Last modified: November 17, 2022
Beginning Spanish Course Syllabus
Beginning Spanish Course Syllabus
Welcome to a year of learning Spanish at Timpview High School! We have a lot to look forward to this year. I am excited to begin, and I hope you are too. Your enthusiasm and dedication will help you succeed and learn a lot of Spanish.
❖ Course Description:
Course Title: Beginning Spanish
Duration: Full Year (1.0 Credit)
Grade Level: 9-12
General Description:
I will use a “natural” and “communicative” approach to teaching Spanish. This means that I believe students learn Spanish best when they are immersed in a context rich Spanish language environment and have many opportunities to communicate from the very beginning.
Because communication and interaction are essential ingredients needed for language acquisition, all students will be members of a permanent, four to six person team. Teams will sit together in the classroom, do classroom activities together, take tests and quizzes together, do homework assignments together, and help each other to learn Spanish in many other ways. Many benefits will result from team interaction: 1. Students will take more personal responsibility for their own learning. 2. Fewer students will fall behind during the year. 3. Students will gain valuable experience working with a group on collaborative projects, which will aid them in school to career progression. 4. Students will develop better social skills. 5. The affective filter (negative feelings filtering out learning) will be reduced. 6. Cheating will be reduced. 7. Overall learning will improve. 8. Grades will improve.
It is acceptable and appropriate for students to collaborate with each other on all team assignments, activities, and homework. It is inappropriate to collaborate on individual quizzes and tests.
❖ Learning Expectations:
I believe that high school students can successfully acquire a second language. Students who conscientiously work toward this goal and take personal responsibility for their own learning process will learn Spanish. In addition to helping students acquire Spanish, I want to help produce adults of high moral quality who possess excellent thinking skills and who have developed many other skills that will make them productive members of society and significant economic contributors. I want students to enjoy learning and to come to love the Spanish language, culture, and people. Currently only Mandarin surpasses Spanish in number of native speakers. Thus, the ability to speak and understand Spanish is extremely valuable in today´s world.
In order to create a context rich environment and facilitate language acquisition, I will speak Spanish in class. When students actively participate, interact with their fellow students and me, and take personal responsibility for their own progress, their natural language learning abilities will help them acquire Spanish.
In order for the “natural” and “communicative” approach to learning Spanish to work, the teacher must provide comprehensible input for the learners. This means that the students must understand me when I speak Spanish. I will use gestures; pictures, drawings, charts, body language, facial expressions, previously learned words, various technologies, and anything else I can to create contexts that will help the learners understand me as I speak Spanish. It is my responsibility to provide comprehensible input. The students can expect that from me.
I expect from the students that they: 1. Listen carefully to what is being said. 2. Make reasonable guesses about the possible meanings of what is being said. 3. Be willing to revise their guesses when previous guesses seem inadequate. 4. Avoid feelings of panic, and trust that clarification will come. 5. Participate as much as possible. If students do these five things, they will understand me as I speak Spanish.
Students must also produce language in order to acquire Spanish. I expect that students will actively create language as they interact with their teams and with me. Students will have daily opportunities to communicate in both written and spoken Spanish. All students should make a concerted effort to speak only Spanish in the classroom.
At the end of Beginning Spanish, it is expected that students will be at the level of Mid or High Novice on the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) level of Proficiency.
❖ Assessment of Progress and Achievement:
Grades will be based on the following percentages:
A = 100 – 93.00 % B = 82.99 – 80.00 % D+ = 69.00 – 67.00 %
A = 92.99 – 90.00 % C+ = 79.99 – 77.00 % D = 66.00 – 63.00 %
B+ = 89.99 – 87.00 % C = 76.99 – 73.00 % D- = 62.00 – 60.00%
B = 86.99 – 83.00 % C = 72.99 – 70.00 % F = 59.99 % or less
Students will earn grades based on their performance in the following three categories:
Weekly Participation (40%):
Each week, all Spanish students will get a 10 point, weekly participation grade. This grade will synthesize all aspects of a student’s performance in class including a) Being in class (you can´t participate if you are not in class), b) Participating in class activities, c) Following the principles of Güerolandia (see below), d) Making an honest effort to speak as much Spanish as possible in class.
Tests and Projects (30%):
There will be tests (two or three each term) and projects (one or two each term). They will be worth 100 points each. The tests will be taken first on an individual basis and then as a group and the two scores will be added together to form the score for the test. This will help solidify the learning of all students. The best way to prepare for a test is to participate actively in class and regularly complete the homework. Missed tests can be made up before the end of the term. The projects must be turned in by the end of the term.
Homework (30%)
Homework will consist of:
- Duolingo – I will assign a number of days that must be completed on this web-based language site.
- Immersion in language
- Immersion in culture
Extra Credit
At the start of the term, each student receives 40 points of extra credit. The first time the student uses the hall pass, he or she pays 5 point, the second time, they pay 5 points, the third time 10 points, the forth time they pay 20 points. Once a student is out of points, hall pass usage must be purchased with a lunchtime detention (the student must spend lunchtime in Güerolandia).
❖ Required Materials:
Students should come to class prepared to participate. Students should come each day with a pen or pencil and two spiral notebooks. Students will use their notebooks every day to record notes, take quizzes, and complete short writing assignments. Notebooks will periodically be collected and graded. Student´s use of their notebooks will form part of their Weekly Performance grades.
❖ Classroom Procedures:
Class Principles:
There are three guiding principles: 1. Be Respectful Stedents should respect one another’s right to learn. Demonstrate appropriate behavior at all times, including listening when others speak. Cheating is disrespectful and will result in failure of the assignment. 2. Be Prepared Students should come every day, arrive on time; be in their assigned seat with all needed books and classroom materials and homework completed. 3. Be Engaged Students should ask questions, actively participate, help other students, pay attention and stay on task.
Policies:
I will follow and I expect students to follow the Timpview High School attendance, dress and grooming, integrity, and electronic devices policies. These policies are printed in the Timpview Student Handbook. Class time is extremely valuable; while students are in class, I expect them to stay in class. Students should ask if they need to use the hall pass, but should not make it a daily habit (see Extra Credit above)
Attendance:
Language can best be learned through participation. Therefore students are expected to be in every class unless ill or otherwise excused. For excused absences, students will be required to make up any work missed. I will assign make up work. For further information on attendance, see the Timpview student handbook. Excessive absences will affect Participation Points (see above).
Tardies:
Tardies affect not only the student´s ability to learn, but interrupts the class and affects other students. A student who is tardy must sign the tardy log upon entering class. The school policies for tardies will be followed. As with excessive absences, excessive tardies will affect Participation Points (see above).
Bathroom Policy:
Unfortunately, experience has demonstrated the need for a bathroom policy: 1. Only 1 person at a time may use the hall pass to go to the bathroom, 2. You must take the hall pass and keep it with you, 3. I enforce the school´s 20-20 rule (no one goes the first or last 20 minutes of class), 4. Bathroom visits must be no longer than 5 minutes, 5. Cell phones must be left in the classroom during bathroom visits. Please try to use the bathroom during breaks between classes. Bathroom visits will also tie into Extra Credit (see above).
Electronic devices:
Students are not to use any electronic device including cell phones for texting. As per the Timpview Student handbook, electronic devices used in violation to this rule will be confiscated and turned over to the administration. Should a student needs to use a cell phone, they should ask Dr. Güero. If he deems the request justifiable, he will allow them to go into the hall. Students should advise their parents that if they need to contact them during class time, they should call the office at 801-221-9720. The office staff will then relay the message to the student.
❖ Progress Reports:
Students can check their class progress in PowerSchool which I will update on a weekly basis. I will also be available during Consultation on Mondays and I encourage students to come and ask questions and seek help.
English 
Spanish