Overview AP Spanish Language and Culture

Transcription

1 Overview AP Spanish Language and Culture Course Overview The AP Spanish Language and Culture course provides students with opportunities to develop language proficiency across the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational. Students learn about culture through the use of authentic materials that are representative of the Spanish-Speaking world. Materials include a variety of different media, e.g. literary and journalistic works, interviews, online print, audiovisual resources, movies, charts, and graphs among others. The course is designed as a language acquisition course to help students with the necessary skills and intercultural understanding to enable them to communicate successfully in an environment where Spanish is spoken and as such, is an immersion experience requiring the use of Spanish exclusively, a requirement which class participation grades reflect. Organization The course is divided into thematic units, which are further based on recommended contexts. Corresponding cultural elements are integrated into the study of the units, and activities are directed with those cultural connections in mind. It is assumed that students have previously been exposed to advanced language structures in the courses leading up to the AP Spanish Language and Culture course. Nonetheless, review of the mechanics is done within each unit as needed. Real-Life Language and Culture Students are strongly encouraged to engage in real-life activities outside the classroom to enrich their Spanish language experience. They complete entries throughout the year in their portfolio. Options include, but not limited to: participating in the activities provided by the following school organizations: The Barcelona Exchange Program (as host and/or traveler); The Spanish Honor Society; The SALSA Club (as active member or guest); providing community service in El Centro Latino-Americano in Plainfield NJ; attending an art exhibit, show or play; viewing of important events; corresponding through with heritage speakers, and more. Students must show appropriate evidence of their involvement. Pre-assessments September Preliminary Assessments All students complete preliminary assessments based on the Interpretive, Interpersonal and Presentational modes of communication. These assessments are graded as class work and form the basis of a portfolio of student work.

2 Teaching Strategies to address Learning Objectives Integrated skills: Most class activities are integrated. For example, a class may begin with a vocabulary introduction or brainstorm, or a pre-reading activity that prepares students for the reading and discussion and other times a lesson may begin with a listening activity, continue with a discussion in pairs/small groups, or whole class debate, then add a reading task and culminate with a written activity that integrates the listening/reading materials. A variety of strategies are incorporated throughout the course. Daily/Weekly/Monthly Activities Participation: Activities may begin as teacher-led discussions but mostly end as student-led discussions. Students are given the opportunity to offer opinions and support them, ask questions, ask for clarification, and discuss the material with each other in pairs, small groups and as an entire class. The goal is the communication, not the grammar. Self-evaluation rubrics are provided and students are constantly reminded that they must reward themselves for risk-taking. El Diario Interactivo: El Diario is a daily student center activity where students keep a journal of daily news presented in class. A student will present daily for 1 full week, 3 news articles related to the unit being discussed and 2 articles of his/her choice. The source must be authentic and written in the target language. The student must summarize it orally for the class, and propose a question; the class members must write the question, the source and an answer based on their personal opinion in their journal; then a brief oral discussion (3 minutes) will follow. There are no right or wrong answers. This provides opportunities for a warm-up ( do-now ) at the beginning of the class, vocabulary expansion, and open-ended discussion. Student can use these sources throughout the course as they see fit. Writing: Assessment includes the integration of other modes of communication. Throughout the course, students write a variety of formal essays (i.e. synthesis, persuasive, expository) using authentic listening and reading sources (i.e. documentaries; news/magazine articles; interviews). Students also write informal pieces such as s, abstract/creative or writing reactions to news articles, listening sources or in reaction to information discussed or viewed in class. Informal and formal writing is scored using the AP scoring guideline. Oral: Assessment includes integration of other modes of communication. Oral assessments can be given individually or in pairs/groups using the AP scoring guideline. Acting out!: students write and create to perform live or videotape an original scene based on the topic discussed and viewed by the Native Speaker class/ Spanish class/or live audience. Quizzes: Given at least once every other week, most are announced in advance. Special attention is given to vocabulary acquisition and usage. Tests: Assessments include integration of the modes of communication. They are announced ahead of time. The majority of the tests follow the AP format. No one is exempt from the final exam. Homework: On-going. Daily and/or based on weekly activities. Each homework is counted as a full grade.

3 Materials: Students are responsible for maintaining a notebook to organize homework, class discussions/notes/vocabulary. Students are provided with an in-class folder in which to keep their completed assessments and portfolio. Course Themes The following are the themes covered throughout the 4 main units of the course and may be modified based on students interests and current events. The units contain authentic readings, audio, and films organized around the themes of the AP Spanish Language and Culture Examination. AP themes to be covered: Las familias y las comunidades La ciencia y la tecnología La belleza y la estética La vida contemporánea Los desafíos mundiales Las identidades personales y públicas Course Materials Text and Published Resources Draggett, Pathena, Temas AP Spanish Language and Culture, Vista Higher Learning, Frisancho, Jorge, AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Preparation, Vista Higher Learning, Gatski, Barbara, Triángulo Aprobado, 5ta edición,wayside Publishing, Cory, Megan, Tejidos, comunicación auténtica en un contexto cultural, Wayside Publishing, Kanter Abby, Encuentros Maravillosos, Gramática a Través de la Literatura, Scott Foresman, AP Spanish Language, El agua es vida, Curriculum Module, The College Board, Movies, Television & Songs Voces Inocentes Película Completa

4 Cuando las Montañas Tiemblan Mi Familia (optional) DVD El Norte (optional) DVD Gracias a la Vida, Mercedes Sosa Televisión Latina Música.com Written and Print Resources CNN en Español Prensa Escrita El País El Mundo El Imparcial La Nación El Universal El Tiempo El Mercurio ABC Terra Contacto

5 Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Resources Radio de las Naciones Unidas 20 minutes.tv BBC Mundo Nuevos Horizontes Audiria Veintemundos General resources for students research taken from among the following: Lista de Periódicos de Latinoamérica Centro de noticias ONU Unicef El Español en el mundo Mundo Deportivo Real Academia Española People en Español Univisión Telemundo International Museum of Women Juventud por los Derechos Humanos Survey Monkey