Course Syllabus

Bienvenidos A La Clase De Español 3

Our course goals:

• Speaking- Engage in and maintain conversations on all different topics with the goal of getting your idea across
• Reading/Listening- Understanding the main idea of readings, videos and audios and finding some of the smaller details
• Writing- Write about different topics using personal experiences and opinions and connected sentences
• Cultural Awareness- Show an understanding for the Spanish speaking world including its people, what they do and what they value

What are we studying this year?

• Unit 1- What's the purpose of a house?
  • Parts of the house in the US vs in Peru
  • What people in the US and Spain did in their houses during quarantine
  • Homelessness in the US and in Argentina
• Unit 2- How can I make a difference in the world?
  • Environmental problems facing the US and South America
  • Creative environmental solutions in the world
• Unit 3- What does it mean to live a healthy life?
  • Healthy and unhealthy habits in the US and in the Spanish speaking world
  • Diets, exercise, school schedules and stress in the US and in the Spanish speaking world
  • The role of mental health in the US and in the Spanish speaking world
• Unit 4- What is art?
  • What do different people consider to be art
  • Famous artists from Latin America and Spain
  • Music, dance and architecture as art form

How do grades work:

• 90%- Performance Assessments- These are tasks where you actually use the language
  • Examples could include:
    • Interpretive Reading/Listening (reading an article/watching a video and answering questions)
    • Interpersonal Speaking (a conversation with a small group)
    • Presentational Writing/Speaking (writing an essay/making a short presentation)
• 10%- Achievement Assessments- These are tasks where you show what you know about the language
  • These could include:
    • Vocabulary quizzes
    • Grammar check ins
    • Participation
    • Homework checks
• Grades- On a performance assessment students can receive one of 4 grades:
  • A grade of A or A- means you show consistent evidence of leveling up with more advanced language
  • A grade of B or B-  means you thoroughly meet the targeted standard
  • A grade of C or C- means you are approaching the targeted standard
  • A grade of D or D- means you are showing partial ability or incomplete work and should redo the assignment at a later date  

FAQs:

• How will we be assessed?
  • You'll always get a rubric with a set of expectations. We'll go over it in class and make sure you're really prepared
• What should I bring to class?
  • Your laptop, our course packet, a notebook, a pen, headphones, any other materials from class
• Do we actually speak Spanish the whole time?
  • Yes. Our goal is to be 90% or more in Spanish. This becomes easier over time.
• How do I know if I'm doing well in class?
  • You're always welcome to write drafts, ask me questions, do a practice assessment or anything to get extra help. My goal is just for you to do well in this class

Honors vs ACP

• The instruction in class will be the exact same for honors and ACP with occasional level ups/directives given to the honors students.
• The assessments will be graded differently. On a performance assessment, honors students will be expected to:
  • take words from authentic resources as well as their vocabulary list
  • include a variety of connecting and transition words that are beyond what is listed in class
  • provide in depth cultural comparisons that go beyond what we discussed in class
  • use a variety of tenses that were learned in previous years/previous units

Term Weighting:

• We believe that learning a language is cumulative. With that in mind, the department policy states that each term is worth a different percentage of the final grade. The first term is worth the least and the fourth term is worth the most. This is meant to help you show growth as the year goes on. The term weights are as follows:
  • Term 1: 14%
  • Term 2: 22%
  • Term 3: 29%
  • Term 4: 35%