Spanish Sounds Start

Overview

This opening lesson introduces the CLiL Spanish course, its accelerated learning journey and the classroom values of Enjoy, Respect, Achieve. Students begin their Cultural Passport and develop accurate pronunciation of Spanish vowels, silent h, and c/z, building the sound–spelling awareness needed for confident speaking.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain the structure and expectations of the CLiL Spanish course.
• WALT pronounce Spanish vowels and the target consonant sounds accurately.
• WALT recognise how Spanish spelling supports pronunciation.
• WALT participate respectfully and confidently in short pronunciation activities.

Success criteria

• I can explain what we will study and how the course is organised.
• I can pronounce a, e, i, o, u clearly and consistently.
• I can pronounce words containing silent h, c and z accurately.
• I can demonstrate Enjoy, Respect and Achieve during pair and whole-class practice.

Curriculum links

• Languages – key stage 3: Aims: speaking with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, including finding ways to communicate through discussion and asking questions.
• Languages – key stage 3: Pupils should be taught to: develop accurate pronunciation and intonation.
• Languages – key stage 3: Modern foreign language subject content: understanding and communicating in the target language through listening and speaking.
• Languages – key stage 3: Attainment targets: applying and understanding the skills and processes of the programme of study.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher welcomes students in Spanish, displays the question “¿Qué puedes say after 18 Spanish lessons?” and briefly explains that CLiL will move quickly towards confident, independent communication using the course hook and welcome slide. Students make a prediction with a partner, then share one hope or question about learning Spanish.

2. 5–12 min · Course aims and values. Teacher uses the CLiL course journey and values slides to explain the 18-lesson unit, the accelerated pathway and the purpose of the Cultural Passport; explicitly connect Enjoy, Respect and Achieve to pronunciation practice. Students annotate the course aims and Cultural Passport worksheet by recording one personal target and one example of each school value in a language classroom.

3. 12–20 min · Vowel discovery. Teacher models the five consistent Spanish vowel sounds, using colour-coded graphemes on the Spanish vowel sound slides and a sound mat; students listen, identify the vowel, then repeat chorally and individually. Students complete the vowel section of the course aims and Cultural Passport worksheet, matching example words to a, e, i, o, u, and compare pronunciation with a partner.

4. 20–30 min · Silent h, c and z. Teacher models the target patterns from Onda 1 Zona de cultura, pages 8–9, using the target sound modelling slides: h is silent; c is hard before a/o/u and soft before e/i; z is pronounced consistently according to the class pronunciation model. Students echo, air-write the graphemes and practise the model words from the course material, focusing on clear articulation rather than speed.

5. 30–39 min · Conti-style pronunciation circuit. Teacher displays instructions on the pronunciation circuit slides and circulates, correcting one sound at a time through positive, precise feedback. In pairs, students take turns as Speaker and Coach: the Speaker reads a short list from the course aims and Cultural Passport worksheet, while the Coach identifies the target sound and gives feedback using “clear vowel”, “silent h” or “check c/z”; partners then swap roles. Students may rehearse chorally before attempting independently.

6. 39–45 min · Cultural Passport and exit check. Teacher gives students time to complete the introduction in their Cultural Passport, revisits Enjoy, Respect and Achieve, and finishes with the retrieval practice exit ticket slips. Students write one course fact, one sound rule and one Spanish word they can pronounce, then add a confidence rating and hand in the slip as they leave.

Resources

• the complete course introduction and pronunciation deck
• the course aims and Cultural Passport worksheet
• Onda 1 Zona de cultura, pages 8–9
• Cultural Passports
• Spanish sound mats
• Colour-coded grapheme cards
• Dyslexia-friendly large-print word cards
• Audio model of the target words
• Mini whiteboards and pens
• the retrieval practice exit ticket slips

Assessment

• Listen during choral and individual repetition, checking vowel quality, silent h, and the pronunciation of c/z; recast errors without interrupting fluency unnecessarily.
• During the pair circuit, use the Coach feedback and a quick class scan to identify students needing another model or a slower rehearsal.
• Use the exit slips to check whether students can explain the course, state a sound rule and judge their own confidence.

Differentiation

• Model each sound slowly, exaggerate mouth position where useful, and use choral repetition before individual performance. Keep sound mats and colour-coded graphemes visible throughout.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly large-print cards, uncluttered worksheet sections, clear sans-serif text, increased spacing and audio support. Allow students to listen, point and rehearse before reading aloud.
• Pair students strategically and provide sentence frames such as “The h is silent” and “I can hear the sound ___.” Accept pointing or recording an answer orally where writing creates a barrier.
• Challenge confident learners to identify further Spanish words containing each target sound, explain the spelling pattern to a partner and lead one accurate model for the class.

Extension

• Students create a three-column sound bank for vowels, silent h, and c/z, adding further words they know or can find in the course materials.
• Students record a short pronunciation model for a partner, who must identify the sound rule being demonstrated.