2020 Back to School Handout

2020 Back to School Night

Emily Ruvolo

Emily.ruvolo@shrsd.org

BSE, Millersville University Honors College

Masters in Spanish Pedagogy, Southern Oregon University, Guanajuato, Mexico

Masters in English Language Learning, Western Governors University

My Teaching and Learning Philosophies:

• 1. Use as much Spanish as the level allows.

  2. All skills must be practiced so that all skills may improve.

  3. Teach what is tested and test what is taught.

  4. Tests should resemble class activities but should not be more challenging than them.

  5. Encourage students to see the current and future value of bilingualism.

  6. Cooperative learning is ideal for deep understanding.

  7. Student responsibility in learning is essential.

  8. Offer incentives so that students have the opportunity and desire to keep moving forward.

  9. Learning is the goal. The grade is the reward.

Expectations (in class and online)

In addition to the school codes of conduct, students should heed the following:

• 1. Respect for themselves, others, and teachers is expected at all times.

  2. Academic honesty!  No cheating and no translators (human or technological).  Wordreference.com is the only acceptable online dictionary that students may use,but circumlocution is preferred.

  3. Students will submit assignments before leaving for school-related activities if they will miss class, and students are responsible for all aspects of what they miss during class due to any excused or unexcused absence.  Students will return to class with that day’s and the missed day’s homework assignment and should plan to take tests or quizzes as scheduled after a single absence.

  4. Courtesy, open-mindedness, and respect are expected and will help students to enjoy class and to better understand culture and language.

  5. Students should initiate communication as needed. I am flexible and happy to help!

Notes for Success:

• 1. While I may not assign written homework often, students are expected to study their vocabulary between every class. Repetition and spacing help to learn vocabulary for the long-term, not just the next quiz.

  2. Vocab should be studied in three phases, Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and then Spanish to Spanish, the way that is most useful for building fluency. This progression is modeled in class.

  3. Students should take advantage of all of the opportunities outlined below as necessary.

Opportunities:

• 1. I accept late homework assignments within two weeks and in the same marking period that they were assigned for ½ credit.

  2. If all homework has been completed, students may retake a similar quiz for the average score of the new and original quizzes within two weeks of the quiz date and within the same marking period.

  3. Peer tutors are active and available.  Students should seek help through the tutors in their House first.

  4. Up to 5 points of Extra Credit may be earned per marking period on conjuguemos.com. The minimum requirement is 5 minutes time and 30 attempts (per point).

Grading Categories:

Graded assignments (70%) - quizzes and all graded work which may include conversations, classwork, written work, projects, and on-time homework completion. Lateness effects grade for all assignments.

Participation (30%) - level of participation, preparation, engagement, and on-task focus during group, class, and individual work. Class time is expected to be used for Spanish or mindfulness as indicated by the teacher.

Course Overview:

All courses encourage growth in reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, and cultural awareness.  

Spanish I - Builds a foundation in Spanish through basic, high frequency vocabulary related to everyday life conveyed in the present tense.

Spanish II – This course builds upon the established foundation of Spanish from level I.  With the incorporation of language-learning strategies, students begin to express and understand ideas related to past events.

Honors Spanish III - This is the first honors-level course in the sequence and requires engagement and responsibility on the part of the learner. Grammar is emphasized and practiced through various modalities to encourage students who can speak and write with increasing accuracy on a range of topics and times. Students will be eligible for the Spanish Honor Society this year after the third marking period.**

Honors Spanish IV – This course works towards mastery of previously-learned grammar with an emphasis on productive discourse. The focus of this year is on gaining competence in the skills of speaking and writing with a clearly presented message and ease of expression. This course will have a midterm exam in lieu of a final. **

AP Spanish – This course prepares students for the AP Spanish Language and Culture examination through rigorous, college-level activities. Students are held to high standards and must work diligently to grow in their personal areas of need while preparing for the exam and future studies. AP students will be invited to test for their Seal of Biliteracy. **

** Course Themes: Global challenges, family and communities, public and personal identities, science and technology, beauty and esthetics, and contemporary life

Spanish Honor Society Admission:

This requires a minimum average of a 90% to be maintained throughout the year and a commitment to learning and helping others to learn Spanish.  Eligible students are currently enrolled in Spanish level three or higher.