Español 1

¡¡Felicidades!! I want to congratulate you for deciding to make the commitment to begin or continue your study of Spanish! You may be taking this class because you want to be a fluent speaker, you want to major/minor in Spanish in college, you want to improve your reading/writing, you want to use it in your future career, or with friends and family, want to learn more about different cultures, etc. -- Whatever the reason(s), I'm glad you've chosen to be in our class and I know that your life is better when you know more than one language well.

[Gaining fluency in another language helps you to better understand your first language, builds cultural knowledge and empathy, helps to protect against Alzheimer’s and dementia, helps you connect to new people, broadens your employment opportunities, and much more.]

SIGNUP INFO: (please make sure you are signed up for both Remind, and our Google Classroom asap)

For remind texts (used for testing announcements or reminders/last minute changes, etc.):

TEXT to this number: 81010
With THIS message: (for 1st hour) @ck437ef (for 3rd hour) @3rdhrdu (for 8th hour) @8esp1

For our Google Classroom (where daily lesson plans, homework assignments and support material will be posted, as well as where you find what you missed if you are ever gone - mandatory signup):

Use your school Google account to sign in @ https://classroom.google.com, then use the class joining code to join our class:
- - - 1st - kfp7yvg2
    - 3rd - qqpz7lz4
    - 8th - nygooifd
COSTS/Supplies needed: You need either a DEDICATED Spanish notebook, or section of your binder that you will keep organized! You MUST bring your charged chromebook to class each day.
Not required, but appreciated!! - We go through a lot of black Expo dry-erase markers. Those are always welcome if you can send any. :)

Perú, 2016

(Hojaldre) - Santiago de Veraguas, Panamá, 2010

Personally, I LOVE being bilingual, because it has opened SO many doors in my life - to employment, friendships, learning, experiences abroad, fulfillment in my own family, and more!

We treat one another, ourselves, the teacher, Spanish language and culture and the room/supplies with RESPECT and KINDNESS. :)
Remember that you don't have to shout out everything you think or feel.
Be open to learn new things, work with people who are different than you and to try your best!
If you every have an issue, feel free to bring it to me. Email is usually a good first step.

Although speaking a language is often expressed as something you “know” or “don’t know” (how to do), the reality is that we never “finish” learning a language. Even your first language has not “ended” for you. There are undoubtedly thousands of words you still do not know in your first language. There are also expressions or slang which can be specific to regions, countries, and even age groups. Even standardized words can actually mean totally different things in different countries. Not to mention all the cultural knowledge in music, literature, entertainment, food...and the specifics and nuances of government, history, interactions with pre-European (but still active) Indigenous cultures, etc. Even spending years “learning a language” will only permit you to scratch the very surface of these things.

Some key class expectations:

Every day, as per the state law and school policy, we should not access our cellphones, smartwatches, other bluetooth technology or wireless ear buds/headphones, etc. They should be powered off and in our backpacks.
Phones NEVER go with you when you visit the bathroom, get water, etc.
If you have an emergency and need to contact a guardian - ASK permission first. :)
We do not play games on the chromebook/etc unless it is a Spanish game you've been assigned by me to play (Kahoot, Quizlet, etc.) There is always something productive and Spanish-related we can be doing!
Any assigned homework should be submitted by the next class day.
If you are ever gone, you must check the Google Classroom post to see if homework was assigned that day. You should at least attempt the assignment and be ready to submit it with the rest of the class.

Syllabus - Spanish 1

(YAAG [Year at a glance document] is embedded below within this syllabus page)

Many additional resources are found on the "General Resources" page of this site.

Sr. Dutton at a "mercado al aire libre" in the streets of Santiago, Veraguas, Panamá (2010)

If communication is the goal, what does that look like in the class?

There are three basic modes of communication:

interpretive communication (Reading or listening to understand text/audio/visual)
interpersonal communication (written or spoken interchange with others)
presentational communication (preparing writing or speaking for one-directional presentation

*Often, activities will incorporate more than one of these modes.

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