World Languages and Cultures: Spanish I—Cover sheet 2017-2018
Class Title: Spanish I: Targeted Proficiency Range is Novice-Mid
Instructor: Amy Samar
Availability: By appointment at lunch, Period 4, Period 7, and after school
Email: (best way to reach me)
Website: http://samarspanish1.wikispaces.com
General Overview: Spanish I is a one-year course that focuses on communicating in the language as well as learning about the cultural products, practices and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world. This is a big growth year in learning how to use the Spanish, and you are going to be surprised at how much more you can do with the language. This is a year when you will feel yourself being able to say a lot more of what you want to say without relying so much on just words and memorized phrases. In other words, you are going to feel more independent. One of the big things you will notice is that you will be able to handle basic survival needs with more confidence in the language. This means you can shop for items and order food in a restaurant; visit a city and its sites and ask for and give directions to places; express your likes and dislikes and give opinions with more details, as well as other things that are considered important to basic daily living.
What can you say and write? You speak and write more often in sentences than in just words or phrases, but your sentences are fairly simple and are most often in present tense. You start to use some simple transition and sequencing words such as and, but, first, then, next and finally. You are able to ask more questions in order to gather information that you need or want. Since you are now deciding more of what you want to communicate, you notice that you sometimes have to pause to formulate your thoughts-this is natural at this stage of your language learning journey. Errors continue to be present but you may find that you notice them more readily and are able to make some repairs as you go along.
What can you understand when you listen? Your listening ability is expanding to include not only the conversations that you have in class with your teacher and your classmates but also short, routine telephone conversations and simple announcements and ads, music lyrics and reports, etc. that you can hear on the television, radio, or on the Internet.
What can you understand when you read? You can read simple, straightforward information about things that you are interested in as well as simple informational readings found in daily life (signs, menus, ads, announcements). When you read these texts, you generally get the main idea and can pick out several details.
Colorado Academic Standards for World Languages
http://tsdwlstandards.wikispaces.com
Communication in Languages Other Than Englishv Engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. (Interpersonal mode)
v Understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. (Interpretive mode)
v Present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. (Presentational mode)
Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
v Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.
v Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.
Connections with Other Disciplines and Information Acquisition
v Reinforce and further knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
v Acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the world language and its cultures.
Comparisons to Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture
v Demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
v Demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
Targeted Proficiency Range: Novice-Mid: Learners communicate using memorized words, learned phrases and simple sentences to communicate about familiar topics related to school, home, the community and daily life. Learners make some basic connections to other content areas. Learners make some linguistic and cultural comparisons with new language and native language.
Unit 1: Basic Skills
Unit 2: Who I am and what I like to do Unit 5: Restaurant
Unit 3: School Life Unit 6: Family and Home
Unit 4: Food Unit 7: Clothes and Shopping
Daily Materials: Bring these every day!
¨ Spiral notebook for Repasitos (Warm-ups)
¨ Binder exclusively for Spanish class/handouts
¨ Writing Utensils (pens/pencils)
¨ Loose-leaf paper
¨ We will utilize an in-class set of Realidades 1 textbooks as needed. A personal copy will be checked out to you if requested.
Assessment:
Scores will be performance based and directly correlate with the Colorado Academic Standards for World Languages. All assessments will be scored with standards based rubrics that will include the three modes: presentational (speaking & writing), interpretive (reading & listening) and interpersonal (speaking & writing).
Grading ScaleA / 90-100
B / 80-89
C / 70-79
D / 60-69
F / 0-59
Assessments/Activities
Presentational / 20%
Interpretive / 50%
Interpersonal / 20%
Work Habits / 10%
Attendance and tardiness:
Most activities are done in class. If you are absent, you have missed important work. Check the wikispace for information and handouts about what we did in class that day. You can ask me for clarification outside of class, or during down-time.
Class begins on time. Being late is a sign of disrespect, and disrupts classroom learning! If you are not in your assigned seat with your warm-up notebook open and writing utensil out when the bell rings, you will be considered and marked late.
Consequences for excessive tardiness (3 or more per quarter) include classroom detention, a call home, and/or a referral.
Food/Drinks:
Food and drinks are ok, as long as they are not distracting to yourself or others, and as long as you clean up any messes you make.
Late Work:
Homework and other assignments will be due at the beginning of class, unless otherwise specified. Late assignments will automatically receive a 30% deduction, resulting in a 70% highest possible score (for example, a 7/10)
Classroom Community Practices:
1. Speak in Spanish as much as possible.
2. Put cell phone in the storage pocket on your way into class. I will take any cell phone I see outside the storage pocket, and keep it until the end of class! Sometimes we use cell phones for class activities. I will let you know when this is the case.
3. Harassment/bullying of any form will not be tolerated. It is against the law. Consequences will follow school policy.
4. Clean up after yourself in the classroom, and leave it cleaner than you found it. Other students use it too!
5. Respect Academic Honor Code: This means, but is not limited to, using an online translator beyond its dictionary capabilities, copying another student’s work, or using a native speaker’s help when turning in your work for a grade. Cheating equates to you disrespecting your own abilities!
6. Comply with all acceptable use policies when utilizing technology.
7. Always ask permission before leaving the room, sign out, and take the pass. Any abuse or overuse (i.e. going to the commons, leaving to meet friends in the hall, etc.) will result in suspension of privileges.
Class Discipline Procedures:
Please don’t be a problem for yourself, me, or others. Possible consequences for not meeting expectations include:
· Loss of distracting object(s)
· Seating arrangement change
· “Think Sheet”/Email home
· Call home
· Referral
· Meeting with Administration/Parents
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Please PRINT this portion and return it to Sra. Samar
Name: ______Period: ____ Grade level: 9 10 11 12
I, ______(student name) have read a copy of Ms. Samar’s Coversheet for Semester I of the 2017-2018 school year.
(Student signature)______
I, ______(parent/guardian name), the parent or guardian of the above named student, have read a copy of Ms. Samar’s Coversheet for Semester I of the 2017-2018 school year.
(Parent/guardian signature) ______
*A digital copy of the coversheet can be found on http://samarspanish1.wikispaces.com under the “Para empezar” tab.
8/15/13