Course Objectives: The successful student will develop an intermediate-mid to an intermediate-high proficiency in the language by engaging in a variety of communicative activities that focus on developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in the foreign language. In addition, the student will develop cultural awareness of famous Hispanic artists and authors by examining their works and reading short stories daily written in Spanish.
Recommended Materials: In order to get the most out of your class experience, you must bring your materials to class every day. You should bring your textbook, a writing utensil, and a three-ring binder with loose-leaf notebook paper (or a spiral notebook) for the daily warm-up activity and in-class assignments and notes. Warm-ups, notes and vocabulary should be neatly separated and dated in your notebook. I would also recommend purchasing a Spanish/English Dictionary, if you don’t already own one. If you need assistance obtaining any of these items, please come and talk to me before the end of the week.
Expectations:
Evaluation:
99-100% = A+ 89% = B+ 79 = C+ 69 = D+
93-98% = A 83-88% = B 73-78% = C 63-68% = D
90-92% = A- 80-82 = B- 70-72% = C- 60-62% = D-
0-59% = F
Participation (15%): Because of the nature of this class, your active participation in all activities is expected and required. Each week in class you will earn a participation grade of up to 25 points. (Please refer to the handout on this to better understand how your grade is determined). In order to receive the maximum grade, you must attend class, participate actively in class discussions and activities every day and speak Spanish as much as possible. For every day that you are absent 5 participation points will be deducted. Please talk to Mrs. Walton about an extra assignment that you can do to make-up these points for the day(s) you were absent.
In-class written assignments and audios (5%): Every day in class you will be expected to complete a warm-up activity and other written assignments. These activities should be separated and put into a notebook which will be collected at least once every quarter and graded.
Homework (10%): Homework will be assigned daily and should be neatly and thoughtfully completed by the beginning of the next class period. Each day in class you will earn a homework grade of up to 5 points. Failure to complete the homework assignment will result in the loss of all homework points for that day. Your homework needs to be finished by the time you arrive to class. If you are caught doing your homework before class, you will also lose all points for the homework that day. In addition to daily written homework, students at this level should expect to spend an additional 30 minutes per night reading the story a second time and studying grammar. As it is impossible to re-create the language class environment outside of the classroom, you should keep your tardiness and absences to a minimum. If you know ahead of time that you are going to be absent, please talk to Mrs. Walton or check the online assignment calendar to find out what assignments to complete. You have 1 class day for every day you were absent to make-up the work you missed. For example, if you miss 3 classes, you will have 3 class periods from the time you return to make-up the work. You are responsible for checking the assignment calendar, making-up the work you missed while you were gone, and getting notes or warm-up activities from another classmate or Mrs. Walton. Please turn all make-up homework assignments into the folder marked “ausente”. Please note that this policy only applies to excused absences. You will not be allowed to make-up homework from any unexcused absences. It is important that you arrive to class on time. If you arrive tardy, you will not be allowed to turn-in your homework late, unless it is an excused tardy. In this case, you are responsible for turning-in the assignment(s) into the absent folder or showing your homework to Mrs. Walton during lunch on your own time.
Tests (35%): Tests will always be announced ahead of time and are generally given after each chapter in the textbook. If you are absent on the day of a test or a quiz, the make-up policy is the same as the policy for making-up homework. After you return to school from your excused absence(s), you have the same number of days you were absent to make-up the test/quiz. For example, if you were absent 2 days, then you have to make-up the test or quiz within 2 class days.
Quizzes (15%): Quizzes are most often announced beforehand, but be prepared for pop quizzes as well. Most quizzes in this class will cover vocabulary and will be given after each short story in the textbook.
Projects, presentations and compositions (20%): Projects should be examples of high quality student work. I expect students to be creative and spend a significant amount of time working on their projects. Some class time will be allotted, however students will spend the majority of their time working on these projects at home. In addition, students will be expected to participate in some group presentations during the semester. Various compositions and mini-writing assignments will also be assigned. These will first be peer-reviewed and then a final corrected draft will be turned-in to be graded. Most compositions and essays will be written and completed in class.
Academic honesty policy: It is expected that YOU complete and turn-in your own original work at all times. All work submitted in this class is expected to be created solely by the student author. Academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any student caught cheating will receive a grade of zero on the assignment and the parents and the principal will be notified of the offense. Students are not allowed to use translation devices, native speakers, tutors, or other students to assist them in writing their assignments or projects. If you have questions in regards to this policy, please see me.
Extra Credit: There is only one way to earn extra credit in this class and that is by turning in 20 earned pesos. Students will receive pesos for various things: volunteering to do the daily warm-up, demonstrating good citizenship, volunteering to be the leader in a group activity, volunteering to present first, actively singing/participating in class, etc. Once a student has earned 20 pesos, they may turn them in for 5 points extra credit on a past exam. Mrs. Walton is NOT responsible for your pesos if you lose them, so please keep them in a safe place!
How To Reach Me: The best way to contact me is via e-mail mlivingston@mcsdga.net. I offer tutoring and make-up tests and quizzes in my classroom twice a week during lunch and after school by appointment. I’m looking forward to this year and working with you as you continue your foreign language journey!