CAAP Common Core: French, German, Spanish - Reading

  • Most readings will be from the textbook and supplemental materials, authentic where possible.
  • Functions include: giving information, describing, narrating, listing. Formats include: forms, menus, letters, lists, calendars, newspapers, invitations, pamphlets, and catalogues.
  • Exercises include: matching visuals with narratives, drawing sketches, answering questions, completing forms, and global comprehension checks (e.g., topic, product advertised, etc.).
  • Strategies targeted: gleaning information from a variety of texts, understanding written texts in order to provide basic personal information, and applying knowledge of cognates to facilitate comprehension.
  1. I can read and understand the type of store or services provided on store fronts, (e.g., book store, bakery, video store).
  2. I can read and understand product labels and tell in what country the products were made.
  3. I can read and understand a letter in which a friend has described family members or friends (e.g., what they are like, what they look like, what they like to do, and their personalities).
  4. I can read and understand a letter in which a friend describes his/her family (e.g., number of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.) and understand the relationships among them (e.g., Paul is Carol's brother).
  5. I can read and understand a school catalogue or schedule that describes course offered, which days and at what time, and by whom.
  6. I can read and understand personal ads for international penpals. Read a simple restaurant/café menu and understand the selection of food/beverages available.
  7. I can read and understand a calendar or to-do list to find what activities a friend has planned for the week (e.g., Tuesday--return book to library).
  8. I can read and understand an invitation to a party (e.g., what to bring, time, place, date, etc.).
  9. I can read and understand simple official forms (e.g., hotel registration, passport and visa applications).
  10. I can read and understand a television schedule.
  11. I can read and understand information about vacation sites and plans (e.g., activities offered, prices, making reservations).
  • Most readings will be from the textbook and supplemental materials, authentic where possible. Sources listed below, however, will appear with greater frequency.
  • Functions include: giving information, describing, narrating, listing.
  • Formats include: forms, menus, letters, lists, calendars, newspapers, invitations, pamphlets, and catalogues.
  • Exercises include: following directions, answering questions, completing forms, and writing summaries.
  • Strategies targeted: gleaning more detailed information from a variety of texts, using adverbial clues (today, yesterday) and morphological changes to help determine time reference.
  1. I can read and understand a written description of hobbies and interests, in particular sports or music.
  2. I can read and understand written descriptions of clothing (e.g., type, price, size, color).
  3. I can read and understand television or radio schedules and descriptions of programs (e.g., type of program, time, basic plot summaries, and reviewer's recommendations).
  4. I can read and understand written directions to a place, including means of transportation, directions, landmarks, and distance.
  5. I can read and understand restaurant ads and descriptions (e.g., food served, quality of restaurant).
  6. I can read and understand a written weather report and map describing today's and tomorrow's conditions (e.g., temperature, general weather conditions in different cities and regions).
  7. I can read and understand a written description of past events (e.g., vacation, weekend activities, what life used to be like, etc.).
  8. I can read and understand a written description of a friend's activities (when he/she got up, brushed his/her hair and teeth, got dressed, left for school, went to bed, etc.).
  9. I can read and understand information in advertisements for different products.
  10. I can read and understand a description of a house/apartment (e.g., number of rooms, location, the neighborhood, contents of rooms, etc.).
  11. I can read and understand simple poems.
  12. I can read and understand short passages and visuals about familiar topics from magazines and newspapers.
  • Most readings will be from the textbook and supplemental materials with heavy reliance on authentic sources listed below.
  • Functions include: describing, narrating, giving information, complaining, advising, predicting, and hypothesizing.
  • Formats include: authentic letters, newspapers, brochures, and articles about generally familiar topics.
  • Exercises include: answering questions, giving summaries, following directions, requesting further information, providing solutions, etc.
  • Strategies targeted: interpreting information gleaned from a text and applying it to personal experience.
  1. I can read and understand brochures (e.g., travel, hotel, city guides, etc.).
  2. I can read and understand directions (e.g., recipes, games, assembling simple objects, etc.).
  3. I can read and understand the plot of short stories or short plays about a familiar topic (e.g., people my own age, families, famous person, etc.) and identify the personality traits of the characters.
  4. I can read and understand the general meaning of a book or movie review.
  5. I can read and understand the general meaning of newspaper and magazine articles about popular musicians, athletes, politicians, celebrities, monuments, etc.
  6. I can read and understand letters (from a penpal, to the editor) on issues of concern (e.g., pollution, recent political event, personal issue).
  7. I can read and understand letters of complaint about a familiar topic or in a familiar setting (e.g., apartment landlord problems, campus problems, etc.).
  8. I can read and understand job-related descriptions (e.g., satisfaction, salary, type of job, advantages, disadvantages, etc.).
  9. I can read and understand cultural selections on topics such as geography, history, and art geared to nonnative speakers or elementary/middle school native students.
  10. I can read and understand newspaper and/or magazine articles about petty crimes, good deeds, and neighborhood goings-on.
  11. I can read and understand advice columns and/or horoscopes.
  • Most readings will be from authentic materials of a literary or cultural nature.
  • Functions include: giving information, describing, narrating, complaining, advising, arguing, persuading, etc.
  • Formats include: novels, plays, poems, short stories, magazine articles, etc.
  • Exercises include: answering questions; providing summaries, reactions, and critiques; and participating in discussions.
  • Strategies targeted: seeking global and specific information from a text in order to access new knowledge bases.
  1. I can read and understand selected short novels, plays, and/or poems (authentic or from graded readers).
  2. I can read and understand articles in popular magazines (e.g., Reader's Digest, People, etc.).
  3. I can read and understand the general meaning of articles in news magazines and be able to give a brief, global summary and find specific facts.