Overview
Fifth-grade students in SFUSD Spanish Biliteracy and Dual Immersion Pathways Programs engage in 85 minutes of daily English literacy instruction and 30 min of Spanish literacy instruction three times a week.
English Reading & Writing Block
During the 85-minute English word study, reading, and writing block that includes reading, writing, and differentiated small group instruction, students practice reading independently, participate in shared reading, and interactive read-aloud, and receive word study explicit instruction.
SLA/Transfer/Phonics Block
There is a Spanish literacy instruction time, students engage in a 30-minute SLA/Transfer/Phonics block three times a week that includes explicit and systematic phonics instruction focusing on word parts. Spanish phonics and word parts instruction is anchored in continuous text following the syllabic approach framework. During cross-linguistic transfer time, the teacher provides explicit cross-linguistic transfer instruction and gives students the opportunity to make explicit connections between both languages.
Science & Social Studies
In addition, it is recommended to focus on knowledge building during science and social science through reading and writing in Spanish.
Priority Standards
What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer Spanish language understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level.
In fifth grade focus on these critical areas:
Fonética y reconocimiento de palabras
Conocen y aplican la fonética y las destrezas de análisis de palabras a nivel de grado, en la decodificación de palabras.
Instruction: Signature Elements
Below are signature elements of SFUSD Spanish Language Arts instruction that students should experience regularly throughout fifth grade as they develop as biliterate readers, writers, speakers, & listeners.
Phonics & Word Study
Phonics instruction is delivered daily to ensure all students become independent readers and writers. The methodology includes systematic and explicit instruction that supports research-based approaches to teaching Spanish phonics.
Children progress at a much faster rate in phonics when the bulk of instructional time is spent on applying the skills to authentic reading and writing experiences, rather than on isolated skill and drill work.
Dictation
Adding dictation as a routine builds students’ writing automaticity. This culturally relevant strategy can be used as a formative assessment to collect information on student progress. It supports students' independence through the process of self-correction. Dictation helps tighten the relationship between sounds and graphemes.If you can say it, you can write it.
Small Group Reading Instruction
Strategic and targeted small group instruction based on analysis of student data (both formal and informal).
During independent reading practice and learning centers, the teacher gathers a group of students with similar strengths and needs and instructs them on a skill or strategy.
Small group instruction lessons are designed to provide scaffolds for students to apply the skill or strategy in their own independent work.
Grouping remains flexible throughout the school year to accommodate student needs
Cross-Linguistic Transfer
Explicit cross-linguistic transfer instruction is key in supporting students in making connections between languages. Students engage in contrastive analysis to observe similarities and differences between both languages.
Additionally, students are able to devote more cognitive processing time toward the more complex orthography and morphology systems of English that require more time than the more transparent systems of Spanish.
Cognates
Cognates are words in two or more languages that share a historical root and, as such, are similar in meaning,
orthography and/or pronunciation (Lubliner & Hiebert,2011).
Taking into consideration that more than half to two-thirds of the vocabulary of an educated adult native English speaker are cognates in Spanish, explicit instruction of cognates will support and accelerate students' transference of skills from one language to the other.
Writing & Grammar
During the writing block, students are engaged in creating writing pieces from the Common Core State Standards that follow the writing process. This writing block includes lessons that provide direct, explicit instruction and guided practice in skills and strategies connected to the genre.
Grammar lessons, embedded in the writing curriculum.
Taller del escritor units begin with a fundamental study of sentences followed by ways to explore more robust sentences with a variety of punctuation marks.
Spanish Phonics & Spelling Assessments
These assessments should be used at least three times during the school year. As a diagnostic evaluation at the beginning of the year, and as a measure of progress for mid and end-of-year.
Materials
Below are items you should have to support your students' Spanish Language Arts instruction. If you are missing anything from the list, please first contact your site administrator or designated support. If they are unable to resolve the issue promptly, please contact Covadonga Valera-Collazo and Griselda AmezcuaGarcia from the SFUSD Multilingual Pathways Department Elementary Spanish Team.
Benchmark Taller de fonética Digital and physical materials available Visual Materials List Taller de fonética
Benchmark Taller del lector - Digital and physical materials available. Visual Materials List Taller del Lector
Benchmark Taller del escritor y estudio de gramática - Digital access only Video: How to access taller del escritor lessons
Benchmark decodable readers (K-1: Digital) available if needed
Planning Guide
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AUGUST |
SEPTEMBER |
OCTOBER |
NOVEMBER |
DECEMBER |
JANUARY |
FEBRUARY |
MARCH |
APRIL |
MAY |
(Each phonics and reading unit is 3 weeks) |
Launch: Phonics and Reading: Estrenemos |
Unit 1: Compañeros en la supervivencia Unit 2: Los personajes establecen relaciones |
Unit 2: Los personajes establecen relaciones Unit 3: Nuestra constitución cambia con los tiempos |
Unit 3: Nuestra constitución cambia con los tiempos Unit 4: Diferentes voces, diferentes perspectivas |
Unit 4: Diferentes voces, diferentes perspectivas |
Unit 5: La innovación en un mundo cambiante Unit 6: La lucha por la supervivencia |
Unit 6: La lucha por la supervivencia Unit 7: La revolución estadounidense |
Unit 7: La revolución estadounidense Unit 8: El agua |
Unit 8: El agua Unit 9: Economía en transición |
Unit 9: Economía en transición Unit 10: Exploremos la materia |
Reflection Questions
- How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
- What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
- What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?
Want More?
Fifth-Grade Spanish Language Arts Standards
Contact the Spanish Language Team:
This page was last updated on September 8, 2023