Text database KastELE

When the Spanish-speaking world is just a click away on the Internet, it's worth taking a look and bringing it into the classroom! KastELE therefore offers authentic Spanish texts that are bursting with topicality, variety and cultural diversity. The database is divided into A1 - C2 according to the levels of the GeR. Based on the functional content of the respective learning years, the texts address various curricular focal points. The variety of text types is also based on the progression: from everyday infographics, blog posts and websites for beginners to literary and journalistic texts for advanced learners. The database also represents different varieties of Spanish, with text producers from Castile, Andalusia, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, among others, having their say.

The research project combines linguistic models of text complexity with didactic approaches to text competence in order to create new impulses and innovative working materials for text work in Spanish lessons. KastELE is based on the maxim that the complexity of a learning unit results from the complexity of the text and the tasks. Texts that may appear complex at first glance can also be used at lower levels by setting appropriate tasks and discussing strategies. The well-founded linguistic analysis of each text reveals characteristics that are worth negotiating with students. Based on this linguistic complexity profile, specific tasks have been created for use in the classroom. These teaching materials, which are intended to make it easier for teachers to use authentic texts creatively, include numerous tasks that are available to all users of the KastELE digital database free of charge as editable files for face-to-face and distance learning. All of them are designed to promote communicative competence and use the lexical approach and inductive grammar teaching.

The database can be useful in virtually all contexts of Spanish language learning, for example for teachers who want to supplement the textbooks with authentic, real-life and digital texts in Spanish lessons, as well as lecturers of practical language courses at university who need up-to-date texts for higher levels and much more. As the units are based on the progression of established textbooks for teenagers and adults, the materials can be easily integrated into lessons.

Each teaching unit includes the text, the linguistic complexity profile, the teaching materials and further links for in-depth study. A variety of exercise formats are offered to ensure that the teacher can easily adapt the unit to the specific needs of the learners. In addition to implementing an entire learning series, it is therefore also possible to gain inspiration and adapt the materials yourself. Furthermore, teachers who have used a unit in the classroom can share their experiences and network together. Additional materials on digital teaching formats and useful tools complete the offer.