AP® Spanish Language
Course Overview
The AP Spanish Language course is taught almost exclusively in Spanish. Students are challenged to practice Spanish consistently with their Spanish speaking teachers, peers and school staff. Students will be exposed to literature and current events of the Spanish speaking countries through authentic written and verbal text that will develop the students listening and reading abilities. Students will be able to:
· Understand and respond appropriately to conversations, lectures, newspapers, instructions, audio and video articles, short stories, classroom discussions.
· Expand their interpersonal communication skills through daily classroom interactions in Spanish. This communication is extended outside of the classroom.
· Use different strategies for different audiences to express themselves.
· Extend their communication skills through casual conversations with others.
· Express themselves orally by convincing, arguing, inquiring and describing.
· Will make the connection between their Spanish class and other disciplines.
· Increase their communication skills through authentic written texts including newspaper and periodical articles, non-technical writings and literary texts.
· Write a variety of compositions. (technical and non-technical)
· Compose a formal and informal essay.
Course Outline
Abriendo Paso Gramática (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) and Abriendo Paso Lectura (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) are the district textbooks for this course. These will be used concurrent with several other class sets of material that the World Language department has provided.
Abriendo Paso Gramatica (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) is a grammar text reinforcing previous studied material. Abriendo Paso Grammatica (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) will be used to increase accuracy of expression in different situations. The assessment program will be used for each unit. The multiple-choice listening and reading comprehension practice will be used as well as other free response sample prompts. The Barron's AP 2007 practice tests (Barron’s) will be given to prepare for the AP Spanish Language Exam. Using the multiple-choice items from past released exams and developing free-response questions that are similar and as difficult as those on the AP Exam tests are administered through out the course. The tests also consist of one essay question related to the selection of literature read inside or outside of class.
Abriendo Paso Lectura (Pearson/Prentice Hall 2005) provides an introduction to the next Spanish course. This text provides a wide selection of materials taken from authentic sources. Students are given essay topics to create an essay. Credit for essays will be assigned after peer editing and revisions have been completed. Through the authentic material the students are provided frequent opportunities to integrate the four language skills. AP Scoring Guidelines will be the rubric. At times, guest speakers will lead class discussions over selected topics. Students will relate the topic to a work in the text. Students have the opportunity to communicate in formal and informal situations.
World Languages Program
3958 AP SPANISH IV LANGUAGE
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
1ST 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 1 – “Rosa”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 1 – “Rosa”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 2 – “El
Décimo”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 2 – “El
Décimo”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 3 - “Un oso
y un amor”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 3 - “Un oso
y un amor”
2ND 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 4 –
“Continuidad de los parques”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 5 - “Cajas
de carton”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 5 - “Cajas
de carton”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capitulo 6 - “Jacinto
Contreras recibe su paga extrodinario”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capitulo 6 - “Jacinto
Contreras recibe su paga extrodinario”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 7 -
“Nosotros, no” – pp. 114-133
3rd 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 8 – “No
oyes ladrar los perros”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 8 – “No
oyes ladrar los perros”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 9 – “El
árbol de oro”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 9 – “El
árbol de oro”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 10 –
“Jaque mate en dos jugadas”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 10 –
“Jaque mate en dos jugadas”
4th 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 11 - “La
viuda de Montiel”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 11 - “La
viuda de Montiel”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 12 –
“Cartas de amor traicionado”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 12 –
“Cartas de amor traicionado”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 13 –
“Emma Zuma”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 13 –
“Emma Zuma”
5TH 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 14 - “Rima
LIII” Abriendo Paso: Lectura - Capítulo 15 -
“Me gustas cuando callas”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capitulo 16 -
“Adolesencia” Abriendo Paso Lectura –
Capítulo 17 – “Proverbios y cantares, XXIX”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 18 –
“Despedida” Abriendo Paso: Lectura -
Capítulo 19 – “Canción de jinete”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 20 –
“Selecciones de Versos sencillos”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 21 –
“Canción de otoño en primavera”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 22 – “Oda al tomate”
6TH 6-WEEKS
Week 1
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 23 – “La
fiesta de San Fermin”
Week 2
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 24 –
“Fernando Botero, El espejo convexo”
Week 3
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 25 – “La
Tomatina”
Week 4
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 26 – “Los
indios kunas”
Week 5
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 27 – “El
delantal blanco”
Week 6
Abriendo Paso Lectura - Capítulo 27 – “El delantal blanco”
Course Guidelines
The Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) and district standards will be implemented for the course objectives.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter114
Teaching Strategies
Exclusive Use of Spanish
Students are instructed the first day of class that Spanish will be not only the language used for instruction, but also for daily school and interpersonal communication as well. A student’s Spanish listening and speaking skills will improve only through consistent use of and exposure to the Spanish language. Therefore, the student’s level of adherence to this rule will be directly reflected every 6 weeks in the form of a participation grade. Every now and then, the situation may arise where a student may require further explanation or elaboration in English to help them grasp an idea or concept. This will be the exception and not the rule.
Use of technology
Our school has a variety of technological resources such as a portable laptop station with language software, in class computers, Smart Boards, etc. Technology will be incorporated into many of the assignments and daily activities of the class. The Internet will be particularly useful in helping students access:
· Authentic journalistic media such as newspapers, magazines, and websites highlighting the day’s major events.
· Sites that expose students to the cultural and social environments found in the Spanish-speaking world such as museums and galleries, blogs that deal with concerns and issues of average people from various Spanish-speaking nations.
· Resources for researching literary works, historical figures and events, and geopolitical information and data.
Technology such as word processors, PowerPoint, and multimedia will also be used in the presentation of assignments.
Students will also be encouraged to focus on the technological language used in the Spanish-speaking world in areas such as computing, surfing, electronic commerce, and telephone customer service.
Extracurricular Activities
Students will have ample opportunity to use the Spanish language in front of others outside of the classroom environment. Every year many students participate extracurricular organizations found on our campus, such as Pan American Student Forum, Ballet Folklórico Mestizo, Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, and Townview Travelers.
In addition, every year students are given the opportunity to take the National Spanish Exam.
Sample Classroom Activities
The activities used in class are designed to incorporate all of the four language skills within the same activity. Here are a few samples of class assignments incorporating all four language skills:
1) Activity focus – Preterite: In this activity, students will be shown a variety of pictures (pre-selected by the teacher, from the Internet) of people expressing a variety of emotions or contemplative expressions. Each student will select a particular picture and write in the first person (using the preterite) a monologue explaining what happened to them to elicit that expression. Students will then conduct a peer edit of their monologues. In the last phase of the activity, each student will present show the picture/person he selected and orally present his/her monologue to the rest of the class.
2) Activity focus – Pluscuamperfect of the indicative and subjunctive: In this activity, students in groups of three will be given 3 pre-written scenarios in which young people make mistakes or bad decisions in a variety of situations. Students will read the situations, assess them, and then write explanations of when and where the bad decisions occurred. In the next step, they will use the pluscuamperfect of the subjunctive to tell how the outcome would have been different if they had made a different decision. Lastly, each student in the group will orally present a situation to the class, explain where the error or bad judgment occurred, and tell how it could have been different.
3) Activity focus – Listening & Speaking: Students will watch an authentic video of World Cup soccer fans explaining why their team is the best. The video will be repeated, discussed, analyzed, etc. Next, students will create their own argument or case as to why their favorite sports team is the best. Students who do not like sports will write out an argument for their favorite artist or singer. Each student will then make his case to the class. In turn, students in the audience can raise their hands and differ or make a counterpoint. After everyone has made the case for their team, students will then vote for the student with the best argument.
4) Activity focus – Formal writing: Throughout each six-week period, students will be given a variety of formal writing assignments. At least once per six-week period, students will have a timed in-class essay that will be graded according to AP scoring guidelines.
Student Evaluation
There will be approximately two exams per six weeks and two comprehensive semester exams. Speaking assessments will vary from formal assessments to in class observations. Exams will assess the student’s four language skills and will also contain sections on grammar and culture. Exams may vary, but most will contain a combination of free response questions, multiple choice, matching, cloze procedure, listening assessments and essay questions. Every three weeks, students will write an in class, timed essay. Each essay will have a different type of essay (narrative, comparison and contrast, persuasive, etc).
Websites used in the course:
www.abccolor.com.py
www.ultimahora.com.py
www.zonalatina.com
www.nacion.com
www.mcdougallittell.com
www.nuevohorizontes.org
www.nexttext.com
www.hrw.com
www.conjuguemos.com
www.thepapaerboy..com
www.elmundo.es
www.bbc/spanish
www.cnn.com/espanol
The local Spanish speaking television and radio stations will be used throughout the course to advance instruction.
Extra Curricular Activities
NET-OLE a World Language Competition at Texas A&M University- Commerce www.netole.org
Pan American Student Forum of Texas an organization to promote the study of the western hemisphere and Spain. Each year the students participate in the annual state convention of the PASF Spanish competition (reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar and civilization). www.pasf.com
Texas Area Model of the Organization of the American States a mock OAS competition. The event is held at the PASF state convention. www.pasf/tamoas.com
Sociadad Hornoria Hispanica an honor society for the advanced Spanish student. www.shh
International Travel Club is open to all students that desire to travel to various countries.
National Spanish Exam www.nse.org
Ballet Folklorico a dance club on campus.