Syllabus for Non-Heritage

Course Name:
Teacher:		 Spanish Year 1, 2, and 3.

Señor Clavell-Acosta
Contact Information: jose.clavellacosta@dmschools.org

Office Hours: before and after school by appointment

 

 Course Description:

Spanish 1 introduces students to the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world through units grounded in cultural inquiry.  Students will develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening in the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes.  The skills students will engage in throughout the year will build upon one another, allowing students the opportunity to develop their ability to communicate in diverse ways on a variety of topics that are important in today’s global society.

Course Outcomes:

The students:

  • will understand the benefits to learning another Language
  • will explore the language and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world through authentic resources
  • will develop basic skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in Spanish
  • will develop critical thinking skills
  • will grow as global citizens

 Units as described by the district (Unidades descritos por el distrito):

  • Personal Interests
  • Family Structure
  • Travel and Leisure
  • Natural Phenomena
  • Fashion and Design
  • Social Conscience

Course Expectations:

  • Attendance: Daily attendance is essential to be successful in this course. Brody MS has high expectations for daily attendance so students can benefit from daily instruction and practice.
  • Criteria for Success:
    • Participation. To be successful in this course, it is important to participate, to prepare all assignments well, and to also make an effort both in and outside of class.  It is essential to try to use Spanish as much as possible during class time.  Students will receive practices to complete at home.  Examples of possible homework are:  short readings, cultural investigations, vocabulary practices, etc.  Students will not be graded for these practices, but as they are purposefully designed to help the student to gain proficiency toward a standard, they are important.  The teacher will monitor student growth for the purpose of instructional decision-making.
    • Opportunities to demonstrate learning: (100% of the students’ grade). There will be opportunities for students to demonstrate learning in each unit of students and students will receive a score in the body of evidence. They will also receive feedback on their strengths and areas of needed growth.  Grading Topics include:
      • Interpersonal Communication (Speaking and Writing)
      • Interpretive Communication (Reading and Listening)
      • Presentational Communication (Speaking and Writing)

 

Logistical Information:

  • Important Note: In alignment with language acquisition theory and national proficiency guidelines, in each unit of study, the complexity of the content increases. In order to show proficiency, students need to continuously show that they can reach the learning goal with the current content as well as with what has been studied previously in the course. 
  • After each assessment, the students have the opportunity to retake the assessment in order to show proficiency.  In addition, and more importantly, as each unit builds upon the last unit, students will also have the opportunity to show their growth on later assessments.  Teachers will consider more recent pieces of evidence for each standard when assigning a topic score for each grading topic.
  • Per district recommendations, the cut-off date for retakes is one week before the end of the quarter and semester.  If a student is interested in retaking, it is important to communicate with the teacher and make a plan together to make growth in learning as soon as possible so the student does not fall behind.
  • Practice will be reported in Infinite Campus as:
    • + (Completed successfully)
    • – (The student did not turn in the practice)
  • Academic Integrity: Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of another’s ideas, phrases, discourse, or works as one’s own; it is not tolerated at Brody Middle School. A student found cheating will receive an office referral and disciplinary action will occur.