Course Syllabus

Spanish 5 SYLLABUS Sra. Beck

Email beckc@wellesleyps.org

Extra help  You can always make an appointment for extra help through ZOOM with me. 

Other things that you can do during office hours:

I can let my teacher know what is working and not working.

I can make up a missed class or discussion.

Materials

✏ Spanish 5 CANVAS Modules

✏ Laptop computer / device

Units of Study

A. Introduction We are all human, we are all the same

Readings and discussions on prejudice and bias with articles about racial, ethnic, religious, gender, etc…

The following themes are explored in films throughout the year:

B. 1^st Quarter A Better Life? What about the American dream?

Alambrista - a undocumented Mexican farmworker sneaks across the border in California to make money to send to his family back home.

Buscando camino a casa - a group of young, unaccompanied Central American children struggle to make their way to the United States and jump the border to a new home. (This is a Major League Baseball Production)

Pelotero - two young Dominican baseball players face challenges as they try to make it to the American Major Leagues.

C. 2^nd Quarter Personal Struggles and Internal Conflicts

El orfanato - a Spanish woman brings her family back to her childhood home and is forced to deal with issues from her past.

Mar adentro – a Spanish man’s battle for the legal right to end his own life.

Maria llena de gracia - a pregnant Colombian teenager decides to become a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.

D. 3^rd Quarter Poverty, War & Injustice

Los diarios de motocicleta - the travels of a young Che Guevara through the South American continent.

Romero - Archbishop Oscar Romero preaches freedom and justice as war rages between the military elite and the Marxist Guerillas in El Salvador.

Paloma de papel - an 11-year-old Peruvian boy is kidnapped by Marxist Guerillas as civil war rages on around him.

E. 4^th Quarter What is love?

Cartas a Elena – a young Mexican boy changes sad letters to happy ones and experiences his first love with a girl from his village.

Maldeamores - three separate stories of love portray this most universal human feeling.

La fonda azul - a Puerto Rican woman tries to navigate and adjust to life and romance in the United States. (This is a PBS Production)

Absence Policy

I expect you to participate in all online and remote activities. However, in the event of an excused absence, it is your responsibility to check the CANVAS site and contact your classmates to find out what you missed.

Any activities and/or assessments that you missed due to an excused absence must be made up within 48 hours of your return to WHS.

Use of Technology

Class time will be spent acquiring language. When you are absent, you are not practicing or acquiring the material. You will have to spend a similar amount of time at home in order to make up the learning that you have missed.

Since classes, lessons and assignments are regularly posted on CANVAS, assignments must be always completed and submitted through CANVAS.

Absence Policy

Please be mindful of missing too many classes. In the event of an excused absence, it is your responsibility to contact your classmates to find out what you missed and make up any work missed within 48 hours of your return to school.

To make up an excused absence:

✏ complete all assignments and activities assigned for that day on CANVAS

✏ find an article in Spanish (online) related to the topic being discussed. Make a copy and schedule a meeting with me within 48 hours of your return to school. Be prepared to discuss the contents of the article in depth during this meeting. After 48 hours, your work will be considered late and  drop one letter grade.

✏ keep in mind that more than 3+ absences are a serious cause for concern.

Please keep this makeup policy in mind whenever you are absent due to college visits.

Performance Grade Categories

Your grade will be determined by how your performance (your use of the language) compares to the standard(s) expected for each category described below. The expectations for speaking, writing, reading, and listening will vary depending on the unit of study and the time of year. More detailed descriptions will be given for each performance assessment.

A         Advanced      

You are confident and go beyond the standard(s). 

B         Proficient      

You regularly meet the standard(s) without any help.

C         Developing   

You meet the standard(s) in a basic & simple way.      

D         Emerging      

You can do some things, but still need help meeting the standard(s).

F         No attempt    

You have not done enough to be evaluated against the standard(s).