COURSE TITLE: Spanish III/IV Honors GRADE LEVELS: 11-12 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Honors Spanish III/IV is the third and fourth course in the sequence in preparing students for the Advanced Placement Test in their senior year and the CLEP (College-Level Examination Program which gives students the opportunity to receive college credit for what they already know by earning qualifying scores on the examination) for seniors. Grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are covered at an accelerated pace. Students will do research and presentations on various cultural topics. This is achieved by groups, partners and individual practice. Emphasis is placed on conversation, vocabulary and correct usage of the language. Correct pronunciation and oral proficiency are primary goals. This requires a daily emphasis on listening and speaking. The classroom experience will provide an appreciation and development of cultural awareness through various readings, media resources and authentic materials. The course is aligned in accordance with the standards from the College Board Pre-Advanced Placement Program, State of Michigan guidelines, and the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese) affiliations. In short, my philosophy entails that students should be able to turn the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom into a functional experience that can be used to excel by communicating effectively in the Spanish speaking world. OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS: 1- the aptitude to comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish. 2- the acquisition of vocabulary to allow students to be able to read magazines, newspapers, short stories and other pertinent passages of literature and general interests. 3 - the aptitude to write with a degree of accuracy and fluency for this grade level: expository, narrative, persuasive, and imaginative 250 word compositions via journals, reviews of passages read from various reading materials and sources, and letters. 4 - understanding and appreciation of the Spanish speaking culture. 5 - the aptitude to express ideas orally with a degree of accuracy and fluency for this grade level. Objectives of the Four Skills The following skills used and are accredited to the College Board AP Spanish Language Course: Listening ** Follow a conversation between educated, native Spanish-speakers but may include idiomatic and colloquial expressions. ** Obtain information from oral reports or other types of narratives. ** Understand standard Spanish on radio or television programs, such as soap operas, interviews, and news reports. ** Identify cues that affect meaning in communication, both verbal cues (inflections, point of view) and non-verbal
cues (facial expressions, body language). ** Recognize the purpose and motivation of speakers. Reading ** Have an overall comprehension of expository and narrative selections. ** Have an overall comprehension of magazine and newspaper articles on a variety of topics. ** Draw conclusions and make generalizations. ** Defend a given opinion by citing references. ** Determine the main idea (stated or implied), the cause and effect (stated or implied), and probable outcomes in reading selections. ** Answer the questions about literal or inferred meaning. ** Distinguish between fact and opinion; identify an unstated opinion in a written selection. ** Specify Ideas about characters, actions, and places. ** Paraphrase and summarize ideas or concepts from a text. ** Interpret idiomatic expressions, old popular sayings, proverbs, and colloquial language. ** Integrate contextual clues and structural analysis to gain meanings of unknown words. Writing ** Write for a variety of audiences and purpose. ** Write in a variety of modes, including narrative (personal experience); expository (essay, paper, bibliographical incidents); persuasive (editorial); and imaginative (story, poem). ** Respond directly and efficiently to a prompt in a timed writing. ** Begin to develop a personal writing style that reflects an awareness of voice; coherent, precise word choice; appropriate literary devices; and effective introductions and conclusions. ** Use appropriate transitional devices, varied sentence lengths, and patterns of essay writing. ** Recognize and select appropriate language with regard to connotation and denotation. Speaking ** Express facts, ideas, and feelings in a manner that is intelligible to a native Spanish speaker. ** Use acquired vocabulary to summarize a story. ** Narrate, describe, and explain in the past and present tenses, using appropriate grammatical structures (e.g., present and preterit tenses and commands). ** Formulate oral questions that clarify meaning and participate in class discussions that include higher-level thinking, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. ** Use the language for a variety of functions, such as complaining, advising, apologizing, and asking for or giving directions.
** Speak with an accent that does not interfere with comprehension. TEXTS: Exprésate 3. Holt,Rinehart and Winston, 2006 OTHER RESOURCES: Abriendo Paso Grámatica. Glenview, Illinois: Prentice Hall, 2000 Album. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1993. MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS: First Marking Period: Review of pronunciation, vocabulary, cognates, dialogues, numbers, telling time, days of the week, months and seasons of the year, weather, culture and grammar. Strong focus and continuation of grammar rules and structure starting with: regular AR verbs, irregular verbs (ser), definite articles and adjectives. The personal A, irregular verbs (estar, ir, venir, dar and ver), the use of tener que, contractions (al and del), present participle, pronouns (lo, la,los, las, le, and les), use of de to indicate possession, possessive adjectives (mi and tu), and ER and -IR verbs. Pronouns (me, te, and nos), stem changing verbs ( u to ue, e to ie, and o to ue), reflexive verbs, acabar de, the preterit tense. Saber and conocer, por and para, and commands. Imperfect Tense (imperfect vs. preterit), irregular forms. Expository composition and Projects (TBD). Second Marking Period: Expansion of culture and language development through context of readings from various readings and texts. Hispanic topics will come from magazines, newspapers, reviews, articles and current issues. Grammar: the present perfect tense, the pluperfect tense, the future tense, the conditional, irregular future forms, the future perfect tense. Narrative composition and Projects (TBD). 1 st Semester Exam: Chapters 1-3 will be covered and a comprehensive exam of these chapters will be given January 2007. Third Marking Period:. We will put exclusive emphasis on the mechanics of language, continuation of essay development, and oral drills and presentations embedded in culture through readings, visuals, and audio presentations. Grammar: nosotros commands, using two object pronouns, and subjunctive. Persuasive composition and Projects (TBD). Fourth Marking Period: Continuation of the four skills mentioned above. Emphasis on Grammar: indicatve mood vs. subjunctive mood, irregular subjunctive, the present perfect subjunctive, and imperfect subjunctive. Imaginative composition and Project (TBD)). Final Exam: Chapters 4-6 will be covered and a comprehensive exam of these chapters will be given June 2007. GRADING:
The student earns a grade based on the total numbers of points. Quizzes are 40 points, Unit Tests are 100 points, Homework/Classwork assignments vary in points, Mini-compositions are 25 points, Projects are usually 100-150 points, Oral Presentations are 25 points, and Semester exams are 250 points. A 93-100%, A- 90-92% B+ 87-89%, B 83-86%, B- 80-82% C+ 77-79%, C 73-76%, C- 70-72% D+ 67-69%, D 63-66%, D- 60-62% E 59%-below HOMEWORK: Students will complete weekly homework assignments related to the lesson objectives. Homework assignments will vary depending on the skill to be mastered. Some assignments may include textbook activities, worksheets, reading selections and studying vocabulary. District homework policy will apply for all late assignments. Please see handbook. OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION The examination process for the four skills is done by using the rubric process. The skills are weighted equally for the final grade on a total point system. Test and quizzes: grammar, vocabulary, and cultural topics. Comparison of themes and works read in class. Reading Comprehension: Evaluation of readings and comprehensions assessments. Essays: Demonstration of understanding of new vocabulary and improvement from prior essays. Presentations: Oral presentations to the class on literary and cultural themes. Journal: One paragraph written entry every Monday. Participation: logical, coherent conversation in Spanish. In-class discussions, pair/group activities, and demonstration of interest by active participation. The approach used in this class is communicative in nature. Class participation and speaking in Spanish is imperative to the student's success. *A three-ring binder with dividers, dedicated to Spanish only, is required for class work, homework, vocabulary, quizzes and handouts. * Textbook and binder must be brought to class every day. Once you arrive to class, you will not be permitted to go back to your locker. Be prepared at all times. * All assignments are to be handed in on time, and must be complete, neat and legible. * Be on time; proceed directly to your assigned seat, Bring a note if detained by another teacher. Chronic lateness and/or disruption to class is not only unproductive, it cuts in on the student's participation and consequently will result in a detention. * All missed quizzes, tests and class assignments, due to absence, must be made up. * Pencils, loose-leaf paper only! and basic black or blue pens only! * It is your responsibility to keep up with assigned work. * No eating or pop in the classroom. * Be courteous and respectful when speaking someone else's language. * Raise your hand and wait to be called on. * Anchor Bay Middle School Code of Conduct will be in effect and followed in the classroom at all times.
HOW TO GET HELP: Additional help can be provided at the request of the student or parent/guardian. Please contact us by phone at (586) 648-2525 and leave a message or you can e-mail us at the addresses listed above. Helpful web site: www.studyspanish.com