Foreign Language Department
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title: Spanish 4 AP® Language A/B
Grade Level: 11-12 or Instructor Approval
Elective/Required: College Prep Elective
Length/Credits: 1 year / 5 Credits
Prerequisites: Completion of Spanish 3 or 2SS with a grade of “C” or better.
I. Course Description
Spanish 4 AP® Language prepares students for the Advanced Placement Language Examination in May. As the class is conducted exclusively in Spanish it is necessary for students to have already acquired skills in the three modes of communication: Interpersonal (oral – listening/speaking), Interpretive (reading/listening), and Presentational (oral presentation/written composition), as well as having demonstrated an essential understanding and usage of Spanish grammar. Therefore, the curriculum for this course is designed to refine and enhance these skills as well as to broaden the students understanding of Hispanic Culture and Literature. The course is meant to be comparable in difficulty and content to a third year (5th or 6th semester) advanced-level college Spanish Language course, such as Spanish Composition and Conversation.* Students are required to speak only Spanish in class as oral participation is part of their grade. Students are expected to take the AP® Spanish Language Exam in May.
*College Board, Spanish Course Description 2009-2011
II. Instructional Materials
Required Text: Nextext, Abriendo Puertas: Antología de literatura en español, Tomo I
Illinois: McDougall Littel Inc., 2003
(ISBN 0-618-22206-05)
Supplemental Text: García Lorca, Federico. La Casa de Bernarda Alba
Espasa-Calpe, 1997.
(ISBN: 8423995801)
Esquivel, Laura. Como Agua Para Chocolate
Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1992.
(ISBN 0-385-47148-3)
Other Resources:
Audio CD’s / Newspaper / MagazinesBarron’s AP® Spanish w/CD Ed. 6
2009-2011 AP® Spanish Language Released Exam
Álbum Cuentos – Houghton Mifflin Co., 2005.
Tributo a (Pablo) Neruda – Warner Music Chile, 2004. / Vida en el Valle – Fresno Bee’s Weekly Spanish Language Newspaper
Selecciones Magazine by Reader’s Digest
Videos / DVD’s / Teacher Resources
Like Water for Chocolate – Touchstone Pictures, 1992.
La Casa de Bernarda Alba –
Paraíso Films, 1986.
Various authentic Spanish-Language Videos / Barron’s AP® Spanish w/CD Ed. 6
ISBN: 9780764194054
2009-2011 AP® Spanish Language Released Exam
Renjilian-Burgy, Joy & Valette, Rebecca. Álbum: Antología de Literatura Hispana Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co, 2005.
III. Course Outline
1st Term / 2nd TermLiterature / A novel, short stories of various lengths and poems. / A play, short stories of various lengths and poems
Grammar / Extensive practice of accent rules; commands, review simple tense verbs, indicative, subjunctive, and complex tense verbs, indicative, subjunctive. / Review complex tense verbs, indicative, subjunctive.
Culture / Mexican Traditions, Holidays, Mexican History / Hispanic Culture, Holidays, Hispanic Country Project
IV. Expected School-Wide Learning Results w/ Foreign Language Goals and Standards
ESLR Activities / Foreign Language Goals / StandardsEffective Communicator
Presentational…Students will make informal oral presentations through bi-weekly activities, such as role-played dialogues, peer-interviews, and autobiographical or creative storytelling.
…There will be three formal oral presentations to the class (connected to the literature or literary themes studied) over the course of the year, plus a final multi-media, country-specific, cultural presentation.
…Students will write informal compositions in their daily journal in a variety of styles (quick writes, letters, poems, dialogues, and reflections to literature, articles or lectures).
…Every two weeks students will write formal compositions under similar conditions to that of the AP® Spanish Language exam. These are all peer reviewed and critiqued based on AP® Rubric; the first, a middle and last essay are graded and commented on by teacher.
…Students will also be exposed to an extensive vocabulary through the use of authentic reading and listening material. / Communication:To communicate in languages other than English.
1 - Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
2 - Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
3 - Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners on a variety of topics.
Responsible Citizen
Cultural Awareness...Students will maintain a record (notebook or document files on computer flash drive) of researched information on a Spanish-Speaking country for monthly cultural discussions with themes such as: Holidays and Traditions, Food, Music, Literature – Authors, History, Politics, Current Events, Social Issues, and Interesting Facts. This is an on-going, year-long activity that will culminate in a final multi-media presentation of the information gathered. / Culture:To gain knowledge and understanding of their cultures.
4 - Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.
5 - Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.
Effective Problem Solver
Interpretive…Students will read and listen to authentic literature (mostly short stories and poems) by Hispanic authors on the AP® Spanish Literature required reading list. / Connections: To connect with other disciplines and acquire information.
6 - Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
Effective Problem Solver
Interpretive
…Students will take Cornell notes and identify literary elements of the stories to use for class discussions or writing assignments. Students will create a literature “notebook” of these assignments for use in the AP® Spanish Literature course.
…Students will also learn many of the literary analysis terms (metaphor, simile, paradox, alliteration…) used in both the Spanish and English Literature courses.
…Students will also be required to use technology, creativity and group collaboration during many of the class assignments or projects. / Connections:
To connect with other
disciplines & acquire info.
7 - Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
Group Contributor
Interpersonal…Students will interact regularly in the classroom with a partner and practice cooperative learning in small groups, as well as collaborate during literary circles or on cultural projects.
…Students will work in small groups or partners during many of the grammar exercises.
…Students will also read a novel that will introduce them to a great deal of Mexican history and traditions. They will focus on cultural similarities and differences between Mexico and the United States of America. / Comparisons: To develop insight into own language and culture.
8 - Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
9 - Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
Lifelong Learner
Lanuguage Use….Students will be expected to use the target language in order accomplish tasks outside of the classroom that involve listening, reading, writing and speaking, while accessing media in the target language and/or interacting within the community. …Students are required to read in Spanish one hour a week demonstrated through a listener-signed reading log with a four sentence summary per 20 minute reading session.
…Students are required to complete a weekly Article Log after reading a current Spanish Newspaper or Magazine article for homework.
…Students are required to complete a weekly TV Log after watching an appropriate 30 minute television program (news, talk show, sit-com, soap opera, interactive-type game show (ie., Qué dice la gente), or other teacher-approved program.
…In connection to a lesson on Careers in Spanish, students will use their Spanish skills to translate an English document pertaining to health and well-being issues to create a Spanish recording and transcription (practice using tape recorders). / Communities: To participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
10 - Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
11 - Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.
12 - Students engage in the activities which prepare them to use the target language to achieve career goals.
The lessons strive to allow the students to be at the center of the learning process, with the teacher facilitating.
V. Assessment and Evaluation
Assessments will be in T/F, Multiple Choice, Fill-in the blank, Short Answer formats, as well as in Written Compositions and Oral Presentations.
Content-based assessment is used to evaluate student mastery of literary, cultural, and grammatical content taught throughout the course and usually given as a midterm and final exam each term.
Skills-based assessments will be used regularly throughout the course to evaluate the proficiency level of the student’s four language skills (listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and writing). Students also receive an oral communication grade through their daily participation points.
There will be a practice AP® Spanish Language Exam that simulates the real May exam which will count toward the student’s grade. It is a class requirement to take the actual AP® Spanish Language Exam
VI. Grading Policy
Letter Grade %
A 90-100 [100-93 = A 92-90 = A-]
B 80-89 [89-87 = B+ 86-83 = B 82-80 = B-]
C 70-79 [79-77 = C+ 76-73 = C 72-70 = C-]
D 60-69 [69-67 = D+ 66-63 = D 62-60 = D-]
F 59 or lower
Weighted Task Categories
Homework/Class-work 20%
Exams 30%
Project/Essays 20%
Quizzes 15%
Spanish/Class Participation 15%
VII. Class Expectations
The classroom is a special environment in which students and teachers come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the teacher, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms that are supportive of a respectful learning environment and conducive to developing an atmosphere where students are not afraid to communicate or express themselves in the target language.
Students will participate in a number of different activities, including whole class, cooperative small group, presentations, simulations, hands-on, discovery, inquiry, and lecture. The focus will be on activities that encourage your active participation whether individually or as a member of a collaborative group.
Cell phones/texting are disruptive to the learning environment and it is against school policy to have cell phones on or out during the school day. Cell phones will be confiscated and turned in to the office; parents will need to pick it up from the administrators.
The school-wide Assertive Discipline Policy will be enforced and students will be held accountable for their actions.
VIII. Student and Parent Expectations
It is the student’s responsibility to come to class prepared to learn with the materials and assignments required. It is also the student’s responsibility to practice good study habits, such as having a binder with dividers for each class, a class calendar (agenda planner provided by school) to write daily assignments, completing homework in a timely manner, being a productive member during a group project, and studying before a test. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide a quiet time and place for the student to complete homework or study tasks. Please be aware that there are places on the school campus open after school for this purpose and for tutorial support or computer access.
It is the student and parents’ responsibilities to be aware of the student’s current grade on a weekly basis. The school library is open after school and both students and parents may use the library computers and internet to access their Power School accounts. It is important to make an effort to intervene and provide a student with assistance before they are failing. Parents should be reviewing their student’s binder or class-work with them on a regular basis to understand their student’s efforts or struggles. A student or their parent may call the counseling office for a Student Study Team (SST) session in order to address their concerns; school faculty may also call for an SST to address the student’s grades or class behaviors.
IX. Class work and Homework Policy
Although a majority of the tasks assigned are begun in class, it is the students’ responsibility to complete the tasks on their own time. All tasks are posted on the board in the daily agenda and students need to write these down in their class calendar along with due dates. There are several weekly Activity Log assignments with regular due dates, for example Reading Logs are due every Friday.
X. Attendance and Late Work Policy
Attendance is an essential part of the course; classmates depend on the presence of their peers in group work and discussions. Regular absences and/or tardiness may affect a student’s grade in the course. If for some reason the student is late to class or must miss class, the experiences cannot be duplicated. If a student misses a class, it is their responsibility to get notes and materials from a class member or to make an appointment to meet with the teacher outside of class time.
Late work will only be accepted if a prior arrangement has been made with the teacher; the student will be required to attend brunch detention with the teacher per their arrangement. Do not expect the teacher to accept late work that is more than two weeks late. Any other late make-up work may require a parent-teacher meeting through counseling in order to be accepted.
Last Modified 8/23/11