Communicate in Spanish

Students function in a variety of practical settings using listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as knowledge of the target culture(s).

Understand other cultures

Students demonstrate an understanding of traditions, customs, beliefs, and cultural contributions and how these elements relate to language.

Connect with other disciplines and acquire information

Students connect information about the language and cultures they are learning with concepts studied in other subject areas.

Develop insight into their own language and culture

Through study of language and culture, students recognize, compare, and contrast language concepts as well as cultural perspectives, practices, and products.

Participate in the global community

Students use the foreign language to communicate with speakers of that language, both at home and around the world, to improve their own communication skills and to enhance their view of themselves as citizens of the world.

Each topic addressed in the Program of Studies has progress indicators defining what students will be able to do. For example, under the theme Social Issues, the topic Civic Responsibilities and Engagement specifies that students will be able to discuss topics related to adulthood, personal rights and responsibilities of young adults, and a citizen’s responsibility to vote and be informed politically. Essential vocabulary and language structures are presented to students within the context of the themes and topics.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has developed and uses the Performance Assessment for Language Students (PALS) program. Performance assessments are conducted routinely throughout the year and are rated using PALS criteria (rubrics) developed by FCPS foreign language teachers. The end-of-year assessment again uses the PALS performance criteria.

For additional information, including resources for students, see the FCPS Schools’ Foreign Language Home Page at: http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/forlang/.

Standard of Learning (SOL) Spanish (pdf)

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• Social Issues
• Globalization and Communication
• Culture
• Nature and Ecology
• Scientific and Creative Advancements
  

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