Syllabus

Recognizing the importance of world language study, the Baltimore County Public Schools offers a rigorous sequential World Languages program for middle and high school students that encourages students to develop proficiency in a second language.

The //Spanish I// curriculum is designed as the foundation to the study of the language and an introduction to the diverse cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. It provides opportunities to achieve basic communication skills in the language, and acts as a steppingstone to the next level of study.

The //Spanish II// curriculum is designed for those who have successfully completed Level I and acts as a steppingstone to the next level of study.

Much study and diligence are required to have success in this Spanish course, because it is a very difficult course, but at the same time, it will be very enjoyable if you put forth the effort.The following policies and rules are given to let you know what is expected of you, and to ensure that class will run efficiently.The end goal is that all of us will learn at the maximum level and enjoy the class.

A)EL CURSO.You begin each quarter of this course with an “A”!It is up to you to maintain that average.Your quarterly grade is composed of the following elements at these percentages:

25%LA CLASE:Class Participation, Preparation, Conduct, Attendance. Projects, Activities, Compositions, Drills, NotebookChecks, etc. You and your parents will receive a grade report at least twice each quarter.Keep your grades up each quarter, save all your papers, and study hard for the Final Exam.Your final grade is composed of the Final Exam (15%) and each of the quarters (21.% each).

B)LAS REGLAS.My rules are few and simple, and follow Western’s policy of “C.P.R.2.”

1.La **C**ortesía:Obey the teacher, and avoid talking without permission, especially when the teacher is talking. 2.La **P**untualidad:Arrive to class on time, and do your assignments on time. 3.El **R**espeto:Obey the teacher, and respect each other and their property.Use appropriate language.Avoid gum, candy, food, and drink.Avoid throwing objects. 4.La **R**esponsabilidad:Be attentive to and be working on the Spanish task being done.Work responsibly.

Please follow the rules.Infractions of these rules will result in warnings, phone calls, and referrals:

1st warning 2nd Phone call home 3rd Phone call home, detention, & parent conference. 4th Phone call home, administrative detention, & office referral.

The conduct grade is based on you exhibiting proper behavior and it is part of your participation grade.

The class participation grade is based on your voluntary participation.Participation points are earned with correct answers, voluntary reading and voluntary help in the classroom.When your hand is up and I call on you, you receive a point.When your hand is not up, and I call on you, you receive no point if your answer is incorrect.When you call out though I did not call on you, you lose a point.You will receive negative ( - equis) points for talking, disrupting the class, or not being on task.The negative points will be subtracted from the positive points to determine your participation grade.Here is the grading scale:


 * A+ ||  || 31 +(50/50) ||   || C+ ||   || 14 – 15 (39/50) ||


 * A ||  || 28 – 30(48/50) ||   || C ||   || 12 – 13 (37/50) ||


 * A- ||  || 25 – 27(45/50) ||   || C- ||   || 10 – 11 (35/50) ||


 * B+ ||  || 22 – 24(44/50) ||   || D+ ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">8 – 9(34/50) ||


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">B ||  || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">19 – 21(42/50) ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">D ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">6 – 7(32/50) ||


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">B- ||  || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">16 – 18(40/50) ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">D- ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">4 – 5(30/50) ||


 * ||  ||   ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">E ||   || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">0 – 3(29/50) ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Every class you are expected to bring the following materials with you to class:covered textbook, workbook, school binder, paper, writing instrument, and assignments. The preparation grade is based on you having all necessary materials in class.I do not allow trips to lockers; if you have forgotten some materials, you are responsible to obtain them from a friend before class starts.Please take good care of the textbook and workbook, and keep your papers organized in the Spanish sections of your school binder.I will give you one of each paper; if you lose a paper, it is your responsibility to make a copy of someone else’s.

Homework, class work, quizzes, tests, and other assignments will be regular and will always be announced in advance on the board.You are responsible for copying those assignments into your Success Guide, for making an honest attempt to do them on your own, and for turning them in on time.It is also available on my website ( [] ).Never give your paper to anyone who asks to see your paper - they will try to copy your work, and both of you will get in trouble for academic dishonesty.Academic dishonesty will be punished severely. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The homework grade policy is “//toda o nada//” – “all or nothing.”Credit is given only for fully completed homework; no partial credit is given.A zero is given to those who do not do their homework.However, if you do not understand a part of the homework, you will not be penalized; simply have your parent write a note stating that you didn’t understand it, and have him/her sign it (don’t abuse that privilege though).Late homework is not accepted for credit.When we go over the answers in class, you are expected to make the necessary corrections to your work; if you don’t have your paper, write the answers on a blank paper. You must study hard for this course.

You are expected to arrive promptly to class; excessive tardiness will not be tolerated.As soon as you enter class, sit and open your school binder to your Spanish section; copy the drill from the board, and begin working on the answers.Have your homework ready so that it can be checked or turned in.Then I will open class with “//Buenos días, Cómo están, etc//...”, the objectives, the drill, and then the lesson.Don’t forget to copy the homework into your Success Guide.Be sure that you are seated, silent, and ready, because I will begin class exactly when the bell rings. In Spanish class, naturally, you are expected to speak in Spanish.If you desire to say something during class, you may raise your hand and wait until I give you permission to speak.If you need to use the restroom, get a drink, or go to the nurse, ask me in Spanish, and wait until I dismiss you at an appropriate time during the lesson (3rd period class may go during lunch).You may leave or come late to class only with your own Success Guide, correctly filled out and signed by a teacher.At the end of class, you must be in your seat and wait for the bell and I – not the bell – will dismiss you.

If you are absent, you – not I – are responsible for finding out what assignments you missed, for promptly making them up, and for obtaining missed information, notes, and handouts.Call your Study Buddy to find out what you missed.The homework is available on my website ( [] ), but you may need to get some papers and copy some notes, too.You have as many days to make up missed work as the number of days you were absent.If you do not take responsibility for making up your missed work beyond the number of days you were absent, the assignments automatically become a zero.You can email me at __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">sbukowski@bcps.org __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> G)LA AYUDA.If you ever need extra help with Spanish, please feel free to make an appointment with me, and I will provide you with additional instruction and practice.But just make sure that you are keeping up with all the regular work, and that you are paying attention and really making an honest attempt in class to understand the material. SPANISH I Course Objectives  Students will:  1. Ask and answer simple questions including:  • greetings and farewells   • how they are feeling   • introductions   • origin   • age and birthdays   • school   • time, date, weather, and seasons   • telephone numbers and email   • places in the community   • daily routines   2. Exchange personal preferences and feelings about:  • Schools and class schedules   • Leisure time activities   • Clothing   • Food and table setting   • Family   3. Express personal needs for:  • School supplies   • Food and beverages • Healthful advice 4. Ask for repetition and repeat to ensure understanding by using a variety of questioning techniques. 5. Use prior experience with the language to understand both spoken and written forms about familiar topics. 6. Identify the main idea and some supporting details of daily conversations on familiar topics. 7. Dramatize songs, short poems, skits, or dialogs about familiar topics with increasingly comprehensible pronunciation. 8. Write and deliver short narratives or simple stories about themselves, their family, or friends emphasizing cultural conventions using the target alphabet, orthography, and punctuation. 9. Observe, identify, and replicate in appropriate contexts, patterns of behavior used with family, friends, and acquaintances in everyday situations. 10. Identify some common beliefs and attitudes within the culture studied such as games, songs, holiday celebrations, and historic and/or contemporary influences. 11. Identify objects and symbols that are used day to day and represent the target culture including food, money, numbers (0-1000), clothing, buildings, and monuments. 12. Identify contributions and influences of notable figures, and historic events from the target culture, such as explorers, artists, musicians, and athletes. 13. Identify countries, regions, and geographic features where the target language is spoken. 14. Use information and skills from other content areas to build vocabulary and communicate through limited structures (such as cognates and idiomatic expressions) in the target language. 15. Apply knowledge and skills gained in the target language to make connections to other content areas and personal situations, including PSAT, SAT, MSA, and HSA. 16. Explain familiar topics from the perspective of other cultures where the language is spoken, such as art, music, food, celebrations, and architecture. 17. Compare and apply basic grammatical structures in the target language to English, including: • Use and agreement of adjectives, including possessive and demonstrative • Gender of nouns • Articles • Prepositions • Subject and object pronouns • Negative expressions • Present tense of regular, select irregular, stem-changing, and reflexive verbs • Imperative • Preterite of regular – // ar // verbs and // ir // for recognition 18. Use the sound-symbol association of the target language and compare it to English. 19. Identify and use cognates, word roots, prefixes, suffixes, and sentence structure to construct meaning in different contexts. 20. Demonstrate an understanding of cultural characteristics of language, such as levels of politeness, as compared to English. 21. Compare common selected perspectives, practices, and products in the target culture to their own, including: • School • Home • Family and names • Foods • Holidays and celebrations • Clothing • Leisure activities • Health