Ms. Gallegos

Rooms 120 and 118

Email: [email protected]

Class website: http://gallegoscentral.pbworks.com/

AP Spanish Language Course Description

Students will receive extensive training in integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in preparation for the AP Spanish exam. There will be a rigorous grammar “boot camp” at the start of the year, which will include tenses and moods, parts of speech, and other syntactic constructions (i.e. passive voice, reflexives, transitions, idiomatic phrases, etc.).

Students are further exposed to the culture and current events of Spanish-speaking countries through contemporary publications, works of literature, and authentic audio and video recordings presented in the target language. These materials are used as the subjects of rigorous classroom discussion. Students are expected to converse and write about topics explored in class with native-like flair, control, fluency, and accuracy.

Class will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Students in this course are required to take the AP exam. This is a college-level course. Much of your success in this class will depend upon your ability to organize your time, work independently, and set and achieve your own goals.

Authentic materials – reading, writing, speaking and listening

Reading. Working with authentic texts in the target language is integral to successful AP exam preparation. Students will read and interpret a variety of texts as a vehicle of language study and expansion as well as emerging literary analysis.

Writing and speaking. Students will learn to apply the following in written and spoken Spanish: idiomatic expressions, cognates, synonyms and antonyms; transitional words and phrases to introduce, add or emphasize an idea, express a contrasting point of view, give examples, and draw conclusions; a variety of grammatical structures using proper concordance (subject-verb; subject-adjective; gender-noun agreement, tense agreement), correct mechanics (punctuation, accentuation, syntax, orthography), and superior language control.

Listening. Students will learn to make inferences and predictions and interpret linguistic cues by listening to a variety of regional dialects on audio and video. These authentic recordings will be at the level of native speakers, or advanced learners.

“La ley de la lengua”

La ley de la lengua means that the only language allowed in class is Spanish. On occasion I may resort to English for educational purposes. A student’s failure to follow this pledge will reflect negatively in his or her participation grade.

Grading

The grading system is set up on a points system. All assignments, projects, tests and participation will be given a set number of points. Your grade will be determined by the number of points you earned relative to the total number of points possible. Grades are earned, not given. You are in control of your final mark.

Student Evaluation

• 25% Exams, tests and quizzes

-  Quizzes and tests generally include matching or multiple-choice sections, fill-in-the-blank sections, and short answer or essay sections. Students will be made aware of test dates. Occasional pop quizzes may be given. A final exam will be given at the end of first semester and a final project at the end of second semester.

• 25% Essays

-  Formal and informal essays. Students will write frequent formal, well-organized essays on an appropriate topic, in reaction to a text or information discussed or viewed, which is evaluated for its content, organization and synthesis, range of vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy. Grading of essays is modeled on the rubric used for the AP Exam. Part of the grade includes peer editing and rewriting to improve writing proficiency. There are also frequent informal writing activities related to topics explored in class, such as journal entries, letters, e-mails, and dialogues.

• 20% Projects and presentations

-  Projects and presentations will be assigned occasionally throughout the semester. Students are encouraged to begin projects shortly after receiving the assignment as opposed to saving all the work until right before it is due. Students will be held accountable for contributing to the group by different means, such as through self and peer evaluations.

• 15% Homework

-  Homework may include workbook and textbook practice, literature assignments, listening and reading comprehension practice, in-class oral presentations and skits, “cintas” (talking on audio tape in response to familiar topics and conversational prompts), class discussions, and more.

• 15% Active, engaged participation

-  Participation. Participation cannot be underestimated in AP. Students must be present in order to participate; therefore, attendance impacts participation greatly. Students with unexcused absences will lose all participation points for that day. Participation means more than simply answering the teacher’s questions -- it also includes:

o  asking thoughtful and appropriate questions – the spirit of inquiry!

o  communicating in Spanish

o  involvement in whole class, small group, and independent activities (i.e. peer editing)

o  coming to class with all required materials (see below)

o  maintaining a respectful and positive attitude for the classroom and the people around you

Materials

Each student is required to bring the following materials to every class meeting: textbook (Abriendo Paso, Gramática), workbook (Triángulo), and writing tools. You will receive a lot of handouts in class. As such, you are encouraged to maintain a separate binder where all class work can be kept. The sections in your binder should be labeled in some logical fashion (i.e. tarea, apuntes, handouts, literatura, and pruebas).

Habitually coming unprepared to class will negatively impact your participation grade.

·  Texts: Abriendo Paso – Gramática y Lectura, and Triángulo will serve as our primary texts.

·  Other materials that students should have in their possession, but need not bring to class every day, include:

o  a set of blank 3x5 index cards (for vocabulary words)

o  a good Spanish/English dictionary (such as the The New World Spanish/English, English/Spanish Dictionary Revised Second Edition published by Signet, edited by Salvatore Ramondino)

o  a copy of 501 Spanish Verbs

Walter Payton College Prep High School Course Outline 2009 – 2010 Ms. Gallegos, Spanish AP Lang

Semester I Semester II

1st Quarter (ends 11/06) / 2nd Quarter (ends 01/29) / 3rd Quarter (ends 04/09) / 4th Quarter
Unidad 3 – La narración y la descripción en el presente
-  Ser y estar
-  El gerundio
-  Verbos reflexivos
Pasos 1 y 8 – Sustantivos y artículos; Gustar y verbos como gustar
Triángulo – El hogar
Poesía – Oda a la alcachofa
Unidad 2 – La descripción de nuestros alrededores
-  Adjetivos
-  Pronombres
-  Comparaciones
-  El superlativo
Pasos 2 y 4 – Pronombres en detalle
Triángulo – La salud
Temas – La dieta mediterránea y americana; Diario de alimentos
Unidad 1 – La narración y la descripción en el pasado
-  El pretérito, el imperfecto
-  Los tiempos perfectos
-  Expresiones de tiempo con el verbo hacer
Triángulo – El prójimo
Temas – Amor y autorreflexión
Poesía – Antonio Machado
Literatura – Dos palabras / Unidad 4 – Cómo expresar deseos y obligaciones:
-  El imperativo / Mandatos directos e indirectos
-  Expresiones para indicar obligación
-  El subjuntivo con verbos de volición
-  El presente perfecto de subjuntivo
Paso 3 – Pronombres de objeto
Triángulo – El turismo
Temas – Reportajes de TVE; folleto/cartel turístico
Literatura – El delantal blanco
Unidad 5 – La narración y la descripción en el futuro:
-  El futuro
-  El futuro perfecto
-  El subjuntivo con conjunciones
-  El subjuntivo en cláusulas relativas
Triángulo – El medio ambiente
Temas – Destrucción medioambiental; Canción de Porta
Película
-  Escenas de Baraka / Unidad 6 - La narración y la descripción en el pasado
-  Secuencias de tiempos verbales
-  El presente y el presente perfecto de subjuntivo
-  El imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
-  El condicional
-  El condicional perfecto
-  “If” clauses
Paso 7 – Palabras indefinidas y negativas; pero, sino, sin que
Triángulo – La educación
Temas – El acto de enseñanza-aprendizaje; El sistema educativo; Una nueva visión
Película
-  Escenas de La lengua de las mariposas
Pasos 5 y 6 – Interrogativos y exclamaciones, números ordinales
Paso final – Interjecciones y español conversacional
Triángulo
-  De todo un poco
Temas
-  Los derechos humanos; Los “desaparecidos” de Argentina
Película
-  La historia oficial / AP Practice Exam
Literatura
-  Lazarillo de Tormes
-  Un día de estos
-  El ahogado más hermoso del mundo, o Un hombre muy grande con unas alas enormes
Poesía
-  Balada de los dos abuelos
-  En perseguirme mundo, ¿qué interesas?
Película
-  Casi, casi
Proyecto final

Primary Texts

Abriendo Paso – Gramática y Lectura. Prentice Hall. Díaz, José M.

Triángulo: A Propósito, Cuarta Edición, Student Workbook. Wayside Publishing. Gatski, Barbara.

AP Web Sites

AP Spanish Language Course Home Page

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/3499.html

AP Spanish Language Course Description

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_spanish_coursedesc.pdf

Authentic Sound Files and Texts – Free of Charge

BBC en español: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/index.shtml

CNN en español: http://www.cnn.com/espanol/

Elmundo: http://www.elmundo.es/

EuroNews: http://www.euronews.net/es/

Archive of activities in Spanish: http://formespa.rediris.es/actividades.htm

Portalmix – humor, juegos, cine, música, TV, famosos, curiosidades y más: www.portalmix.com

Radio Naciones Unidas: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/spanish/

Más Voces – Independent radio project: http://www.masvoces.org/

Radio from Argentina: http://www.fmmilenium.com.ar/

University of Toronto – archivo que contiene grabaciones de diversos dialectos españoles: http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca/rescentre/spanish/

Univision: http://www.univision.com/portal.jhtml

Voice of America News: http://www.voanews.com/spanish

Spanish language and culture site: http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/index.php