Unit / Theme / Essential Questions / Linguistic Goals/ Grammar
1 / Review / How do we share significant personal information with people from Mexico?
How do we compare and contrast the lives of students from Mexico with students from the United States? /
  • Review the days seasons & months of the year
  • Review colors and numbers 0-100
  • Learn how to tell time and tell at what time an event will occur
  • Learn how to understand and communicate time in Mexico (military time)
  • Talk about weather (Celsius vs. Fahrenheit equation)
  • Review adjective agreement
  • Recycle and review conjugation of –ar, -er and –ir verbs
  • Learn geography terms and example of each in the United States
  • Review the verb ser
  • Review Gustar verbs (encantar, fascinar, importar, fastidiar, molestar, faltar)

2 / Adolescent life in Mexico / What are the requirements to study in a Mexican high school or university?
What do you know about Mexican geography?
How different is the American high school experience from the Mexican experience?
How different is the American college experience from the Mexican university experience?
What the significance of indigenous society in Mexico and how does it influence Mexican culture? /
  • Learn the nationalities of the Spanish speaking countries
  • Apply new high school and university vocabulary
  • Apply the demonstrative adjectives (este, ese, aquel)
  • Understand the differences between ser and estar
  • Understand why it is important to study Mexico
  • Know where Mexico is located
  • Identify different states in Mexico
  • Learn geography terms (rivers, mountains, oceans, deserts…)
  • Name important and historical cities in Mexico
  • Stem changing verbs: eie, oue and uue
  • Learn about the Volcanos Popo and Ixta
  • Perform the Legend of Popo and Ixta
  • Read about “El día de los muertos”, a Mexican holiday, in order to evaluate and synthesize the differences between Halloween and “El dia de los muertos”.

3 / Daily Routine / What is the typical daily routine of a teenager?
How are an American teenager’s responsibilities different from those of Mexican teenagers?
How long have I been doing my hobby or pastime, and why?
How does my family’s daily routine compare to that of a Mexican family?
What do I know about literature and literary terms?
How do I use reading strategies to improve reading skills? /
  • Vocabulary about daily activities and routine
  • Recycled vocabulary about family and parts of the house
  • Reflexive verbs and pronouns in both present and preterit tense
  • Adverbs ending in –mente
  • Indirect Object pronoun with gustar, encantar
  • Direct object pronouns, lo, la, los, las
  • Use vocabulary pertaining to responsibilities
  • Expressions of complaining in real situations
  • Hace + quantity of time + que + present tense
  • Use vocabulary pertaining to hobbies and pastimes
  • Apply Spanish and Mexican agreement expressions
  • Use map skills in Mexico
  • Demonstrate knowledge of pyramids and ruins in Mexico
  • Explain Mexican Culture including music, food, dance
  • Employ reading strategies
  • Apply reading strategies and literary terms in “Roque y el Planeta Sin Quehaceres”

4 / Health and Fitness / How do I discuss my current health and fitness level and compare it with my past fitness level?
How do I give advice and suggestions about health and fitness in Spanish?
How do I talk about staying fit and healthy?
How do I tell someone what to do and not to do regarding health and well-being?
How do I give explanations concerning health and well-being?
Do American and Mexican teenagers include health and fitness as a priority in their daily lives? /
  • Learn new vocabulary about sports, fitness activities, health and fitness terms, and body parts
  • Recycle preterit of regular –ar, -er and –ir verbs
  • Conjugate Spelling changes in verbs with –car,-gar, -zar in preterit
  • Conjugate informal commands
  • Apply affirmatives and negatives irregular informal commands
  • Apply informal commands with correct object pronoun placement