Spanish (Ab initio

IB SPANISH (AB INITIO)

Who is this course for?

The language Ab lnitio course is a language acquisition course for students with little or no experience of the language.

Course Details

The Ab lnitio course is organised around five main themes which are divided into topics providing the students with opportunities to practise and explore the language as well as to develop intercultural competence.

Identities

Personal attributes Personal relationships Eating and drinking Physical wellbeing Daily routine Leisure Holidays Festivals and celebrations Transport Entertainment Media Technology

Experiences

Social Organization Sharing the Planet

Neighbourhood Education The workplace Social issues Climate Physical geography The environment Global issues

Human Ingenuity

While some of the topics are similar to those studied for GCSE, please note the focus remains a wider international understanding of the world (with a focus on the Spanish-speaking world), leading students to consider more grown-up questions such as the correlation between technologies and shopping habits. In addition to their class-based lessons, students will have an additional 25 minutes session once a fortnight with the Spanish Assistant, when possible, in order to discuss and develop their understanding of the topics covered in class.

Assessment

COMPONENT FORMAT

Paper 1 Writing Paper 2 Comprehension Listening comprehension (45 mins) Reading comprehension (1 hour) Individual A conversation with the teacher based oral on a visual stimulus and at least one additional course theme.

DURATION WEIGHTING

1 hour 25% 1 hour 50% 45 mins

10 mins 25%

Benefits of the Course

The language Ab Initio course achieves a reflection on cultural values and behaviours in different ways. The course is divided into three broad themes, all of which are well suited to fostering an international perspective. The language ab initio course, albeit at a basic level, seeks to develop intercultural understanding and foster a concern for global issues, as well as to raise students’ awareness of their own responsibility at a local level. In addition, students’ literacy skills are enhanced through the analysis and production of text-types such as articles, interviews speech, etc.