ABOUT THE CURRICULUM
A second year of immersive Spanish learning through literature, music, poetry, play, and exploration of the Spanish-speaking world.
For the early elementary years and beyond.
The ability to communicate in Spanish creates a connection with millions of people and opens the doors to greater acceptance and understanding. Bringing this language into our homes through beautiful literature, art, and music, from so many different places, is a delightful way to learn and develop an appreciation for the cultures of others, while celebrating our own unique heritage too.
Each week, this curriculum will help immerse your family in Spanish in a variety of ways:
-Through reading authentic children's picture books
-Listening to music and learning to sing songs in Spanish
-Reading poetry aloud
-Talking about how we are feeling and learning to identify emotions
-Following instructions written in Spanish to complete activities and crafts
-Exploring the culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries, including music and dance styles like flamenco, bomba, zamba, salsa, and chachona
-Learning about Spanish-speaking artists, authors, poets, book illustrators, and musicians
Artists featured in Volume Two:
Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (Venezuela)
Paula Nicho Cúmez (Guatemala)
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Spain)
Pablo Picasso (Spain)
Julia López (Mexico)
Through playing with our children in Spanish and using this language in our daily lives, and enriching our understanding of the language by exploring Spanish-speaking countries and cultures, we will be providing the best possible version of an immersive learning experience right at home.
"Invitations to Read" are sentences written in Spanish that have been included in the Volume Two curriculum for you to copy and share with your children. Write or post them somewhere around the house in a place that your children will likely see, such as on the fridge, on a whiteboard, or on a piece of paper taped to their door.
The idea is to intrigue them with a new sentence each week and encourage them to want to read it on their own. This activity provides an easy way for us to support a more print-rich environment in Spanish at home. A total of 32 invitations to read in Spanish are included in this Volume, along with their English translations.
"Verb Spotlights" are also included in almost every week of the Volume Two curriculum that highlight a verb to focus on and offer suggestions on how to use that verb in sentences.
Rather than memorizing conjugations and tenses, verbs are best taught in real life context. These spotlights offer us a starting point by listing conjugations for the presente de indicativo tense and several examples of the verb in action. (The present indicative is the most commonly used tense.) The goal is to walk away from each spotlight understanding what the verb means, some ways it can be used, and what its forms generally sound like in natural context.
Volume Two provides a pathway towards teaching your children to read in Spanish. During weeks 1-22 we will be working in La pata Pita, by Hilda Perera and Mana F. Fraga, which reviews all of the letters and sounds covered in Volume One at a faster pace.
Then we will transition into the Rafi and Rosi series during weeks 22-32. The Rafi and Rosi series, by Lulu Delacre, includes 12 exciting stories in four different learning-to-read books that explore Puerto Rican culture and history.
*Books not included.
Meet the Author
¡Hola! Soy Emma Butterfield Corbet.
Beautiful Mundo was born because I believe so deeply in the value of language learning. I believe no matter how unfavorable the circumstances we may be in for raising bilingual children, it can be done. Through teaching our children, we can teach ourselves. What an exciting and beautiful journey to begin!
Created by my friends in Spain, Violeta and Carolina Jaén,
the stories of Jaire and Juana are recommended in
Weeks 33-36 of the Beautiful Mundo Volume Two curriculum.
Each of their stories takes us on an adventure with two very special characters who teach us about four very important emotions:
Miedo en el Cumple de Paquito (fear)
La Rabieta de Jaire y un Día de Huerto (anger)
La Tristeza y las Fiestas de Villa San Jamás (sadness)
La Playa y el Superpoder de la Alegría (joy)
Each emotion pack includes an audiobook, four coloring and activity pages, a recipe, a craft project, and an "emotion first aid kit" with information for parents about each emotion (along with tips and advice for helping our children navigate their feelings).
These resources are written entirely in Spanish and create a wonderfully immersive experience. Follow along with the text while listening to the incredibly entertaining audio story, recorded entirely by Violeta, Carolina, and their family members.
Check out the ¡Superpack de emociones! available for purchase on their website.
