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Overview
Our goal is to have students use Spanish in a real-life context. The best way to foster this is to have students writing, reading, speaking and listening to Spanish from day one. There is no right or wrong answer in our courses. We assess students on their ability to use the language authentically. From level 1 through level 5, students will interact daily with the language to demonstrate their understanding and their ability to create with the language. All of their work will be assessed through a proficiency based model, meaning we have different expectations based on how long a student has been studying the language. The objective of the course is for students to move up in their proficiency levels to be able to communicate in Spanish.
Themes will be centered around the AP thematic units (Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, Beauty and Aesthetics, Global Challenges, Contemporary Life, Science and Technology) and the curriculum will cycle through all themes throughout each level of study (Spanish 1-Spanish 5).
Syllabus
You can access the World Language syllabus here. There is one syllabus for all levels. There are slight differences for some of the slides so please click on the appropriate level (Spanish 1, Spanish 2, etc) for differentiated information.
Proficiency Levels
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are a description of what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context. For each skill, these guidelines identify five major levels of proficiency: Distinguished, Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice. The major levels Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice are subdivided into High, Mid, and Low sub-levels. The levels of the ACTFL Guidelines describe the continuum of proficiency from that of the highly articulate, well-educated language user to a level of little or no functional ability.
Please see individual page (Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3) for expected proficiency level by the end of the course.
https://www.actfl.org/resources/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012
ASSESSMENT
Students will be assessed in the three modes of communication:
Interpretive- what a student understands
Interpersonal- how a student communicates back and forth with someone else
Presentational- what a student can present out
These assessments will rely on four communication skills:
reading
writing
speaking
listening
Each assessment will be graded with a corresponding rubric and students will receive a WL1, WL2, WL3 or WL4 as a grade (WL means World Language). This is a Standards Based Grading scale and it does not translate to a number grade on a traditional 100 point scale (4 does not equal 100, 2 does not equal 50, etc). Instead, these numbers are to indicate student growth and progress and will be reflected on student report cards. In order to progress to the next level of study in the following year, a student must MEET THE STANDARD in all 3 modes by June. For many students, it will take the majority of the school year to reach the benchmark of meeting the standard. The SB grading scale is as follows:
1= Not meeting the standard
2= Approaching the standard
3= Meeting the standard
4= Exceeding the standard
A 0 (zero) in both iPass and on Progress Reports means that no work was submitted.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is expected for all students (in person & remote) and will be taken at the start of class.
If you are absent, you should: review daily materials on Google Classroom and work remotely, if possible. If unable to complete work remotely due to illness, the student will be given the length of time of the absence to complete the work. Contact your teacher for assistance during the class period or when able.
Practice work may not be graded each day but it is still expected that you watch video lessons and do activities to remain current with the class.
Expectations for Online Participation & Behavior
What is Netiquette?
“Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online. When you enter any new culture -- and cyberspace has its own culture -- you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people -- not just ASCII characters on a screen, but live human characters.” - Virginia Shea, Netiquette
For more information about Netiquette in general please click here.
Virtual Meeting Guidelines
To promote online safety, students MUST use their real names as their online username to enter any virtual classroom setting. Students will not be allowed to enter with alternate names.
Students should join the classroom from a family space (kitchen, living room, den, etc.)
Mute the microphone upon first entering the meeting.
Do not join or partake in a video conference before the teacher instructs you to do so.
Always exit the video conference when instructed.
Be on time.
Be an active participant.
Wear school-appropriate clothing and use school-appropriate language.
Frame the camera correctly. Select an appropriate background to ensure the focus stays on you if you are presenting.
Have the right light to enable others to see you.
Look into the camera when speaking.
Pay attention. Give your focus to the person speaking. Do not Interrupt. Avoid side conversations, facial expressions, or actions that cause a distraction.
Mute yourself after speaking.
Students are NOT allowed to take pictures, record, and/or distribute any personal information of any individual during a virtual learning experience.
In-Class Expectations
ALL FACE TO FACE STUDENTS MUST WEAR A MASK AT ALL TIMES.
Students will take their cleaning supplies upon entering the room.
Report to your assigned seat and wipe down your seat and chair.
Have your iPad/chromebook charged, out, and be ready to work.
Do not leave seat unless given permission. Before leaving you must fill out an e-hall pass and wait for it to be approved before leaving the room.
At the end of the class, you will clean your space again to prepare for the next student.
Google Translate and other translation tools
Google Translate is an amazing tool. There are several circumstances in life where Google Translate is appropriate and encouraged. However, when learning to communicate spontaneously in another language the use of Google Translate is not helpful.
Google Translate can be creepily accurate or laughably inaccurate but regardless, it is not your own creation. The translated words mimic your proficiency in English but not in Spanish. In this class we are trying to help you improve your Spanish proficiency. We know that your English proficiency is most likely MUCH more advanced since you have been working on it since you started babbling as an infant.
Remember, that there is no right or wrong answer when you are trying to communicate in Spanish. The only wrong answer in this class is to use a translator as your own work.
All of that said, we will teach you and help you practice using an online dictionary. We will also cover when it might be appropriate to use tools like Google Translate out in the “real world.”
Google Classroom
Students will be utilizing Google Classroom for both in-person and remote learning. All lessons, videos, activities, practice work, etc will be posted to Classroom. Students will be expected to check Classroom daily during their scheduled class time to ensure that they receive the day's lesson. Each teacher will have a unique code for the class and students need to input the code into their Classroom to gain access. These will be shared with the students prior to the first day of class.
Resources
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