Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program
The Polyglots: Spanish
Information for primary school educators
ELLA is a fun, digital, play-based language learning program for children in preschool. The aim is for children to recognise the different sounds and concepts of a language other than English through the introduction of words, sentences and songs in age-appropriate experiences and practices. Early experience in language learning is an important platform for encouraging language learning in the later years of education.
Preschools involved in this project have chosen one of the available languages to incorporate into their educational program. The ELLA apps are designed to provide children with early language learning experiences and are aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Australian Curriculum (Foundation to Year 2).
The ELLA apps
- The ELLA apps are designed to be engaging and educational.
- The design and development of the ELLA apps was guided by experts in languages, early childhood and technology.
- Children play together as they explore the apps, sharing ideas and helping each other.
- Learning experiences within apps are play-based and draw on the interests and activities of young children; for example, a sandpit, cooking experiences, art activities, building and role-play.
- Educators and children learn together – an effective and collaborative learning method.
What are the benefits for children of participating in ELLA?
There are many benefits to learning another language in the ELLA program.
- Children expand their knowledge of how language works and apply these skills to other literacy tasks such as listening carefully to sounds in words. These skills will be used when children learn to read and write.
- Language learning increases memory, concentration and critical thinking skills.
- Children use social skills when they play with the apps. They share the tablets and their knowledge, and they interact and help each other.
- The apps provide opportunities for children to increase their digital skills.
- The apps create opportunities to celebrate culture and diversity, to share home languages, and to strengthen links between families and the preschool.
- The skills and understandings developed through ELLA can be extended in children’s language learning experiences at school, whether this be continuing with the same language or transferring to a new language.
The ELLA program is funded by the Australian Government and managed by Education Services Australia.
Want to find out more? Visit the ELLA website
Key Spanish language included in the ELLA apps
Each of the ELLA apps engages children in play-based activities in different contexts to provide meaningful opportunities to hear and use language. There are also many cultural elements included in the apps.
Below is a brief description of each app and some of the key words and phrases that children are introduced to.
App 1: The Polyglots in the Playroom
When exploring The Polyglots in the Playroom, children become familiar with language relating to greetings, introductions, farewells and expressing likes and dislikes.
Through engaging with App 1, children will begin to develop skills to:
- sing the ‘Hello’ song in Spanish
- say some simple greetings in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Hola! Hello! ¡Hasta luego! See you later! - introduce themselves in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Me llamo (name) My name is (name).
App 2: The Polyglots at the Beach
The Polyglots at the Beach provides a playful environment and opportunities to explore the language of colours.
While playing above and below the water, children are encouraged to interact with the language of colours, sea creatures and expressions of preference.
Through engaging with App 2, children will begin to develop skills to:
- name some colours in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Azulo Blue Verde Green Naranja Orange Rosa Pink Rojo/Roja Red Amarillo/Amarilla Yellow - express some likes and dislikes in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Me gusta el rojo! I like red! ¡No me gusta el amarillo! I don’t like yellow!
App 3: The Polyglots at the Birthday Party
The Polyglots at the Birthday Party is an opportunity to explore the language of numbers through counting candles, singing songs, making cakes and saying how old children are.
Through engaging with App 3, children will begin to develop skills to:
- count to ten in Spanish
Spanish phrase English translation Uno One Dos Two Tres Three Cuatro Four Cinco Five Seis Six Siete Seven Ocho Eight Nueve Nine Diez Ten - say how old they are in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Tengo (age) años! I am five! - say happy birthday in Spanish
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Happy birthday!
App 4: The Polyglots at the Zoo
The Polyglots at the Zoo features animals in an open-range zoo and introduces children to words for foods and drinks, and phrases for being able to say they are hungry and thirsty, for asking politely and saying thank you.
Through engaging with App 4, children will begin to develop skills to:
- name some fruits in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation La manzana Apple La banana Banana La naranja Orange La fresa Strawberry
- say I’m hungry/thirsty in Spanish
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Tengo hambre! I’m hungry! ¡Tengo sed! I'm thirsty! - say thank you in Spanish
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Gracias! Thank you! - make simple requests in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Quisiera un jugo de manzana I’d like/I want an apple juice.
App 5: The Polyglots at the Circus
The Polyglots at the Circus takes children to the magical space of a circus, providing them with the opportunity to experience language related to parts of the body.
Through engaging with App 5, children will begin to develop skills to:
- name some body parts in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation La cabeza Head El brazo Arm La pierna Leg El pié Foot - say some parts of the face in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation El ojo Eye La oreja Ear La boca Mouth La nariz Nose - say something hurts in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Me duele la cabeza! Oh! My head hurts! - use some adjectives in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Grande Big Pequeña Small
App 6: The Polyglots at the Park
The Polyglots at the Park features games and activities that encourage children to actively engage in learning verbs and adverbs relating to actions.
Through engaging with App 6, children will begin to develop skills to:
- respond to some simple instructions in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation ¡Camina! Walk! ¡Baila! Dance! - use some adverbs in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Rápido Fast/quickly! Lento Slowly!
App 7: The Polyglots in the Town
The Polyglots in the Town provides an opportunity for children to use familiar language developed through apps 1–6 in a range of experiences in the town.
Through engaging with App 7, children will begin to develop skills to:
- name some shapes in Spanish. For example:
Spanish phrase English translation Un triángulo Triangle Un cuadrado Square Un círculo Circle - recognise the meaning of some words written in Spanish
- say goodbye in Spanish
Spanish phrase English translation Adiós Goodbye/See you later!
Connections with the Australian Curriculum for Spanish
The ELLA apps provide an engaging and enjoyable resource to support children in the initial stages of learning Spanish.
The statements below are taken from the Achievement Standards of the Australian Curriculum for Spanish. They capture some of the elements that children will have learnt by the end of Year 2 – after three years of learning Spanish at school.
It is important to note that the Australian Curriculum for Spanish is written for background speakers of Spanish as this is the dominant cohort of learners of Spanish in Australian schools. It will be more challenging for children learning Spanish at school or preschool for the first time to be able to reach the Achievement Standards described in the Australian Curriculum for Spanish. Educators will be required to adjust learning programs and expectations to reflect the individual needs and abilities of children.
The ELLA apps provide opportunities for children to engage with the following statements from the Australian Curriculum. Children’s abilities and levels of achievement will be influenced by a range of factors.
- Children interact with educators and peers through action-related talk and play.
- Children introduce themselves and exchange greetings and farewells.
- Children use simple repetitive language and respond to simple instructions when participating in classroom routines, games and shared activities.
- Children use visual, non-verbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help make meaning, and reproduce distinctive sounds of the Spanish language, including the sounds for the letters ll, ñ, rr/r g/j, c and y.
- Children identify specific words and expressions in simple texts, such as names of people, places or objects.
- Children convey factual information about self at word and simple sentence level,
- Children respond to and create simple spoken texts using modelled examples and formulaic language.
- Children use gender, simple verb forms, definite articles and vocabulary related to familiar environments to describe people, places and things.
- Children identify similarities and differences between English and Spanish language and culture in songs, stories, rhymes and pictures.
- Children know that Spanish uses the same alphabet as English when written, except for ñ as in mañana and España.
- Children identify Spanish as one of many languages spoken in Australia and give examples of words that English and Spanish have borrowed from each other.
- Children identify differences and similarities between their own and others’ languages and cultures.
ELLA is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and is managed by Education Services Australia. © 2018 Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise indicated. This material, other than Commonwealth trade marks in The Polyglots characters and The Polyglots logo, may be used in accordance with the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 licence, unless otherwise indicated.
Education Services Australia logo, Australian Government Department of Education logo
Education Services Australia Limited ABN 18 007 342 421
Level 5 440 Collins Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia
www.esa.edu.au Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +61 3 9207 9600 ELLA helpdesk: 1800 468303