Orient your Spanish courses toward proficiency with communicative, comprehension-based instructional strategies that bring together language and culture from Day 1.
TEACH FOR PROFICIENCY
WHAT THE SOMOS CURRICULUM IS
WHAT THE SOMOS CURRICULUM DOES
The Somos Curriculum is a comprehension based curriculum
Our brains are absolutely incredible—and they are designed for language acquisition. After four decades of research in the area of second language acquisition, it is clear that language is acquired not from practice (drills), but from consistent and constant exposure to input. Input is indispensable to language acquisition: language cannot be acquired without it. The SOMOS curriculum supports teachers in communicating with their students in comprehensible Spanish every day in class.
SOMOS is a proficiency oriented curriculum
Through the course of each unit, students use all four communicative skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Its student-centered lessons bring together language and culture in each lesson sequence, preparing students for the real world.
The Somos Curriculum incorporates many comprehension-based strategies:
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Collaborative Storytelling (TPRS®)
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MovieTalk
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Embedded Reading
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PictureTalk
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TPR (Total Physical Response)
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Personalized Questions and Answers
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Write and Discuss
The Somos Curriculum is a culture-rich curriculum
Language is inextricably linked to the cultures of its speakers. When input is comprehended, any content can be a conduit for language acquisition. Culture opens eyes and inspires intrigue.
Some of the topics you’ll find in SOMOS:
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La Guerra Sucia
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Latin Food
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Gauchos
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Castells de Tarragona
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Bullfighting
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Indigenous legends
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Superstitions
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El Cucuy/El Silbón
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Piropos
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Undocumented Immigration
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La chancla
The Somos Curriculum scaffolds authentic resources
Authentic resources are a valuable tool for developing proficiency and building global competency. Authentic resources motivate the learner and can be a source for comprehensible input. Careful scaffolding of authentic resources is critical for early language learners, and SOMOS equips teachers with the tools to use authentic resources as a springboard for communication.
Examples of #authres in SOMOS
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Songs
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Commercials
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News articles
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Infographics
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Tweets
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Short films
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YouTube videos
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Print advertisements
The Somos Curriculum examines grammar in context
SOMOS lessons do not teach for mastery, and students are not assessed on discrete grammar points or vocabulary items. In each lesson, language is used naturally to complete a given communicative task– this means that students are exposed to many grammatical structures from Day 1. As written, Level 1 units are primarily written in present tense and Level 2 units are primarily written in past tense; both are customizable. Contextualized grammar lessons are available if needed to align with district curriculum.
The Somos Curriculum encourages natural output
Accurate output comes naturally as students build a mental representation of language, which is developed through input. Each SOMOS lesson sequence gives students the opportunity to speak and write in low-risk, low-stakes settings, building their confidence without raising their affective filter.
Output in SOMOS looks like…
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Student responses to teacher-led discussion
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Cooperative Learning Activities
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Free writes and focused free writes
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Partner activities
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Small group or partner simultaneous presentations
Where Language and Culture Collide
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The Comprehensible Classroom
Join thousands of teachers using The Somos Curriculum to bring stories and culture into their classrooms.