Spanish 3A – Policies, procedures, course outline and requirements

Course philosophy and goals:

Comprehend and speak more Spanish with confidence so that you can both understand and be understood by a native Spanish speaker.

Those students who are particularly motivated and successful, will be granted the opportunity to place into AP Spanish next year.

Write in Spanish so that you can express yourself more accurately.

Read written Spanish for greater meaning and depth.

General course format & m ethods

This will be an intensive and rigorous year. Besides reviewing last year’s grammar, we will also be learning the last few tenses left to study, as well as some more complex grammar topics that will enable you to make the linguistic jump from simple Spanish to a higher level of proficiency.

The course will also include an introduction to Spanish and Latin American literature in the form of prose, poetry and a play. As always, the study of different cultural elements of the Spanish-speaking world will also be incorporated at various points during the year.

Classes will include the development of the four skills necessary to master the language:

Listening – Speaking – Reading – Writing

Tests will include the evaluation and assessment of all four of the above skills.

Activities to foster this development will include some or all of the following:

- workbook exercises and review

- pair dialogue exercises

- group conversation exercises

- reading: comprehension and discussion

- tape and occasional video listening exercises

- other activities designed to foster an appreciation an understanding of the Spanish-speaking culture

Materials:

¡Continuemos! Textbook – Jarvis,Lebredo & Mena Ayllón

¡Continuemos! Workbook & Lab Manual

Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary

Three-ring binder. It is not necessary to have dividers since this course is cumulative in nature and I would simply suggest you add papers to your binder in a sequential manner.

A tape cassette, which the teacher will provide.

Grading:

Each student is evaluated on the achievement level attained in all four of the above skills as demonstrated in Tests (evaluation of all 4 skills) 50% Quizzes: 25%

Oral presentations, essays, special projects 15%

Homework & class participation 10%

Daily class routine and homework policies:

Students are expected come in to class with the necessary materials for the lesson, including assigned homework. Do NOT use class time to finish homework, print the homework or email the homework to the teacher. Homework is generally assigned at the end of each class for the next lesson. If there are longer-term assignments that require more than the daily review, such as longer essays, special projects, or longer reading exercises, these will be posted long before they are due.

Quizzes are often announced the day before you are scheduled to take them. Typically, these will be based on the new vocabulary or the new grammar topic being studied. You will soon learn to expect a Chapter test as we approach the end of each chapter. These exercises are more comprehensive and will usually include an evaluation of all four skills required for proficiency in a language.

It is the student’s responsibility to reschedule any missed work. If you are going to miss class due to a school-sponsored event, you must hand in your work before leaving school, on the day it is due. If a quiz or a test is scheduled for that day, you need to arrange to take it before your absence

Please read the following statement carefully:

Foreign Language Department Policy on Academic Integrity

Trust being the cornerstone of the Brunswick community, the FL Department would like to reiterate certain aspects and definitions of the school’s policy on Academic Integrity.

· "Dishonesty is the willful perversion of the truth with the intent to deceive." It is assumed that all dealings between teachers and students will be direct and truthful.

· "Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of any unfair advantage on any academic exercise." All work, whether done in or out of the language classroom, must be completely original. This includes all homework (graded or ungraded), projects, tests and quizzes. Seeking the aid of translation software, online translation services or any other translation assistance, will be considered cheating. Make-up tests must be taken within two days of the student’s return, and without prior knowledge of specific

examination material derived from communicating with other students in the class.

· "Plagiarism is the submission of work as one’s own, any part of which is written and created by another, copied or paraphrased from any source without proper citation, and/or based upon an idea unique to another source without proper acknowledgement." This includes the assistance of native speakers, encyclopedias, online resources, etc., without previous permission from the teacher and proper citation.

 

Important note about obtaining outside help for graded projects:

All too often, students turn to other students, tutors, native Spanish speakers or other outside sources to have their work reviewed and polished. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS. Your teacher will very soon know full well what each one of you is capable of doing, and too many students have been caught who have handed in work claiming the work to be entirely the result of their own original efforts. Consequences have resulted in being called before the Disciplinary Committee and a note has been placed permanently in the student’s file. If you do utilize outside help, then it is imperative that you tell me when you hand in the assignment: points will be deducted but at least you will not be accused of cheating or plagiarizing. You will be given a higher grade if you simply put in your very best effort and make the attempts to improve on your earlier skills to the best of your own, individual ability.

Class attendance, timely arrivals, handing in of required work, and participation and effort are all very important. A positive attitude can work wonders!

Courtesy and respect towards every member of this class is assumed at all times.

Chewing gum, eating food or candy, and drinking sodas, juices or water, are all prohibited. This

is a classroom, not a student lounge.

It is my hope that each one of you will find many opportunities to succeed in this class. It is extremely important that you stay on top of the material, as it will only become harder as the year progresses, and there is too much material to cover all at once before a big test, let alone before a mid-term exam.

I look forward to working with all of you, and I will be more than willing to make myself available for extra help any time you need it.