Lutz Spanish 1 Syllabus

Welcome to Spanish 1! In this class you will be learning to listen, speak, read, and write in Spanish. Before the end of this year you will be able to read a simple chapter book in Spanish! Most of our learning revolves around stories. You will hear stories, act out stories, and make up stories in Spanish. Below are the steps of the storytelling process we will use.

Steps of the Storytelling Process:
Input: (how the language goes into our brains)

1. Learn Vocabulary – (Listening)

2. Create a Story – (Listening)

3. Read a Story – (Reading)

This method is similar to how you learned your first language. If you follow the 5 steps below, you will be amazed at how easily and quickly you can learn Spanish.

HOW TO LEARN SPANISH IN THIS CLASS

1. LISTEN carefully with eyes, ears, and brain focused.

2. THINK about what you hear.

3. RESPOND to questions and directions.

4. READ for understanding.

5. TELL the teacher whenever you don’t understand something.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Quarter 1:	Quarter 2:	Quarter 3:	Quarter 4:
TONS OF LISTENING! LOTS OF READING! a little memorized speaking small bits of writing ------------------------------- Basic Spanish Vocabulary 1^st 100 Words in Spanish! Greetings Actions Classroom Objects Mini-stories	TONS OF LISTENING! TONS OF READING! a bit more speaking a bit more writing *WRITING GOAL: 100 words in 5 minutes by the end of the year. ------------------------------- Simple Stories Family & Famous People Possibly our first novel	TONS OF LISTENING! TONS OF READING! more speaking! more writing!—Some students will easily be writing 100 words in 5 minutes by now. ------------------------------- Familiar Stories Global portrait of the world	TONS OF LISTENING! TONS OF READING! SPEAKING! WRITING!—Have you met the goal of 100 words in 5 minutes? ------------------------------- Mini-novel in Spanish Storybook Project

My job as your Teacher…	Your job as a student…
Show RESPECT for… MYSELF OTHERS OUR ENVIRONMENT It’s my RESPONSIBILITY to… · Be prepared · Teach in a way that allows students to learn best · Design appropriate language learning tasks · Provide a physically and emotionally safe learning environment	Show RESPECT for… YOURSELF OTHERS OUR ENVIRONMENT Take RESPONSIBILITY for your learning by… · Coming to class on time and ready to learn · Being actively engaged in class · Doing you best work · Working cooperatively with your classmates Bringing your materials to class
TOGETHER it is our job to…
Build TRUST as a classroom community by… · Being HONEST · Being DEPENDABLE · Doing what’s BEST for ourselves and others · COMMUNICATING respectfully when there is a problem
Results of positive behavior and participation: · be able to understand, speak, read and write in Spanish · receive a good grade · have confidence in the language · be able to help classmates
Corrective actions for violations of classroom expectations: Verbal warning One minute after class Phone call home Behavior referral to the office Change seats Take-a-break sheet Removal from class Behavior contract

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES

Make up work/absences:

If you are absent, it is your job to make up the work you missed. You will have 3 days to make up the work.

Late work:

I expect that you turn work in on time. Any work that is turned in late is subject to a 10% grade reduction. However I’d rather have you do the work and learn from it than not do it at all.

Supplies for Class:

Each student is expected to have a 3-ring binder JUST for Spanish class. This binder is like your textbook. You will also need dividers, loose leaf paper, and a pen or pencil. You are expected to bring these items to class every day. Colored pencils or markers are optional.

Electronics:

There are no electronics (cell phones, iPods, etc.) allowed during class. If I see it, I take it and turn it in to the main office where you will have to go to pick it up at the end of the day. This is called the “Bag ‘n Tag Policy.”

Hats/Headgear:

Hats are not allowed in school from 8:30 to 3:00. If I see you wearing a hat I will keep it and bring it to the office. Certain headgear is allowed for religious reasons, but only with a release form filed in the office.

Language:

In this class we will be speaking primarily in Spanish. No matter what language we speak, I expect that we speak to each other with respectful language that is appropriate for school. This means no cussing or other offensive language. This means you do not make fun of others learning language or for any other reason. We will strive to create a safe environment by the words we use.

GRADING

Language is a skill just like playing a sport or a musical instrument. Your grade will be based on your skill level in the following areas (percentages subject to change per grading quarter; for example, we will do more speaking as the year goes on, so that grade percentage may change).

Grading scales:

93-100% A 80-82% B- 67-69% D+

90-92% A- 77-79% C+ 63-66% D

87-89% B+ 73-76% C 60-62% D-

83-86% B 70-72% C- 0-59% F

Understanding (Reading & Listening): 30%
Conversation (Speaking & Listening): 20%
Presentational (Writing & Speaking): 20%
Summative Assessments: 30%

Participation: Active class participation is part of your final grade. Participating is how you learn in this class. You cannot learn Spanish in this class without being engaged. Most participation grades will go in the Conversation category for class participation.

Monthly Progress Grade: 1-4 (*see rubric)

This grade will reflect your daily efforts (participation, attendance, classwork, homework, organizing binder, coming to class prepared, etc.) in trying to learn Spanish.

It will be sent home each month or be online. We may ask parents to sign the grade sheet and return it to school with the student.

Unannounced pop quizzes: Language growth is shown best when you are not able to study for a quiz. Has your brain really acquired the language? An unannounced pop quiz will show. The best way to prepare for unannounced pop quizzes is participation: to listen, listen, listen, and read, read, read!

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While grading is important, LEARNING is what is most important. Try to learn as much Spanish as you possibly can, even if it won’t be on a test. It will help you do better in our class, in your next Spanish class, and in general communication. At Washburn we believe in lifelong learning. We are proud to be an International Baccalaureate school, challenging students to grow as lifelong learners. Below are the descriptions of a learner in an International Baccalaureate school.

Develop the characteristics of the IB LEARNER PROFILE:

Inquirers Open-minded

Knowledgeable Caring

Thinkers Risk-takers

Communicators Balanced

Principled Reflective

School supplies needed for this class: (By Friday, September 2)

- 3-ring binder (about 1 ½ inch) just for Spanish (separate from AVID binder)

- 5 dividers

- loose leaf paper

- pen/pencil

***please consider donating a box of Kleenex to our class

***Wear layered clothing! In the summer, the air conditioning can make rooms very cold, so bring a sweater or jacket. In the winter, the rooms may be very hot, so wear layers. J

Questions? Please contact me! I want to support students in any way I can, but if I don’t know what issues you are facing, I can’t help. Let’s keep the door of communication open.