An integrated literacy-based Spanish curriculum designed to develop speaking, reading, writing, and academic language proficiency. Aligned with CEFR standards: A0 → B2+.
👨🏫 Neiderson David Ballen, EdD (c) · Washington, DC
Neiderson David Ballen is a bilingual educator, lecturer, and educational technology professional with experience across elementary education, higher education, and the corporate sector. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD), with academic interests in bilingual education, literacy development, dyslexia intervention, and educational technology integration.
Currently serving as Lead Teacher at Global Citizens Public Charter School in Washington, DC, David designs and implements Spanish and Mathematics instruction for grades 2–3, applying phonics-based literacy strategies and progress monitoring to support students with diverse learning needs, including those with dyslexia.
Bilingual Education
Structured A0 → B2+ progression aligned with literacy development principles. Combines phonics, grammar, comprehension, and academic writing within authentic texts.
Classroom Spanish routines + survival phrases
Alphabet & sounds + basic syllables (CV)
Nouns + articles (el/la) and Hay / no hay
Simple questions (qué/quién/dónde/cuándo/cómo)
Numbers, days, months, weather, time (basic)
Syllable clap/count/blend
Key sounds: r/rr/j/soft g
Complete map of all verb systems covered across the program
-ar / -er / -ir families and their conjugation patterns. Understanding the three verb families is the foundation for all conjugations in Spanish.
Regular + irregular patterns; stem-changes (e→ie, o→ue, e→i); 1st-person irregular verbs (saber, conocer, poner, traer, etc.).
Estar + gerundio — used for ongoing actions happening right now. Includes irregular gerunds (leyendo, durmiendo, pidiendo).
Regular + spelling-changes + key irregular sets (fui, tuve, hice, pude, vine, dije, traje, quise). Used for completed past events.
Regular + era/iba/veía irregular patterns. Used for habitual past actions, background descriptions, and ongoing past states.
Estaba + gerundio — for actions that were ongoing at a specific past moment. Often combined with preterite for interrupted actions.
Ir a + infinitivo (plans/intentions) vs. future simple (predictions/promises). Includes irregular future stems (tendré, podré, habrá, etc.).
Simple conditional + irregular stems (tendría, podría, habría). Used for hypotheticals, polite requests, and indirect speech.
Estar + gerundio — used for ongoing actions happening right now. Includes irregular gerunds (leyendo, durmiendo, pidiendo).
He/había/habré/habría + participio. Includes irregular past participles (hecho, dicho, visto, escrito, puesto, roto, vuelto).
Affirmative/negative; tú/usted/ustedes forms. Common irregular commands: ven, ten, pon, di, haz, sé, ve. Includes pronoun attachment rules.
Present + perfect subjunctive as needed. Triggered by WEIRDO categories: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojala.
Reflexive verbs (levantarse, vestirse); se impersonal (Se habla español); se pasivo (Se venden casas). Full pronoun placement rules.
Topics covered across the full A0 → B2+ curriculum
Identity, values & character
Complex emotions & self-regulation
Relationships, friendship & conflict
Politeness & register
Opinions, arguments & debate
Healthy routines & well-being
Personal safety & emergencies
Community & citizenship
Everyday economics
Restaurant & customer service
Travel & transportation
Housing & city systems
Nature & environment
History & societies
Culture, traditions & identity
Science: matter, energy, forces
Science: life, ecosystems, adaptation
Technology & the digital world
Media literacy: info vs misinformation
STEM problem-solving language
Research mini-project language
Art & literature (tone, theme, symbols)
Music, rhythm & expression
Sports & teamwork
Advanced narrative craft
Advanced nonfiction
Define, compare, analyze, synthesize
Formal writing transitions
Cause–effect, contrast & consequence
Goals, plans, predictions & probability
Time relationships & complex sequencing
Precision & nuance (synonyms, intensifiers)
Idiomatic expressions
Prefixes, suffixes & word families
Cognates & false cognates
Phrasal verbs bridges (bilingual support)
✔️ Integrated grammar + literacy + phonics
✔️ Authentic text-based learning
✔️ CEFR-aligned curriculum design
✔️ 35+ advanced vocabulary themes
✔️ IDyslexia-informed instruction strategies
✔️Structured progression A0 → B2+
✔️ Reader's + Writer's Workshop model
✔️ Functional Spanish (real-life tasks)
✔️ Academic writing from early levels
✔️ Speaking + writing integrated daily
✔️ Complete verb conjugation map
✔️ Educational technology integration