Spanish I CP 

ESPAÑOL I CP Syllabus. 

    Northwest Middle School

Instructor: Mr. Leonardo Sanchez-Palomino 

Room: B-220

Phone: (864)-355-6936

Web site: https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/lsanchez/home

Dear Parent or Guardian,

A new school year has begun and this is always an exciting time. Your child has chosen to begin the acquisition of a foreign language, and it is going to be a great year! As we begin, there are a few things that I would like for you to know.

About me…My name is Leonardo Sanchez Palomino.  I’m from Bucaramanga, Santander in Colombia (not Columbia).  I have been a teacher for 17 years: 3 in Woodmont High School, 1 in Pickens Middle School, 5 in Campbell County schools in Virginia (USA) as a Spanish teacher and 5 in my native country as an ESL teacher.   I have a BS degree in accountancy and a master in teaching Spanish as a second language.

I like to play basketball and listen to all kind of music.  I also love to spend time with my family.  I’m married to Marlynde Gamboa, she is also a Spanish teacher.  We have two American daughters: Katherine (20) and Gabriela (16).  I love teaching and sharing my culture and I look forward to an outstanding year at Northwest Middle School.

Spanish It is a college preparatory class, which means that the students will have to work hard in order to succeed. Your child will need to complete assignments, do projects, participate in verbal activities, do oral class presentations (in Spanish), and study vocabulary every night.

Course Description:

Spanish 1 is an introduction to the basic elements of the Spanish language and to the cultures in which Spanish is spoken.  Students develop an awareness and appreciation of Spanish-speaking cultures and the relationship of those cultures to their own.  Students will learn to use accurate and appropriate vocabulary and structures related to real-life situations. The students will develop the ability to communicate in the five modes of communication: Interpretive Listening and Reading, Interpersonal Communication, Presentational Speaking and Writing, Investigation of Cultural Products and Practices, Understanding of Cultural Perspectives, and Participation in Cultural Interaction.  Emphasis is placed on proficient communication in the language while studying four relevant, real-world theme-based units:  All about me, My Daily Life, My Community, and My World!  There are no prerequisites for this course.   The class will be conducted in both English and Spanish, with more Spanish used progressively with each unit.

This course is the beginning level in a series of courses designed to develop fluency in the Spanish language.  Students will be expected to learn and apply the fundamentals and beyond through a study of vocabulary, grammar, situational conversations, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and dictations.  Class instruction will include lecture/ demonstration, repetition drills, listening, and video activities, research, and instructional games.

Course Objectives:

The objectives for Spanish I are based on the standards found in the Modern Language Standards.

Course Outline:

This outline is intended as a guide only in assisting the teacher in planning. When necessary, adjustments may be made to the material covered.

Unidad 1 – Todo sobre mi

Unidad 2 – Mi vida diaria

Unidad 3 - ¡Mi comunidad!

Unidad 4 – ¡Mi mundo!

Content

• Conversational Spanish Topics

Greetings, salutations, and introductions

Personal information (age, origin, etc. ...)

Adjectives, Feelings, places

Foods, restaurants

School, classes

Time, numbers, days, months, and dates

Personal descriptions

Family

Weather

• Grammatical topics

Subject pronouns

Definite and indefinite articles

Noun adjective agreement

Subject-verb agreement

Pluralization

• Verbs

           Present tense regular verbs

Present tense irregular verbs

Present tense irregular “yo” verbs

Present tense stem-changing verbs

• Culture of Spanish-speaking countries

Materials:

Spanish students are required to keep a notebook only for my class because we do not use a textbook.  Everything that your student needs will be given in class, and the notebook is necessary to keep the lessons from getting lost. In addition, we often refer to previous lessons, and the notebook will help your child to stay organized and prepared.

The materials that your child will need for Spanish include:

·         Chromebook (You need to bring it every day to class charged)

·         Composition notebook (not the spiral type)

·         Index cards (Notecards) 

·         loose leaf paper

·         NEW Grading and Grade Weights

Students will complete 3-4 major assignments and 12 minor assignments per quarter. Assignments will be graded based on completion and accuracy. Students will receive a zero for any work that is not handed in. There is no grading floor in this course.  At the end of the quarter, all quarter grades below 50% will be adjusted to 50%. The student's actual numerical grade will be listed in the comments.

Minor assignments will count for 40% of a student’s semester grade, and major assignments will count for 60% of a student’s semester grade. There will also be a final exam, which counts for 10% of the final grade. With the move from Algebra I to Geometry with Statistics, students will no longer take the EOCP standardized assessment. 

NEW Grade Calculations 

Quarter Grades

60% major/40% minor. All quarter grades below 50% will be adjusted to 50%

Semester Grades

S1 = 50% Q1/50% Q2                 S2 = 50% Q3/50% Q4

Final Exam

10% of the final grade

Final Grade

45% S1/45% S2/10% Final Exam

Minor Assessments: 40%

-Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs)

· Interpretive Tasks

· Interpersonal Tasks

· Presentational Tasks

-Quizzes

-Classwork

-Class Participation

-Homework:  Homework will be assigned to reinforce and practice language concepts acquired in class.  It is expected that you complete assignments in order to apply new and recycled concepts.

Major Assessments: 60%

-Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs)

· Interpretive Tasks

· Interpersonal Tasks

· Presentational Tasks

-Notebook

-Tests

-Projects

Grading Policy

The State Board of Education requires all schools to follow a statewide uniform grading scale. Middle school course averages have a floor of 50 for each grading period for each course.

Grading Scale: A (90-100) B (80-89) C (70-79) D (60-69) F (50 or less)

Major Assessments: 50% Minor Assessments: 50%

Make-Up Work Policy

Students are responsible for missed work in the event of an absence. In accordance with District policy, students have 7 days upon returning to school to complete missed work within the quarter the work was assigned.  Missed assignments will be noted in the gradebook as missing until complete. For example, if missing work occurred during the end of Q1 and Q2 has already started and the 7 days allowed overlaps from Q1 to Q2 the work will be accepted during Q2 because the days allowed fall within the 7 days make up time frame. If the 7 days ends on a Saturday or Sunday the assignment will be due the next school day the student is present. Recap: students have 7 days from the absence to submit missing work, no more than 7 days unless admin approval.   

Re-do Work Policy

·         Any student can redo a major assessment one time if they score below a 60, if the request is within five school days from the date they received their grade/returned assessment.

·         A teacher does have the discretion to allow a redo more than five school days if they choose, but a student should be allowed at least five days to request a redo.

·         A type of remediation activity, determined by the teacher, must be completed by the student prior to the assessment retake.

·         The grades for the 1st and 2nd attempts of the assessment will be averaged together (regardless of whether the 2nd attempt is higher or lower than the 1st attempt). If either assessment score is below a 50, the teacher will use the grade floor of a 50 to average into the final assessment grade.

·         Redo attempts should happen outside of class time (i.e., advisory, tutoring time, Panther Success, etc.).

·         The teacher should receive a parent/guardian written note, email, or phone call prior to the student being granted a redo attempt. A teacher can waive this requirement at their discretion if the parent/guardian is unreachable via phone or unable to return a note/email granting permission for the test retake.

Late Work Policy

Schools will accept late work with no penalty to the student up to 5 days after the original due date or the end of the grading period, whichever comes first.  A teacher may extend the late work acceptance deadline but may not reduce the time.  The work, although submitted late, will not receive a point deduction.  Assessments must be about mastery of content and if graded, the goal is to assess mastery, not behavior.  Work can be accepted late across the grading period by special exception and approval of administration. For high school credit courses, work not turned in will result in a score of zero, not 50.

 Attendance:

The school year consists of 180 school days. To receive credit, high school students or middle school students taking courses for graduation credit must attend at least 170 days of each 180-day course, as well as meet all minimum requirements for each course.

Seat Time Recovery

To receive high school credit after the 10th unlawful absence, “seat time recovery” is required for every subsequent absence that is unlawful. (Note: the 10 unlawful absence limit applies to each 180-day course.) A student may have up to 10 absences excused by a parent note in each 180-day course. Parent notes over 10 in a 180-day course will be considered unexcused unless accompanied by official medical documentation or otherwise approved by the principal as a lawful excuse. Students should schedule seat time recovery with their teacher.  Information will be forthcoming about middle school students needing seat time recovery.

Tardiness:

Students are expected to arrive at class on time, in accordance with school policy.

Classroom Rules:

Have RESPECT

-for yourself, for your classmates, for the teacher

Take RESPONSIBILITY

-arrive on time, come prepared, study, and complete all assignments

PARTICIPATE

-in all activities

¡HABLA ESPAÑOL!

ABSOLUTELY NO CELL PHONES!

No i-pods or other electronic/listening devices.

If you have any questions, concerns, advice, etc. please do not hesitate to contact me.  I think e-mail is the best way lsanchezpalomino@greenville.k12.sc.us  but you can call me before or after school. (864)-355-6936.

As a parent and an educator, I firmly believe that the learning experience is a partnership between students, teachers and parents.  Together we can help them succeed.

I think ¨All students can succeed, if they really want to, if they are willing to work and if they think positively. ¨

Leonardo Sanchez-Palomino (864) 355-6936

lsanchezpalomino@greenville.k12.sc.us