SPANISH LEVEL III HONORS –SYLLABUS

SRA. RUSK, IOWA PARK HIGH SCHOOL

Tutoring: 740 AM & 330 PM every day

Classrooms:F6

Email:

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Description: Spanish III Honors builds on previously learned skills and emphasizes increased accuracy. Students will continue their progress toward mastery of the present and preterit tenses, as well as begin to work with the imperfect, perfect, futureand subjunctive. The emphasis on vocabulary expansion and more advanced writing, listening and reading tasks will enable the students to better negotiate communicative tasks. Spanish is the primary vehicle for classroom communication.
Prerequisites:Successful credit obtained in Spanish I & Spanish II (or dual credit).
My Goal: This will be a productive and challengingyear of learning, growth and fun.I am here to helpyoulearnSpanish, but this won’t come without much effort on your part. Commit yourself to constant learningand you can succeed!

“¡En español!”Class is conducted primarily in Spanish. Students should speak in Spanish, both with teacher and classmates, to the maximum extent possible. When it comes to speaking, you are being evaluated for effort more than accuracy. Do not worry about making mistakes. Get the gist across in Spanish and I will assist as needed. Research shows there’s a kind of judge in our heads called the “Monitor,” or editor, who helps polish our writing. If the Monitor gets too pushy, however, he interferes with our ability to speak, making us feel self-conscious. Like a bully, he gets bigger the more you worry about making errors or what other people think. Point taken – use the Monitor when you write, controlhim when you speak.

Categories:Grades will be based on the categories and grading scale that follow.

Tests40%

Quizzes30%

Daily work in class, pop quizzes, online work (Supersite) 30%

Grading Scale:A89.5% – 100%

B79.5% – 89.4%

C69.5% – 79.4%

D59.5% – 69.4%

FBelow59.5%

Extra Credit: The only extra credit opportunities available will be extra credit questions on tests and quizzes.

Tests and quizzes: Tests and quizzes include matching, multiple-choice sections, analogies, fill-in-the-blank sections, and short answer or paragraph responses. A semester exam will be given at the end of each semester.Students will be made aware of test dates. Unannounced pop quizzes may also be given but will count in the daily work category. Each unit will include a speaking task, whichwill count as a test grade.

Daily Work:

Regular Daily Assignments: Students will be responsible for completing this work in class, often as a bell ringer or extension activity after a concept is introduced for the first time. This may be teacher-created, from the textbook, or in worksheet form.

Online Activities on the Supersite:Students will also be assigned classwork and homework on the Supersite that should be completed in a timely manner and with maximum effort. The purpose of the online work is to preview or reinforce concepts covered in class.

Active, Engaged Participation:Participation cannot be underestimated! Participation means more than simply answering the teacher’s questions. It entails:

-volunteeringto ask/answer questions

-helping others learn (especially your partner and/or group members!)

-taking responsibility for your own learning

-communicating in Spanish for the entire class periodto the maximum extent possible

-taking notes

-involvement in whole class, group, pair and independent activities

-coming to class prepared and ON TIME

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS THE NUMBER ONE PREDICTOR OF YOUR SUCCESS IN THIS CLASS!

Materials: Please bring your writing utensil, Chromebook, headphones, and any notes you have to every class meeting. You are encouraged to maintain a separate binder or folder where all class work can be kept.

Helpful Hints for Success in Spanish 3:

  1. Come to tutoring with Sra. Rusk!

- Every day at 7:40 Am and 3:30 PM (except in cases of emergencies)

- Work on homework, edit writing, review test mistakes and clarify confusion

  1. Use the Descubre Supersite:

- Vocabulary lists and reinforcement

- Virtual grammar tutorials and practice

- Listening and reading practice

- Practice tests and quizzes

Internet Resources

Descubre level 2 Supersite /
Online grammar practice /
StudySpanish:grammar exercises and explanations /
Variety, really anything you could need! /
Verbix: conjugate verbs in Spanish /
Conjuguemos: conjugate verbs in Spanish in any tense /
Quizlet: Study flashcards and play games /
Grammar exercises organized by concept /
Dates / Chapters / Vocabulary / Grammar
1st Six Weeks / Descubre 1 Chapters 1-5 Review / Greetings, classroom, school life, days of the week, family, professions, pastimes, sports, places in the city, travel, months, seasons, weather / Nouns, articles, numbers, ser, telling time, regular present tense verbs, questioning, estar, possessives, tener, venir, ir, irregular present tense verbs, present progressive, ser v. estar, direct objects
2nd Six Weeks / Descubre 1 Ch 6 / Clothing, shopping, markets / saber v. conocer, indirect objects, regular preterite verbs, demonstratives, reflexive verbs, indefinite & negative words, preterite of ser & ir, verbs like gustar
Descubre 1 Ch 7 / Daily routines / reflexive verbs, indefinite & negative words, preterite of ser & ir, verbs like gustar
3rd Six Weeks / Continue Descubre 1 Ch 7 / Cont. / Cont.
Descubre 1 Ch 8 / Food / Preterite stem changers, double object pronouns, comparisons, superlatives
4th Six Weeks / Descubre 1 Ch 9 / Parties & festivals in Spanish-speaking countries / Irregular preterites, meaning changers in preterite, Que v. Cual, pronouns after prepositions
Descubre 2 Ch 1 / In the doctor’s office, health / Imperfect verbs, Preterite v. Imperfect, Constructions with se, adverbs
5th Six Weeks / Continue Descubre 2, Ch 1 / Cont. / Cont.
Descubre 2, Ch 2 / Technology, the car / Informal commands, por v. para, reciprocal reflexives, stressed possessives
6th Six Weeks / Continue Descubre 2 Ch 2 / Cont. / Cont.
N/A / Various / Review for and take the MSU proficiency exam as the Spanish III Final Exam
Piñata Unit / History and significance of the piñata, Piñata construction & presentation

Tentative Class Schedule