Course Syllabus
Español 2
Welcome to Spanish 2!
What will we study this year?
What is teenage life?
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- I can discuss teenage pop culture trends in my culture and compare them to the target culture
- I can compare/contrast teenage life now and teenage life years age
How do I connect with others?
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- I can justify whether technology and social media brings people together or not
- I can explain how food brings people together
- I can express my opinion on how common interests (specifically: arts + sports) bring people together.
What do I need for class?
• your class workbook
• a pen or pencil
• a folder or binder to file away classwork, worksheets, assessments.
• computer with a full charge
• headphones / air pods
What do I do if I am absent from class?
• Email the teacher or a classmate to see what we did in class and make it up.
• If you missed an assessment, email or speak with your teacher to schedule a make up assessment.
You have two school days to make up assessments that you miss due to an excused absence. After 2 days the assessment will be assigned a score of zero if you have not contacted your teacher to make it up.
How will I be evaluated this year?
In the Classical and Modern Language Department we use Standards Based Grading. This means that your work will be evaluated on how closely it meets or exceeds a standard. The standard is the proficiency level for this course, which is Intermediate Low, and moves to Intermediate Mid in Semester 2. Each Performance Assessment has a rubric so you can see exactly what you need to show that you can do to meet or exceed the standard. You will have lots of practice, see/hear examples of past student work and get lots of feedback via Formative Assessments before you take the Performance Assessments which determine your term grade. You will also have the opportunity to build your skills with Achievement Assessments prior to taking the Performance Assessments.
We will spend our first few days of class learning about all this, so don't worry if it seems confusing right now.
How is my term grade computed?
90% = performance assessments
10% = achievement assessments
What is a Performance Assessment? (90% of your term grade)
These include:
• Interpretive Performance Assessments
(Listening to a video or audio and answering questions about what you saw/heard. Reading an article and answering questions about what you read. Looking at an infographic or chart and answering questions about it. These questions are generally in English.)
• Presentational Performance Assessments
(Answering a prompt (question) by recording a monologue using video or audio software. Answering a prompt in writing.)
• Interpersonal Performance Assessments
(Having an extemporaneous conversation with 1 or more people. The conversation is often in response to a prompt.)
There are no retakes on Performance Assessments. On Performance Assessments students may score the following grades:
What is an Achievement Assessment? (10% of your term grade)
These include short skill building assessments such as vocabulary or grammar quizzes to be sure you are learning what you need to perform well in the accuracy and vocabulary sections of the performance assessments. On achievement assessments any grade (letter or percentage grade) is possible. At times, you may have the opportunity to retake an achievement assessment. Once the term is over, you can't retake these assessments.
What is a Formative Assessment?
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- This is a practice performance assessment. You will get feedback from your teacher. It's to let you know how you're doing and how you can improve as we go along in the term and before you take the performance assessments. It can take the form of a short flip grid video or a short piece of writing (digitally or on paper). Formative assessments are a part of standards based grading because they help students understand how close they are to meeting the standard before they take the assessment and they give students feedback on what they need to do to meet the standard.
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What about homework?
You will have homework in class and your teacher will keep track of whether or not you completed it. Homework may be a sort of formative assessment or practice to get you ready to take your assessments. Homework completion does not count in your term grade but it is a necessary part of the course because it gives you the opportunity to practice your skills. Your teacher will be communicating with your family if you do not complete the homework.
How is my end of year grade computed?
Term 1 = 14% of your year end grade
Term 2 = 22% of your year end grade
Term 3 = 29% of your year end grade
Term 4 = 35% of your year end grade
There is no final exam, but rather a portfolio assessment (see below).
The rationale for this increase in percentages is that what you learn in Term 1 will need to be remembered and used in Term 2, and so on, so by Term 4 you'll be required to use all the skills and information you've learned over the year.
Keep a portfolio
You should save your assessments and rubrics (essays, letters, audio recordings, video recordings, projects -> anything that is assessed and graded). In January and in June you will have a portfolio reflection which will be your mid year and end of year assessments. You are responsible for being able to show your progress over the year with evidence. You will show this through written reflections and an interview with your teacher. You may make an electronic (Google Drive) portfolio or keep papers at home and recorded items on your desktop.
How can I get extra help in Spanish?
• Your teacher is available at different times each week. It is recommended that you email her or talk to her in class to let her know you want to stop by so that you can be sure she is not in a meeting or making copies. dipietrom@wellesleyps.org
• The Language Support Lab
• If you would like a peer tutor, email your teacher for more information. A peer tutor is an upper class student in Spanish 3H or above who has volunteered to tutor Spanish 1 and 2 students. Generally you meet once a week in person or via Zoom. This is a very useful support system for students who want some individual support. There is no charge for this tutoring and the peer tutors do it because they love Spanish and/or need community service hours.
Questions? Email Sra. DiPietro at any time:
I encourage any students or family members to email me at any time to check in, ask questions, or ask for help.
Here is a Canvas Guide for Students
Here is a link to the CML (Classical and Modern Languages) Technology Help Site