COURSE TITLE:  Spanish IV

 

TEACHER:  Jim McCarthy

 

ROOM:  B1.13

 

E-MAIL:    jim_mccarthy@eu.odedodea.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course prepares students for university studies in Spanish.  Students will enhance their ability to use the language with clarity and precision and will develop the language skills needed to engage in sustained conversations and discussions, understand and evaluate information, read materials for both study and pleasure and write clearly and effectively.  Students will also have opportunities to add to their knowledge of the culture of countries where the language is spoken through the use of community resources and computer technology.

 

COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS:

          Level IV is the second level for the intermediate speaker of a foreign language.  Students continue to develop and refine communication skills which enable them to use the target language in a variety of situations.  An intermediate speaker is able to ask and answer questions and sustain conversation with increased proficiency.  An intermediate level speaker is able to create with language by combining and recombining learned elements.  Speakers are able to handle successfully a number of interactive, task-oriented, and social situations and initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation with a number of appropriate strategies.  Errors are sometimes evident.  The intermediate speaker is able to be understood by native speakers.

 

I.  PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

                Upon completion of the intermediate stage, the Year IV 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 the impact of diverse cultures in our global society.

 

·         Discuss the impact of economics and politics on cultures.

 

·         Substantiate and elaborate opinions.

 

·         Obtain information from a variety of sources.

 

·         Convince and persuade.

 

·         Analyze and critique ideas.

 

·         Present information in presentational and interpersonal scenarios.

 

II.  LEVEL IV SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Interpersonal Skills:

·         Develop  oral proficiency skills in order to function in a variety of situations with an acceptable degree of accuracy and fluency

 

·         Acquire cultural understanding to communicate and 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 situations

·         Sustain discourse on familiar topics

·         Give advice and make suggestions

·         Initiate, sustain, and end a conversation

·         Explain and/or support an opinion

·         Comprehend the target language spoken at normal rate speed by native speaker

·         Create meaningful conversations in a variety of situations

·         Compare and contrast concepts and ideas.

·         Narrate and describe in major tenses

·         Speak using proper grammar and syntax

·         Use basic structures to write coherent essays

Interpretive Skills:

·         Interpret the content of written passages 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 literature

·         Experience the diversity of target language cultures, e.g., music, art, geography, traditions, history, political systems

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

·         Apply grammatical conventions in complex exercises

·         Write a composition based on a given topic

·         Prepare and present a multi-media presentation in the target language

 

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

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Ser, Estar, Haber                                pp. 45-49                       

B.       Preterite vs. Imperfect                                pp. 8-39

C.       Reflexive Verbs & Impersonal “se”                pp. 111-114; pp. 285-289

                       II.  Vocabulary                                                                             

A.       Verbs                                        p. 9-13; p. 16; p,113

B.       Adjectives                                        p. 20

C.       Select Nouns and Verbs                        p. 20

                       III.  Grammar-- Pronouns

A.       Direct Object                                        pp. 87-88; pp. 91-93

B.       Indirect Object                                pp. 89-90; pp. 91-93

C.       Personal “a”                                        pp. 88-89

D.       Relative                                        pp. 316-327

 

                Unit Two

                       I. Verbs

                                A.     Present Subjunctive                                                             pp. 57-73; pp. 79-86; pp. 144-150

                                B.     Present Subjunctive & Conjunctions                           pp. 177-181; pp. 193-203

                                C      Imperfect Subjunctive                                                             pp. 245-252

                       II.  Vocabulary

A.       Verbs                                        pp. 58-59; p. 62; p. 84; 149

B.       Adjectives                                        p. 84; p. 149

C.       Select Nouns and Verbs                        p. 84; p. 149

D.       Expressions                                        p. 178-179

 

                Unit Three

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Commands                                        pp. 187-194

B.       “Si” Clauses                                        pp. 257-262

C.       Gerund and Infinitive                                pp. 354-358

                       II.  Vocabulary

A.       Verbs                                        p. 208; p. 225

B.       Select Nouns and Adjectives                        p. 208; p. 346

                       III.  Grammar

A.       Por vs. Para; Hacer vs. Desde                        pp. 211-224

B.       Gustar                                        pp. 94-96

C.       Adjectives                                        pp. 119-123

D.       Comparisons                                        pp.  155-160

 

                Unit Four

                       I.  Verbs

A.       Future                                        pp. 50-56

B.       Conditional                                        pp. 253-254

C.       Perfects

1.        Past Participle                        pp. 124-129

2.        Present Perfect                        pp. 124-129

3.        Future Perfect/ Pluperfect                pp. 151-159

4.        Conditional Perfect                         pp. pp. 254-256

                       II. Vocabulary

A.       Verbs                                        p. 54; p. 140

B.       Select Nouns and Adjectives                        p. 54; p. 140

 

                Unit Five

                       I. Verbs

A.       Negative Sentences                                pp. 288-289

B.       Passive Voice                                pp. 378-308

C.       Indirect Speech                                pp. 308-311

D.       Tense sequence                                pp. 341-248

                       II. Vocabulary

A.       Verbs                                        p. 346; p. 304

B.       Select Nouns & Adjectives                        p. 346; p.304

                       III.  Diminutives, Augmentatives                                                        pp. 382-283

 

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:

Zayas-Bazán, et. al.  Conexiones: Comunicación y cultura.  New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.

 

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.