COURSE TITLE:  Spanish III

 

TEACHER:  Jim McCarthy

 

ROOM:  B1.13

 

E-MAIL:    jim_mccarthy@eu.odedodea.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

                                This course offers students opportunities to further develop their knowledge of Spanish and to enhance their communication skills.  Students will use increasingly sophisticated language in a variety of activities that will enable them to speak and                       write with clarity and accuracy.  Students will also enhance their thinking skills through the critical study of literature and continue to explore aspects of the culture of countries where the language is spoken through a variety of print and technological resources.

 

COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS:

                        The intermediate level of a foreign language study usually consists of two years of study in the target language.  Students continue to develop and refine communication skills, which enable them to perform routine language functions on a wide variety of topics.  An intermediate speaker is able to ask and answer questions, sustain conversation, and express ideas using the target language with increased fluency. 

            The student continues to develop communication skills to sustain meaningful conversations.  Level III students can perform these functions in a variety of contexts, including some complex situations.  They will be able to display a wide range of vocabulary and take risks to communicate spontaneously.  Their communications may display some patterns of error.  Level lII students comprehend and relate significant ideas with supporting details.  They continue to develop and refine their oral proficiency skills in order to be able to function in a variety of situations with comprehensible fluency in the target language.

 

I.  PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

                Upon completion of the Year III course, the student should be able to perform the following:

·         Engage in conversations using culturally appropriate language

 

·         Engage in communications with a variety of audiences

 

·         Conduct transactions

 

·         Describe and compare

 

·         Obtain information from a variety of sources

 

·         Understand and express ideas with details

 

·         Narrate and understand present, past, and future tenses

 

·         Describe feelings and emotions

 

·         Use culturally appropriate behavior in social situations

 

II. LEVEL III SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Interpersonal Skills:

·         Clarify statements and ask for clarification

·         Understand directions as well as provide them

·         Behave appropriately in different cultural settings

·         Initiate and participate in casual and formal conversations related to current events and routine situations

·         Respond coherently and spontaneously to prompts and unexpected questions

·         Sustain discourse on familiar and unfamiliar topics, in face-to-face, social and telephonic situations

·         Discuss solutions to a variety of situations

Interpretive Skills:

·         Respond to an emergency and report specific details

·         Interpret the content of a written passage on familiar and unfamiliar topics

·         Read, analyze, and discuss a variety of literary genres and media

·         Analyze and report on media presentations, social and political issues, and literary selections

·         Compare and contrast themes from various selections of literature and media sources

Presentational Skills:

·         Speak in the target language with increased ease, fluency, and accuracy

·         Write proficiently using the target language in a variety of situations, including Internet and e-mail resources

 

CSP GOAL

AFNORTH International Middle/High School’s CSP (Continuous School Progress) goal is, “All students will improve their written communication skills across the curriculum.” The 6 + 1 trait is the model selected to improve school-wide writing in all subject areas. The 6+1 Trait writing framework is a powerful way to learn and use a common language to refer to characteristics of writing as well as establish a common vision of what “strong” writing looks like. Teachers and students will use the 6+1 Trait model to identify areas of strength and weakness as they continue to strive towards continued writing improvement. Success of all students requires that the 6 + 1 Trait become a consistent and integral component of each course taught at AFNORTH International Middle/High School.

In this course, the 6 + 1 method will be taught and employed.  Students will have the opportunity to practice the different traits through a variety of experiences, including (but not limited to) journals, homework assignments, quizzes, etc.  The 6 + 1 rubric will be used to formally assess student writing on major exams and projects.

 

SCOPE & SEQUENCE:

                The course is divided into different grammatical units; each unit will also include various vocabulary words, reading, listening, and writing activities.  At the end of every unit is a comprehensive test.

                Unit One:  A Review

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Ser vs. Estar; Questions                        pp. 36-39; p. 252-255; 267

B.       Preterite vs. Imperfect                                pp. 12-27; pp. 40-43; pp. 396-399

C.       Reflexive Verbs; Impersonal “se”                        pp. 80-89; pp. 425-427

                       II.  Pronouns

A.       Object Pronouns                                pp. 296-299

B.       Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns                pp. 346-351

C.       Double Object Pronouns                        pp. 368-377

D.       Possessive Pronouns                                pp. 300-301

E.       Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns                pp. 324-330

F.       Relative Pronouns                                pp. 331-333; pp. 352-355

                       III.  Vocabulary                                                                             

A.       Characteristics                                p. 51

B.       Interactions/Comparisons                        p. 51

C.       Pass-times                                        p. 73

D.       Fashion                                        p. 73

E.       Work and things                                p. 97

 

                Unit Two:  Problems

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Review Present Subjunctive                        pp. 130-136

B.     New Subjunctive                                                                pp. 224-233; pp. 400-405               

                1.     With wishes and conjunctions                                pp. 152-155; pp.158-161; pp.180-185; p. 420

                2.     Imperfect Subjunctive                                                pp. 186-189

                3.     Nonexistent/indefinite                                                pp. 156-157; pp. 202-205;

                4.     Disagreement and Denial                                pp. 206-207

                       II.  Vocabulary

A.       Requests and Suggestions                        p. 123

B.       Nouns and Verbs                                p. 123

C.       Environment, Nature, Weather                        p. 145; p. 169

D.       Problems and Solutions                        p. 145

E.       Camping and Animals                                p. 169

 

                Unit Three:  Celebrations

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Commands                                        pp. 108-114

B.       “Si” Clauses                                        pp. 208-211

C.       Progressives

                1.     Present                                                                pp. 256-259

                2.     Past                                                                pp. 260-261

                       II.  Grammar

A.       Por vs. Para                                        pp. 58-59; 61-62

B.       Gustar                                        pp. 58-60

 

                       III. Vocabulary

A.       Graduation                                        p. 195

B.       Conjunctions                                        p. 195

C.       Holidays                                        p. 217

D.       Foods                                        p. 217

E.       Government                                        p. 241

 

                Unit Four:  School and Work

                       I.  Verb Conjugation

A.       Perfects

                1.     Present and Past Indicative                                pp. 44-45

                2.     Present Subjunctive                                                pp. 137-139

                3.     Past Subjunctive                                                pp. 278-280

                4.     Conditional                                                                pp. 281-283

                       II.  Vocabulary

A.       School                                        p. 267

B.       Information                                        p. 267

C.       Affirmative and negative words                        p. 289

D.       Professions/Workplace/Careers                        p. 289; p. 313

 

                Unit Five: Culture

                       I.  Verb Conjugation

A.       Negative Sentences                                pp. 274-277

B.       Conditional                                        pp. 115-117

C.       Future                                         pp. 63-67

                       III.  Vocabulary

A.       Art and Music                                        p. 339

B.       Dance                                        p. 339

C.       Literature and Film                                p. 339; p. 385

 

COURSE GRADING/ASSESSMENT:

Quarter Grades:   Tests/Projects/Papers:                                   40%

Quizzes/Surprises:                25%

Homework/Classwork:                20%

Class Participation:                15%

 

                Semester Grade      First Quarterly Grade                      40%

                                           Second Quarterly Grade                      40%

                                                Semester Examination                            20%

 

I use the grading scale found in the Student Handbook, page 9. 

 

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS/CONSEQUENCES:

                                This class is designed for upper level high school students.  Students are expected to be responsible for themselves, their behavior, and their work.  The majority of the class will be conducted in Spanish, and it is also expected that students will interact with the teacher and each other primarily in the target language; for this reason, respect for others is essential, and any put-downs, harshness, or lack of respect will not be tolerated. 

                Students are expected to be polite at all times and engage themselves in a mannerly fashion.  All students are required to actively participate in each and every class.  Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated; any test or assignment in which dishonesty is even suspected results in an automatic zero for the assignment, as well as some other potential disciplinary action.

                Students who have missed a class are responsible for arranging time with me before or after school or during seminar time to make up their work.

 

TEXTBOOKS:

Gahala, Estella, et. al.  ¡En Español! Tres.  Illinois: McDougall Littell, 2000.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:

                Various readings, articles, stories, novelettes, books, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOMEWORK POLICY:

                Because this is a foreign language class, it is important to do some work in the target language every day.  Therefore, students should expect some form of work each night.  It may be practicing their speaking, reading information from the textbook, working on an assignment or project, studying for a test or quiz, looking for some vocabulary words, or simply reviewing concepts and notes from class.  Homework is designed to reinforce concepts and ideas that students have been studying as well as aid them in developing skills to become independent learners. 

                Unless prior arrangements have been made or special circumstances exist, late work will only be accepted for 50% of the points if it is no more than one class period late.  Anything more than one class period late will be accepted (for feedback and learning purposes), but will receive no points.