Post date: Sep 9, 2015 2:01:46 PM
Dear parents,
I am LeeAnn Gilroy and I am your child's Spanish I or III teacher this year. I love what I do here at Solon! I am always so excited to begin the new year! I hope it has begun to become routine. This year my son is beginning preschool here at Solon, so I am in your shoes for the first time ever!
Spanish I can be a challenge for all concerned. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns, ever. I am teaching this for the first time since we got Standards Based Grading, so please see my link on the Welcome page for general grading guidelines and expectations. On the High School Schedule/homework page you will find the stuff we do every day, links to our work online, lists for vocabulary for the week and much more.
We will talk about holidays and celebrations that have a religious background, so please let me know if you do NOT wish your child to be involved in the discussions. I may also show a film from another country which has no rating in the U.S. This film about a child's life is called Valentín. Should you wish to have your child excluded from the viewing, please let me know. To support your child, ask them to see their notes, encourage them to spell their notes words many times. Encourage them to look at their Spanish work EVERY DAY for 10 min. and review. I will ask your child to attend my seminar should their grade not reflect what I think they know, and I will be in touch with you. All students will re-assess any 2 grades, per board policy.
Spanish III is a bridge to real language usage. In this class we attempt to use all the stuff we've been learning. This is where the rubber hits the road. They will learn past tenses and how to talk about their childhood. Ask them to tell you their Spanish vocab list. It's available on www.quizlet.com every week. You may also view that on the High School Schedule/Homework page. We will be watching 2 movies/tv shows from other countries which have no ratings in the U.S. They address life for teens in other countries. One is called Cinco Amigas and is the story of a pop band and how they get together. The other is called Urban Latino TV and is short clips about cultural aspects of latino life.
Again, chosen because content is appropriate for their age group and structures and cultural things we discuss are contained in these items. PLEASE let me know if any of this is something you would like for your child to have a different experience.
Just some general procedures:
In Spanish, three times weekly quizzes for vocabulary knowledge are important. Encourage them to study with you!
Your student will be accessing an online book every Friday, so no texts will be brought home. They can access them at www.vhlcentral.com . All students have a unique userid and password. All of my students have accessed their text online already to use it.
Have a great year! Should you need to contact me, please email me, as the telephone service can be unreliable.
I'm in Room C104, also feel free to stop by if you are in the building.
Mrs. LeeAnn Gilroy