Gateway Institute of Technology High School

Advanced Placement Spanish

Course Syllabus

2011-2012

Gateway Institute of Technology High School

Diane Pansky

(314) 776-3300 ext. 14020

Course Description

Advanced Placement Spanish is a two semester course focused on the improvement of students’ grammar, reading, writing, listening and presentation skills. It is intended for students who have successfully completed at least three years of Spanish language study in junior high or high school or who are native Spanish speakers with demonstrated mastery of the language at the level of a fourth year student.

The content and requirements of this course are comparable to those of a third-year college course. Students should enter the course prepared for rigorous work both inside and outside of the classroom. A central aim of the course is to prepare students to take the AP Spanish Exam, which is administered by the College Board. More information on AP Spanish courses and the AP exam, along with sample exam questions from previous years, can be found at

Goals:

• Students will expand their interpersonal communication skills in Spanish through daily classroom interactions in the language. This includes casual conversations with the teacher and classmates as well as formal discussions. To this end, Spanish will be used almost exclusively by all participants in the course.
• Students will increase and refine their written presentational skills in formal and informal contexts
• Students will refine their oral presentational skills in formal and informal contexts.
• Students will broaden their comprehension skills through exposure to diverse written and audio materials in formal and informal contexts.
• Students will broaden their understanding of the cultures that comprise the Spanish-speaking world through the study of history, literature, art, music and current events.
• Students will make connections between their learning in the Spanish classroom, their learning in other classes, and their daily lives.

Materials

The textbook for this course is Rumbos. It was created to serve a broad spectrum of students at the third-year college level. Rumbos uses multiple instructional approaches to help every student achieve higher levels of communicative competence. It incorporates extensive review of grammar and vocabulary learned in prior years of study, along with a wide variety of authentic literary readings, listening-based note-taking tasks, academic writing tasks and oral presentations. Throughout the text, students are immersed in the rich diversity of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Supplemental written materials will include authentic Spanish-language articles from online sources, including the following:

• La Nación
• Thepaperboy.com
• Prensaescrita.com
• El Mundo
• BBC

Supplemental listening materials will also be drawn from online sources:

• Radio Naciones Unidas
• BBC
• Nuevos Horizontes
• CNN en Espanol
• PBS Documentary Films

Materials Students Will Need to Provide:

• One binder with pockets
• A notebook
• Lined paper
• Pens or pencils

Course Plan

First Semester

Rumbos Chapter

Second Semester

Rumbos Chapter

6

10

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS:

Teacher’s Responsibilities:

• Provide a positive and safe environment that fosters student learning.
• Align instruction to state and district curriculum requirements.
• State learning goals and objectives daily.
• Explain course information clearly and in multiple ways.
• Differentiate instruction to meet student needs.
• Provide diverse learning opportunities that stimulate students’ interests and develop new skills and knowledge.

Parents’ Responsibilities:

• Stay informed about your student’s progress in the course.
• Contact me with any questions or concerns.

Students’ Responsibilities:

• Attend class every day – In the event of illness or other justified absences, work may be made up. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the instructor for make-up work and follow through on completing assignments.
• Arrive on time – tardiness disrupts the class and takes learning time away from other students. It will not be tolerated. Tardiness will negatively impact your class participation grade.
• Spend time outside of class practicing vocabulary, grammar rules, reading, writing, speaking and listening to authentic Spanish language sources.
• Work hard on a daily basis and complete all assignments in a timely manner.
• Work cooperatively and support one another in improving language skills

Grade Determination:

Homework – 20%

Classroom discussion, in-class assignments and participation – 20%

Quizzes and Tests – 20%

Projects & Presentations – 20%

Semester Exams – 20%