Syllabus
The expectations for each level of Spanish are based on these 4 Skills:
Listening: Perhaps the most important of the 4 skills of language is being able to understand what another person is saying to you. In order for that to happen, you need to hear huge amounts of interesting and understandable spoken language. I ask that you do your part to make stories and discussions lively and interesting by actively participating and suggesting unexpected twists in storylines. I call this doing your 50%.
Reading: You will read in and out of class— as a whole class, in groups and pairs, and individually. There is a variety of material available to you, including magazines, children’s books, novels, song lyrics, stories written by your peers, and stories we create together in class. Reading is the #1 way to increase your vocabulary so we will read early and read often!
Speaking: You will be encouraged to speak as much as you are ready to do, through answering multi-level questions from the beginning of the year to asking questions of your own and discussing your interests. Speaking English is strongly discouraged during class, although there are a few exceptions to this rule. I encourage you to ask for clarification when needed (in English), and you will frequently be expected to translate a text or spoken word into English. Other than in these circumstances, English will not be tolerated. It is a disruption and a hindrance to learning language.
Writing: You will have various writing assignments, both formal and informal. You will participate in timed writings and track the progress of your fluency. You will be amazed at how quickly you improve! Because proper grammar is acquired much later for most people (think about five year-old children who have been learning English 24-7 for five years and still make grammatical mistakes!), writing in level 1 is evaluated for fluency, comprehensibility, and vocabulary use.
Individual Evaluation
As you know, we are working on Proficiency-Based Learning. I will be as transparent as possible to help you understand your grade. In the following tables, you will find the performance indicators that you will be evaluated on for this course and their corresponding Graduation Proficiencies.
Notice that each of the skills detailed above falls under the first category: “Communication.” Pay special attention to this category, as the bulk of our work will take place here.
Retaking Assessments
You have two weeks to submit or resubmit assignments and assessments when you have not mastered the proficiency being assessed, or when you are not satisfied with your results. Each Unit builds on the previous one hence the course is deemed cumulative. It is crucial to fix your
Class Organization
We will use Google Classroom to access resources and assignments. You can use this for extra practice or in the event that you miss class.
We will also have a classroom on Sr. Wooly and Quizlet. You will be required to master a new list of vocabulary for each Unit. You are expected to put in the time you need to achieve true mastery.
Missing Class
Since language learning is such an interactive skill, it’s difficult to make up missed work. Please make every effort to be present and prepared to learn during class time. It’s no fun to slip behind and spend class periods not understanding what people are saying!
That being said, absences do happen. Students who miss class are expected to find out and review what was missed (with friends, with me, or on Google Classroom) and make every effort to substitute that missed time with a comparable time spent with a comprehensible input substitute. For example, if we told a story during class, you will spend that same amount of time listening online to material that contains similar vocabulary.
Any assessments missed need to be made up during advisory or after school within one week.
Extra Help
Everyone can learn Spanish, but not everyone learns in the same way and in the same amount of time. Students who need to spend extra time practicing are encouraged to come see me during advisory block or after school. I am generally available every day during Advisory and during WINGS Homework Help on Tuesdays. The sooner you get help the better, and the more fun you’ll have in class.