Syllabus: Espanol II

Profesora: Liz Jackson

I. Bienvenidos

 I am thrilled to be your teacher this year.  My hope is that you can enjoy learning a new language even if it can be challenging at times and dive into Spanish with confidence and a smile!

Here are some helpful hints and expectations for my class. Spanish II is an intermediate Spanish course that approaches the learning process from several different angles: speaking, reading, comprehension and grammatical rules. Students follow a rigid schedule every week. Students are expected to take a quiz per week, write weekly 50-word compositions, work from their grammar books and begin to translate certain readings into English. In addition, students are to converse in the target language as much as possible. Students take a written and oral exam at the end of the semester. I will be talking mostly in Spanish.  (There are times when I will speak in English and that is when explaining grammatical concepts that are important).

II. Organizational methods/ Materials used:

**You will need to organize all of your Spanish papers in a

 “ Cuaderno” binder. Buy a three ring binder and keep EVERYTHING from class in it. You need organize it in different sections.

            Materials used:

            Symtalk                                                             Short Stories/Folklore

            Curso Primero                                                Video: Pocoyo

            Composition notebook

Students do not need to purchase textbooks. Although, it is recommended that students purchase a Spanish-English Dictionary and a 501 Spanish Verbs for reference use. **When using translators, students should limit themselves to vocabulary only-, as you would use a dictionary. It is easy for me to tell who is plugging entire texts in the translators. Don’t do it. It is not acceptable and hinders your learning. My favorite dictionaries on line are http://www.spanishdict.com and www.wordreference.com.

The computer will be used occasionally for research and outside of class. Generally, there will be no need for laptops in class.

III. Guidelines to live by in class: 

*1 SPEAK SPANISH!!!!! We only have 1 hour a day…this is nothing compared to if you were in a Spanish speaking country… give it all you got and you will get more in the end….

*2 Be respectful to everyone in class.

*3 Be prepared for class and be on time (this means having a pencil/pen and your notebook         every class)

*4 Take risks while learning Spanish

*5 Active listening- to the teacher and classmates

IV. Target Language Use and Participation Points:

It is critical to take advantage of every opportunity to listen and practice speaking in Spanish during class and to demonstrate full involvement during both group and individual activities. In class students are expected to speak Spanish during specific activities and are encouraged to use Spanish whenever they can. At Spanish II and higher, Spanish is the working language of the classroom and students are expected to use it all the time.  

We can take this class as far as we want—the more motivated students are to LISTEN to each other and USE all the language we’ve learned in class, the more we will all learn. Students will be assessed often after classes on their effort and ability to try out the language and their ability to listen and follow the Spanish of others during these immersion activities. 

V. Quizzes and Final Semester Exam:

 Students will have weekly quizzes on Friday. A Final will also be given at the end of each semester that will cover all the material from the trimester. Unless you have an I.E.P. which suggests otherwise, quizzes and exams will be taken in the classroom (never the big room), and there is no talking allowed while taking them.

VI. What happens if I miss a day of school?

It is YOUR responsibility as the STUDENT to find out what happened in class and get missed notes, handouts, and homework assignments. To get a copy of missed handouts, look in the “Were you absent binder?” Your name will be on any missed handouts with the date you were absent. In most cases, you will have one day for each missed day to make up homework. You can also email me and I can tell you what you missed.

VII.  Homework Policy:

Language is a discipline that is best acquired through practice and use. Coming to class prepared is important for your own learning and ability to participate in the class to keep the class moving forward. Because homework is an important part of the NEXT day’s activity, late work has consequences. Each day your homework is late it drops ½ a grade.

VIII. Extra Help: I can be available to help you if you need it. Please come see me BEFORE YOU begin to feel lost and overwhelmed with homework and material!  We can schedule a time to meet. I am available to meet at 8am in my classroom if you see that you need extra support. I really enjoy seeing your smiling face and especially early in the morning! You can also email me  liz@compass-school.org

DISFRUTA LA CLASE…… y …… GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!