Érase una vez Level 2: A Spanish Comprehension-Based Readers Program 1e ©2026
Core Code Alignment
Foreign Language
Spanish for Spanish speakers
03080000021: Spanish/Spanish - Second year
Spanish for Spanish speakers
03080000021: Spanish/Spanish - Second year
Recommendation
Reviewed, Not Recommended
Evaluation
This book includes several inappropriate elements for classroom instruction. It presents violent and graphic content through bullfighting scenes that normalize animal cruelty and show the death of a character in detail. The story also portrays manipulative and aggressive behavior between characters, including a stepmother who mistreats the protagonist, which can be emotionally disturbing for young readers. The text and illustrations glorify bullfighting, a practice that involves animal suffering, without offering any cultural or ethical reflection. Additionally, another story within the same resource includes violent language such as 'kill the piñata' and 'how to kill a zombie,' accompanied by aggressive imagery and references to commercial brands like Coca-Cola, which is inappropriate in an educational context. Overall, the book lacks cultural sensitivity, diversity, and positive moral values. While it may help with basic language learning, the repetitive activities and exposure to violent content make it unsuitable for middle school students and inconsistent with the values promoted in Utah education standards.
Educators Using These Materials
No educators found.
Material Categories
Supplementary
Rubric : World Languages 2025
Compliance with State Law (Required)
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Materials and Prohibited Submission 53G-10-103, R277-628 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| After reviewing the five Level 2 titles, the collection as a whole does not meet the standards.While some books, such as Fénix, provide positive messages about compassion and animal adoption, other titles raise serious concerns: Mata la piñata includes repeated violent language and imagery involving weapons and destruction. Tucán uses the term “mutilar”, which introduces a graphic concept of cutting parts of the body and is inappropriate for young readers. Blanca Nieves (adapted as Bianca Nieves) presents repeated scenes of bullfighting, which involve animal violence that may not be suitable for instructional purposes. Although Papalotl contains culturally relevant content about Día de los Muertos, the overall Level 2 collection includes multiple examples of violence, harm to animals, and age-inappropriate vocabulary. | ||||||
| Prohibited discriminatory practices 53G-2-103-5, 53B-1-118 and 67-27-107 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| No evidence of discriminatory content based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or disability was found in the Level 2 collection. Although some titles contain violent or sensitive themes, these issues are unrelated to discriminatory practices. | ||||||
| Maintaining constitutional freedom in the public schools. 53G-10-202 | Does Not Violate Law | NA | NA | May Violate Law | ||
| This collection does not promote or oppose any particular political, moral, or religious belief and therefore does not violate students’ constitutional freedoms under Utah Code 53G-10-202. While some titles contain sensitive or violent content, these issues do not involve infringement on freedom of thought, religion, or expression. | ||||||
| Free from advertising, e-commerce, or political interest | Does not violate law | NA | NA | May violate law | ||
| Several titles in the Level 2 collection contain repeated and visually identifiable brand references and promotional imagery. In Mata la piñata, the commercial brand Coca-Cola is mentioned approximately twelve times and Churrumais (a popular potato chip brand similar to Doritos in the U.S.) about five times, accompanied by illustrations that clearly display recognizable product logos and packaging. Additionally, Bianca Nieves includes a bullfighting poster (“Plaza de Toros de Madrid”) that advertises a public event, using date, time, and performer details typical of a real advertisement. These examples constitute commercial product placement and promotional content, which violate Utah’s requirement that instructional materials remain free from advertising, e-commerce, or political interest (Utah Code R277-628). | ||||||
Content
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alignment | Material aligns with Utah World Languages Core Standards across all levels of language and intercultural competencies. Includes specific references to ACTFL-aligned performance benchmarks (e.g., IL, IR, IC, PS, PW, CPP, CP, CIA). | Material aligns with most Utah World Languages Core Standards and references several core competencies. | Material aligns with a few standards but lacks comprehensiveness or clarity in standards application. | Content does not align with the Utah World Languages Core Standards. | ||
| The Level 2 series does not align with Utah World Languages Core Standards. Several titles contain violent themes of animal cruelty, and sensitive or inappropriate content that interfere with the instructional goals of language learning. Mata la piñata and Bianca Nieves include repeated scenes of violence; Fénix portrays animal abuse; and Tucán introduces vocabulary unsuitable for young learners. These elements contradict the standards’ purpose of fostering cultural respect, positive communication, and safe classroom discussion. | ||||||
| Navigation | Educators and students can navigate the material independently. Instructions are clear and understandable. The material is well organized | The material contains understandable instructions. Students may need some educator support. | The material is only usable with direct educator support. | Instructions are unclear, and navigation is difficult. | ||
| All materials were easy to access and navigate. The digital platform functioned properly, and no technical issues were encountered while reviewing the Level 2 collection. Navigation features and links worked as intended. | ||||||
| Instructional Support | Material includes instruction aligned to World Language Core "I Can" statements. Uses integrated performance assessments (IPAs), learning targets, and scaffolds for intercultural and language proficiency growth. | Includes support such as lesson plans, differentiated instruction, and examples of experiential learning. | Contains limited instructional support or misaligned strategies. | Provides no instructional support. | ||
| The Level 2 materials provide limited instructional support for language learning. Several titles contain violent or sensitive content (Mata la piñata, Bianca Nieves, Fénix), which makes classroom implementation inappropriate. This series also lacks clear teacher guidance, structured activities, and linguistic scaffolding that support and align with instructional goals. | ||||||
| Assessments | Material includes IPAs and formative/summative assessments aligned to World Language Core. Provides culturally authentic contexts and tasks aligned to proficiency indicators. | Contains summative assessments aligned to World Language Core but lacks IPA tasks or cultural relevance. | Includes assessments with limited feedback or real-world relevance. | Does not provide any assessment material. | ||
| Although the Level 2 materials include reading and writing activities intended to assess student learning, many of these tasks are based on violent or sensitive storylines (Mata la piñata, Bianca Nieves, Fénix). The assessment prompts expose students to age-inappropriate topics such as physical aggression, animal cruelty, and emotional abuse, which do not support the safe and positive environment required for language learning. | ||||||
Material Characteristics (Total Points:9)
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Characteristics | High-quality instructional materials for world languages incorporate culturally authentic images and multimedia resources presented in the target language. These visuals should be interactive, up-to-date, and captivating, drawing directly from genuine cultural environments. The inclusion of such resources serves to enhance student engagement and provide a more immersive and relevant learning experience, fostering a deeper understanding of the target culture alongside language acquisition. | Includes images or audio/visual examples in target language. | The material offers limited or low-quality audio-visual and tactile experiences for students, but it is reusable. | The content either has low audio-visual quality or is not intended for reuse. No visual support. | ||
| The visual and physical characteristics of the Level 2 collection are not age-appropriate. Multiple illustrations depict violence, aggression, and animal cruelty (Bianca Nieves, Fénix, Mata la piñata), including scenes of bullfighting, physical abuse, and weapon use. Such imagery does not align with educational or ethical standards for middle school materials. Only a few images contain culturally positive or neutral representations. | ||||||
| Technical Standards | Accessibility, Privacy, and Practicality. The instructional materials adhere to established accessibility standards, ensuring usability for individuals with diverse needs. Furthermore, the materials incorporate robust data privacy assurances, safeguarding sensitive information. Practical considerations extend to ease of access and installation, streamlining the implementation process. The materials demonstrate clear alignment with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards, reflecting best practices in language education. Finally, transparent licensing terms are provided, clarifying usage rights and permissions. | The materials meet all the requirements of federal and state laws, as well as accepted technical standards such as ISTE Standards and VPAT Compliance. Additional technical specifications and limitations, including hardware requirements, bandwidth demands, and software/web access restrictions, are clearly outlined in the description. The design of the materials allows for error-free installation or access without the need to purchase additional components. | The material is constrained by specifications that require additional materials, technical assistance, hardware, software, or infrastructure. Access to resources within the material expires after a trial period. | Student data privacy is at risk or lacks accessibility compliance. | ||
| The Level 2 materials meet technical standards for accessibility and format. All books were easy to open and view, with clear text, legible fonts, and appropriate image resolution. No technical or formatting issues were encountered during the review. | ||||||
| Adaptability | Designed with World Language proficiency pathways (Novice to Advanced) in mind. Can be customized for varied learner levels and intercultural objectives. | Educators or students can utilize the material, but it may not be customizable for the needs of diverse learners. Usable across multiple levels, with basic adaptability. | The material has limited options to address adaptability for the needs of diverse learners. | The material is not suitable for different educational settings with diverse learners. | ||
| This collection lacks adaptability for diverse learners. While the texts vary in length and visual support, the overall content, which features violence, animal cruelty, and sensitive themes, cannot be effectively modified for instructional use in middle school settings. The materials provide no teacher guidance or differentiation strategies to support varying proficiency levels. | ||||||
Ethnic Studies and Shared Values and Characte
| Item | 3 - Extensive | 2 - Adequate | 1 - Inadequate | 0 - None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic Studies (Ethnic studies in core standards and curriculum should be a narrowly tailored incorporation of age-appropriate opportunities that naturally arise through education without pretextual effort in courses, programs, or activities where ethnic studies is not a primary focus. The material should incorporate a curriculum of people and cultures that reflect the state’s various demographics without commentary that seeks to violate the neutrality standard established in codes: 53B-1-118, 53G-2-103, 53G-2-104, 53G-2-105, 67-27-107, | Instructional materials should integrate opportunities for students to investigate global cultural products (e.g., tools, music, art), practices (e.g., social interactions, communication styles, traditions), and perspectives (e.g., values, beliefs, attitudes) in a manner that directly aligns with established intercultural standards, specifically CPP (Cultural Products and Practices), CP (Cultural Perspectives), and CIA (Culture in Comparison and Interconnection). The materials should actively foster the development of intercultural competence by encouraging students to move beyond their own cultural frame of reference and engage with diverse worldviews. Furthermore, the instructional resources must explicitly demonstrate respect for the richness and complexity of diverse cultures, ensuring that this respect is evident in both content and pedagogical approaches. This demonstration of respect should also align with Utah's demographic representation, reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of students within the state and promoting inclusivity in the learning environment. | The instructional materials reflect a global perspective by incorporating some attention to the diverse cultures represented in the target language. This includes explicit references and opportunities for students to engage in cultural comparisons between their own culture(s) and those associated with the language they are learning. | The material has limited themes of social and cultural histories within the United States and globally. The material provides limited examples of inclusive or cultural real-life experiences and does not include diverse characters. | The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements. (53E-4-204.1). | ||
| The Level 2 collection includes limited positive representation of cultural and ethnic perspectives. While Papalotl respectfully presents Día de los Muertos traditions, other titles (Bianca Nieves, Mata la piñata, Tucán, Fénix) contain violent or controversial contexts that overshadow the cultural learning objectives. The series provides minimal support for promoting diversity, empathy, and inclusion as outlined in Ethnic Studies goals. | ||||||
| Shared Values and Character Traits | This section of the rubric emphasizes the integration of intercultural competence within world language instruction. It mandates the inclusion of realistic intercultural scenarios designed to encourage students to engage in comparative cultural analysis. Through these scenarios, students not only identify similarities and differences between their own culture and the target culture(s) but also critically reflect upon fundamental character values such as respect, empathy, and the principles of global citizenship. The materials should actively foster meaningful interaction by showcasing and promoting culturally appropriate communication strategies and behaviors. Furthermore, the incorporation of authentic materials, derived from real-world cultural contexts, is crucial for providing students with genuine exposure to the target language and its associated cultures, thereby enhancing their overall intercultural understanding and communicative abilities. | The material focuses on the shared values of diverse people and communities, the common elements that unite Utahns, and displays some character traits in its imagery and content. It aims to cultivate character traits in students, such as courage, leadership, intelligence, integrity, honesty, respect, morality, civility, duty, honor, and service, along with principles found in the Constitution. Addresses character traits and civic virtues with limited application to language and culture. | The material lacks a sense of shared values or common elements that unite Utahns. Furthermore, the material has limited resources addressing civic and character education. | The material does not meet the requirements within the ethnic studies core standards and curriculum requirements (53E-4-204.1) and civic and character education. (53G-10-204) | ||
| This collection does not consistently promote positive character traits or shared values. Although Fénix attempts to convey compassion through animal adoption, most titles emphasize violence, aggression, or emotional harm (Mata la piñata, Bianca Nieves, Tucán). These storylines conflict with the ethical and character-building principles expected in instructional materials for middle school students. | ||||||
UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807