Course Description This course is designed for students who have mastered the fundamentals of the Spanish language and who are now ready to apply those skills in all subject areas in the target language. The rigor of this course can be compared to that of a third year college level course. The teacher will conduct the majority of the class exclusively in Spanish and students will also be expected to and required to interact with their teacher and peers in the Spanish language through casual conversations and formal discussions throughout the class period. Both oral and written communication and comprehension in Spanish are emphasized through various assignments and class discussions. Students will be exposed to the Spanish language through various means, such as exclusive use of the target language in class, authentic listening comprehension activities, challenging and authentic reading assignments, formal and informal writing prompts, extensive review of Spanish grammatical concepts, and through AP practice tests, thus increasing proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Course Objectives In order to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement, the preparation focuses on the following objectives: Spanish is used almost exclusively in class by both the teacher and students. Instructional materials include a variety of authentic audio and video recordings and authentic written texts. The course provides opportunities for students to demonstrate their proficiency in spoken Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational Communication using one or more sources in a variety of situations in the Intermediate to Pre-Advanced range. The course provides opportunities to write on a weekly basis in both formal and informal styles in a variety of formats such as essays, summaries, editorials, movie and book reviews and journal or diary entries. The course provides opportunities for students to demonstrate an understanding of the products, practices, and perspectives of the target cultures and to make comparison between and within languages and cultures. The course prepares students to present information at a high level of proficiency based on all six themes as identified by the AP College Board: 1. Families and Communities (Las Familias y Las Comunidades) 2. Science and Technology (La Ciencia y la Tecnología) 3. Beauty and Aesthetics (La Belleza y la Estética) 4. Contemporary Life (La Vida Contemporánea) 5. Global Challenges (Los Desafíos Globales) 6. Personal and Public Identities (Las Identidades Personales y Públicas) Course Activities As stated earlier, students are expected to address the various modes of communication throughout the semester. Below is a list of some of the assignments students will be expected to complete in order to address these modes of communication. All the activities are designed to simulate real life situations where a high degree of communication skills would be required and to help students prepare for the different sections of the Advanced Placement. Ongoing Assignments: Oral Participation Grade- Students will start the semester with a 70 and will earn two points per oral contribution during class or small group discussions. Students may lose points if Spanish is not spoken during a time when it could or should be used. Page 1
Discussion- Students will lead a discussion once every six weeks on a topic of their choice relevant to the theme being studied or to a previous theme studied. Running Log of Vocabulary- Students will keep a running list of vocabulary in notebook titled Mi Vocabulario with definitions, synonyms, antonyms and linguistic comparisons between Spanish and English. Student must have a minimum of 20 words for each unit studied. Noticias al Día- Students regularly connect with authentic resources outside the classroom by reading and summarizing 2 articles per week to support the units of study. Students should also include their viewpoint and a cultural comparison. Students will also present to their class their findings. Horas de Tele/Radio/Podcast- Student will complete 3 hours a week of listening to television, radio or podcasts in Spanish and complete a summary of the main events that they heard take place. Students should provide a cultural comparison in their summary. Homework- Every 10 assignments is a quiz grade and will be tracked with a stamp sheet. Examples of homework include reading/listening activities and grammar review. Assignments per Unit: Unit Exam- Students will be assessed on essential vocabulary, grammar reviewed, reading and listening. Reading and listening sections will mimic the AP exam format. Email- Students will write at least 1 in class email per unit that mimics the AP exam format. Persuasive Essay- Students will write on synthesis essay per unit that mimics the AP exam format. Oral Presentation- Students will make one oral presentation per unit in the language lab or in front of the class that prepares students for the oral presentation on the AP exam. Forum- Students will reflect on one question per unit of study on the online forum set up by the teacher. Quizzes- Students will be regularly assessed on essential unit vocabulary and grammar review. Grading Policy A=93-100 B=85-92 C=77-84 D=70-76 Failing = Below 70 Multiple Choice AP Equivalent/Essay Grades Grading Scale (# of correct answers over 65) 1-13 1 70 14-26 2 76 27-39 3 84 40-52 4 92 53-65 5 100 AP Exam Format 2014-2015: Go to www.apcentral.collegeboard.com for a complete exam description. We will go over in class specific details as it relates to the AP. The AP will be given on Thursday May 7, 2015. Page 2
Spoken Interpersonal Communication is the active negotiation of meaning among individuals. Students will engage in conversations with their peers and teachers in which they are to observe and monitor one another to see how their meanings or intentions are being communicated and adjust the conversation accordingly. Sample activities include: Interview and role-play Debates on current events Weekly simulated conversation practice and recording from AP and Culture Exam text. Also once a month there is a conversation night at local restaurant where students are able to interact with members of the community who speak Spanish Written Interpersonal Communication is the direct written communication between individuals who exchange new information and negotiate meaning. Examples of these activities include: Replying to e-mails in the formal register Write a persuasive essay Text friends to invite them to activities or events Read and Respond to classmates on online forum post or other social media sites. Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication is the interpretation of what speaker or producer wants the receiver of the message to understand. This will require the student to listen or view between the lines in order to gage an understanding for an appropriate cultural interpretation. Examples of these activities include: Watching and reacting to Spanish news broadcast, films, commercials, songs, works of art, comic strips. Written and Print Interpretive Communication involves the appropriate cultural interpretation of meaning that occurs in written and spoken form where active negotiation of meaning with the writer or speaker cannot take place. Examples of these activities include: Writing an alternative ending to a movie, book or story Writing reactionary blogs about current events and course themes Writing a personal poem or song Spoken Presentational Communication is the creation of messages that facilitates interpretation by members of the target culture where there is no direct opportunity of the active negotiation of meaning. Students will make a cultural comparison buy comparing their community to a Spanish speaking community. Examples of these activities include: Synthesize information and present persuasive speeches on current events Students create advertisements of a product or service Written Presentation Communication is the creation of messages that facilitates interpretation by members of the target culture where there is no direct opportunity of the active negotiation of meaning. Examples of these activities include: Synthesize information and present persuasive editorials on current events. Write essays synthesizing authentic listening and reading sources Page 3
Course Texts and Materials Parthena Draggett, Cole Conlin, Max Ehrsam, Elizabeth Millan, Vista Higher Learning TEMAS AP* and Culture 2014 Jorge Frisancho, Maria T. Redmon, Marta Lucia Restrepo Bravo, Vista Higher Learning AP* SPANISH Language 2014 James H. Couch, Rebecca D. McCann, Carmel Rodriguez-Walter, Angel Rubio-Maroto, Una Vez Más, 3rd ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009 Megan Cory, Janet Parker, Catherine Schwenkler, Tejidos Comunicación auténtica en un contexto cultural, Wayside Publishing 2013 Díaz, José M and Stephen Collins, Abriendo Paso Lectura, Needham, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005 Audio/Visual Resources Online Resources: Radio Naciones Unidas www.un.org/radio/es/ www.ver-taal.com BBC www.bbcmundo.com www.audiria.com CNN en español www.cnn.com/espanol/com www.conjuguemos.com Ticele www.ticele.es/ www.studyspanish.com You Tube www.youtube.com Notes in Spanish www.notesinspanish.com Tierraamérica www.tierramerica.info NCYT Amazings http://noticiasdelaciencia.com Online Newspapers www.thepaperboy.com www.nacion.com www.prensaescrita.com www.elmundo.es Spanish Audio Gazette http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca/rescentre/spanish/ Page 4
Course Plan Semana Tema(s) Preguntas Esenciales Ejemplos de Actividades Semanas 1-3 Las Familias y Las Comunidades 1) Cómo se define la familia? 2) Cómo contribuyen los individuos al bienestar de las comunidades? 3) Cuáles son las diferencias en los papeles que asumen las comunidades y las familias en diferentes sociedades del mundo? Readings: El niño y la niebla, Rodolfo Usigli, Temas textbook pgs. 50-51 No oyes ladrar los perros, Juan Rulfo, Abriendo Paso Lectura Textbook pgs.138-141. Spanish Blogs and Online Newspapers to explore communities in Spanish-Speaking countries Ver-taal: Reportajes 2007: La Vivienda Vert-taal: Reportajes 2007: La encuesta sobre la educación TEMAS textbook and workbook resources Gramática Present Tense Review- Una Vez Más pgs. 1-30. Preterite vs. Imperfect, TEMAS pg. 8 Una Vez Más pgs. 40-43 Present Subjunctive TEMAS pg. 44 Register and appropriate usage MECHANICS Accentuation and punctuation, TEMAS pgs.62-63 Formatting an email TEMAS pg. 475 Cultural Comparison TEMAS pg. 61 In Class Discussion La Familia Hispana vs. La Familia Americana. Various Conversations, TEMAS textbook and workbook Interpersonal Email- TEMAS Textbook Semanas 4-6 La Ciencia y La Tecnología 1) Qué impacto tiene el desarrollo científico Reading: Spanish Blogs and Passive Voice, TEMAS pg. 107 Page 5
y tecnológico? 2) Qué factores han impulsado el desarrollo y la innovación en la ciencia y la tecnología? 3) Qué papel cumple la ética en los avances científicos? online newspapers Various Passages, AP Sustentabilidad, TEMAS pg. 108-111 Various Passages, TEMAS textbook UNA VEZ MAS pg. 19 Future and Conditional Tenses, TEMAS pg. 81 UNA VEZ MAS pg. 53-63 Subjunctive, UNA VEZ MAS pg. 84-86 In class discussion Te gustaría vivir por un largo tiempo? Ventajas? Desventajas? Presentación: Un Anuncio persuasive, TEMAS pg. 138 Student Journals Semanas 7-9 La Belleza y La Estética 1) Cómo se establecen las percepciones de la belleza y la creatividad? 2) Cómo influyen los ideales de la belleza y la estética en la vida cotidiana? 3) Cómo las artes desafían y reflejan las perspectivas culturales? Interpersonal Formal Response to an Email AP*Spanish Exam Reading: Spanish blogs, online newspapers/magazines Various Passages TEMAS Various Passages, TEMAS and AP* Adjectives, TEMAS pg.194 UNA VEZ MAS pg. 131-140 Conjunctions, TEMAS pg. 168-69 UNA VEZ MAS pg. 200-203 Class discussion, La manera en la cual uno se viste es un reflejo de la actitud, los Page 6
valores o la personalidad de los individuos? Various conversations, TEMAS and AP* Semanas 10-12 Los Desafíos Globales 1) Cuáles son los desafíos sociales, políticos y del medioambiente que enfrentan las sociedades del mundo? 2) Cuáles son los orígenes de esos desafíos? 3) Cuáles son algunas posibles soluciones a esos desafíos? Student journals Presentational Writing AP*Spanish language and culture exam preparation pg. 183 Reading: Spanish blogs, online newspapers/magazines Various Passages TEMAS and AP* Various Listening Activities, AP* Infinitives, TEMAS pg. 284 Helping verbs, TEMAS pg. 298 Indefinites and Negative Expressions, TEMAS pg. 310-312 and UNA VEZ MAS pg. 151-164 El Día menos pensado, YOUTUBE Actuar contra el calor, ver-taal.com In class debate over the economy, TEMAS pg. 288 Interpersonal Speaking, AP* pg. 208-209 Page 7
Un artículo periodístico- La Pérdida de los glaciares en Perú, TEMAS pg. 298 Semanas 13-15 Las Identidades Personales y Públicas 1) Cómo se expresan los distintos aspectos de la identidad en diversas situaciones? 2) Cómo influyen la lengua y la cultura en la identidad de una persona? 3) Cómo se desarrolla la identidad de una persona a lo largo del tiempo? Interpersonal and Presentational Writing, AP*Spanish Language and Culture Exam. Reading: People en español Various Passages, TEMAS textbook and AP* Spanish News broadcast TELEMUNDO and UNIVISION Imperfect Subjunctive, UNA VEZ MAS pg. 86-91 AP* In class discussion comparing Hispanic culture with American culture using current events and articles as prompts. Persuasive Oral Presentation, TEMAS pg. 367 Interpersonal Speaking, AP* pg. 210-211 Page 8
Persuasive Essay, TEMAS pg. 367 Email, TEMAS pg. 372 Semanas 16-18 La Vida Contemporánea 1) Cómo definen los individuos y las sociedades su propia calidad de vida? 2) Cómo influyen los productos culturales, las prácticas y las perspectivas de la gente en la vida contemporánea? 3) Cuáles son los desafíos de la vida contemporánea? Interpersonal and Presentational Writing, AP*Spanish Language and Culture Exam. Reading: Spanish blogs, online newspapers/magazines Various Passages, TEMAS textbook Interpretive Communication Print- Text, AP*Spanish Language and Culture Exam pgs. 46-59 Spanish News broadcast/telenovelas TELEMUNDO and UNIVISION Transitional words and phrases, TEMAS pg. 236 Verbs that use Indirect Object Pronouns, UNA VEZ MAS pg. 207 Relative pronouns, UNA VEZ MAS pg. 151-156 AP* Class discussion- In what way does the geographical location of a country influence it s development of tourism? Interpersonal Speaking, AP* pg. 206-207 Page 9
Presentational Speaking, AP* pg. 218 Comparación Cultural, TEMAS pg. 232 Interpersonal and Presentational Writing, AP*Spanish Language and Culture Exam. Page 10