COURSE INFORMATION SHEET 2015 - 2016
Spanish 8
Señora Margarita Blessing
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is open to eighth graders and focuses on the skills need for an increased understanding and comfort speaking the Spanish language. The communicative curriculum emphasizes four essential functions of language: socializing; providing and obtaining information; expressing personal feelings; and getting others to adopt a course of action. Functions like language structures, vocabulary, and culture are embedded in context.
The goal of this course is an increased comfort in using Spanish as a primary means of communication. Students will learn to develop increasingly complex language structures and vocabulary needed to function within a variety of topics. They will be able to discuss events that happened in the past as well as those currently in progress and make plans for the future. In their lives most people will likely have to communicate in a second language with limited grammar and vocabulary. We will practice this ultimate problem solving task.
2. COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM
Additional Materials:
Original Songs and Videos: Me Voy –Julieta Venegas, Tengo –Franco de Vita, O tu o ninguna – Luis Miguel, etc...
Textbook: Asi se dice 2, Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2009
Additional Materials:
Estudio- an Online workspace that provides and online textbook and activities. It will be utilized and a regular basis by the students to submit homework. Estudio includes: Audio and Video Program: Taped entirely on location in Spanish-speaking regions provides a linguistically authentic and culturally rich video.Grammar and Vocabulary Activities: augments instruction with carefully structured exercises.
3. HOMEWORK POLICY
The primary purpose for assigning homework is to give the student additional practice in developing his/her language competence. It should be stressed that homework bears directly on the next day’s class and is an integral part of the student’s daily responsibility. Consequently, late assignments are not accepted for credit. Considering that emergencies do arise each student is granted two free homeworks a quarter. Homework is assigned Monday-Thursday and should take 10-20 minutes. Student work should reflect their best effort. It should be neat and labeled with a proper heading when hard copies are required. When absent It is the student’s responsibility to find out what they missed and to make arrangements with the teacher to make up the work. The homework will almost always be posted on the class blog at www.ns8.blogspot.com.
The student’s grade will be weighted in the following ways:
The student’s grade will be weighted in the following ways:
25% Tests (One a quarter)
40% Quizzes (5-6 a quarter)
15% Project (One a quarter)
10% Participation (formal and informal participation grades)
10% Homework
All work will be returned in a timely fashion and reviewed in class. All spoken assessments are scored immediately and feedback regarding progress is provided to each student. Written assessments are graded within 3 school days.
Please refer to the school calendar for the specific date you can expect to receive a progress report or report card.
Due to budget cuts a number of years ago the State Board of Education eliminated the Second Language Proficiency Examination. Students will take a local assessment in June. The state requires students pass this assessment and the 8th grade course to earn a credit of High School Spanish in Middle School. Earning a 90 on this assessment may serve as one of three criteria for entry to the Honors level in High School. The other requirements are a 90 or higher cumulative average for the 4 quarters of study and the teacher's recommendation.
Plagiarism and “cheating, including but not limited to representing someone else’s work as one’s own; using unauthorized oral and written assistance for a quiz, test or other assignment; illegally obtaining tests in advance, knowingly providing another student with the opportunity to cheat and other forms of unauthorized collusion” will not be tolerated. (North Salem School District Code of Conduct, 2002) Using a translating site on the web or from other sources is also considered forms of cheating. All plagiarism or cheating will result in an automatic zero.
5. ATTENDANCE – Absence and Tardiness
Attendance is essential for progress in learning a second language. After an extended absence due to illness students have one calendar week to make-up all tests, quizzes, and homework. They must make an appointment for make ups as soon as they return to school from your illness. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what assessments were missed and to make arrangements to make up the work. Each student is expected to be on time for class. Lateness to class disrupts students and teacher alike. As per district wide policy, all work, tests and quizzes missed due to an unexcused absence may result in no credit and participation credit can not be earned for a class a student has missed more then 10 minutes of for an unexcused reason. Please pay special note to the district-wide attendance policy for details.
6. EXTRA HELP DAYS AND LOCATION AND ADDITIONAL CONTACT
Extra-help is available every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:15 – 2:55 p.m. in room. E-217.
Take advantage of SGA – Small Group Assistance – for additional help. Please see the SGA Master List and come at the assigned time for Spanish teachers posted on the schedule. I am available in my classroom Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5th period (Student's lunch time). Additional after-school help is available by appointment.
E-mail: You can e-mail utilizing the school e-mail at mblessing@northsalemschools.org . You are welcome to e-mail me on evenings and weekends with any questions or concerns or if you would like me to call you. I check e-mail all day long and will be able to respond in a timely fashion.
