American International School of Kingston

American International School of Kingston

6th Grade Spanish

Teacher: Ms. Kelly Parker Office Hours:

Email: TBD

Turnitin: Course Code: Password:

Course Objectives:

At the end of the Grade 6 Spanish course, students will be expected to understand (reading/listening) and communicate (writing/speaking) at a beginning level in Spanish. Topics include:

· Vocabulary related to: greetings and good-byes, numbers, telling time, days of the week, seasons, and months of the year, the alphabet, describing friends, likes and dislikes, sports and leisure activities, weekend activities, school supplies and items needed for school, classes, school events, places at school, family members, describing people (physical and personality), rooms in the house, furniture and household accessories, food and meals, daily routines and chores, body and health, clothing and shopping, holidays and celebrations, travel and vacation.

· Grammatical structures including: subjects and verbs, subject pronouns, definite and indefinite articles, parts of speech, punctuation, agreement, interrogatives, prepositions, expressions, negation/affirmation, verbal expressions, possessive pronouns and adjectives, direct and indirect object pronouns, adverbs, demonstrative adjectives, and informal commands.

· The infinitive, present tense, present progressive, simple future tense, imperative tense.

· Reflexive verbs, verbs like gustar, “-go” verbs, stem-changing verbs, spelling changing verbs, regular and irregular –AR, –ER, and –IR verbs.

In addition, students will be challenged to:

· Make comparisons between different Spanish speaking cultures and their own.

· Develop connections to other subject areas.

· Better understand language and culture.

· Function in an increasingly diverse community.

Course Description:

Grade 6 Spanish is a foreign language course designed for students to the learn about and use the Spanish language through the study of a variety of essential vocabulary themes, basic grammatical structures, increasingly complex verb tenses, and related cultural topics. Students will acquire approximately 600 vocabulary words. In addition they will learn to manipulate parts of speech and grammatical structures in order to communicate in the language. Students will also work with 4 verb tenses and at least five types of verbs within those tenses. Students will explore in depth the cultures, people, history, environment, arts, foods, and celebrations of the Spanish-speaking world.

Course Assessments:

Students will be assessed based on the AISK Secondary Spanish Standards. In order to gauge students’ knowledge and understanding, they will be assessed through the following means:

1. Classroom participation

2. Informal assessments

3. Formal assessments

4. Group projects/presentation

Course Grade:

Two grades are given each year, Semester 1 and Semester 2. Each semester grade will include the following:

Semester 1 Grade: Semester 2 Grade:

Quarter 1 50% Quarter 3 50%

Quarter 2 50% Quarter 4 50%

Each Quarter grade will be based on the following categories:

Homework 20%

Participation 20%

Weekly Quizzes 20% =100%

Quarter Exams 20%

Unit Tests/Presentations 20%

AISK MS/HS Grade Descriptors

A
90 to 100% / - Maintains and exceeds AISK curriculum standards
- Provides evidence of a high level of critical thinking and application of knowledge in a variety of tasks
- Provides evidence of a high level of creative and/or innovative learning or understanding
- Highly motivated and works independently
B
80 to 89% / - Maintains and meets AISK curriculum standards
- Provides evidence of a good level of critical thinking and application of knowledge in a variety of tasks
- Provides evidence of a good level of creative and/or innovative learning or understanding
- Usually motivated and works independently with occasional assistance
C
70 to 79% / - Meets most AISK curriculum standards
- Provides evidence of a moderate level of critical thinking and application of knowledge in a variety of tasks
- Provides evidence of a moderate level of creative and/or innovative learning or understanding
- Sometimes motivated and works independently with some assistance
D
60 to 69% / - Meets level of some AISK curriculum standards
- Provides minimal evidence of critical thinking and application of knowledge in a variety of tasks
- Provides minimal evidence of creative and/or innovative learning or understanding
- Little motivation and works independently with assistance
F
55 to 59% / - Does not meet AISK curriculum standards
- Provides insufficient evidence of critical thinking and application of knowledge in a variety of tasks
- Provides insufficient evidence of creative and/or innovative learning or understanding
- Not motivated and does not work independently

Course Materials:

Students are responsible for:

Composition notebook
Binder (3-ring)
4x6 index cards
Writing utensils
Spanish/English dictionary

Classroom Culture Expectations:

In a foreign language course, we learn about similarities and differences in languages and cultures. We push ourselves outside of our comfort zone to express ourselves in a new way. Therefore it is crucial for us to create a culture within our classroom based in the following values:

Respect yourself, others, & property;
Communicate as clearly as possible;
Do your best at all times.

These values are in line with AISK’s vision—to empower students to be critical and creative thinkers, who are socially responsible, and motivated to achieve their full potential. To achieve that vision, students must abide by the Code of Conduct, which is guided by four principals:

1. Act with integrity;

2. Show respect for others;

3. Behave responsibly;

4. Be prepared.

Consequences for not adhering to the expectations for our classroom culture and AISK’s Code of Conduct will result in communication with parents and those outlined in the behavior policies in the AISK Handbook.

Homework Policy:

It is particularly important when learning a foreign language to practice regularly. Therefore students should expect to have 15-30 minutes of homework each evening. Homework will include practice workbook pages, written assignments, readings, or other tasks in addition to nightly review of work done in class. If no formal task has been assigned, students are expected to spend a minimum of 15 minutes studying.

Homework is usually checked for completion (full credit or no credit), not for accuracy, as it is an opportunity to practice what was learned in class. There is a direct correlation to a student’s regular practice (timely completion of homework assignments) and his/her performance on assessments. Students must play an active role in their learning by doing their homework.

Furthermore, it is important to complete homework on time. On the day the homework is due, students will have the opportunity to self-assess, as they correct their work and ask questions for clarification in order to move on to something new. If a student is struggling to complete the homework assignment, an email should be sent to Ms. Parker to let her know that the student will be coming in for extra help during her office hours the next day and may not have the homework completed in time. With that proactive communication, students may have an extension on their homework to earn credit. There are no other exceptions.

Homework will be posted on turnitin.com. The class code and username is listed on the first page of this syllabus. It might be a good idea to have a “study buddy”, someone from class you can contact for additional questions. Students are expected to be responsible for managing their assignments in whatever form they choose. There should be no excuses for not knowing about a homework assignment. Remember, there is ALWAYS homework in Spanish – study!

Attendance Policy:

Presence in class is crucial to language development and acquisition. It is difficult for Ms. Parker to teach a student Spanish if he/she is not in class. Therefore students are expected to be on time and in class daily. If a student is absent, he/she is solely responsible for the material and assignments missed. Students can email or see Ms. Parker during office hours to find out what was covered and assigned. Students will have as many days as they were absent to make up their missing work (i.e. absent Monday and Tuesday, back Wednesday, Wednesday and Thursday to complete work, missed work due Friday).

Electronics Policy:

Per AISK policy, mobile phones are not permitted in class and should remain turned off in students’ lockers. Students are permitted to listen to iPods/MP3 players during class work time. The volume should be at a level that does not disturb others. If listening to music becomes a distraction, Ms. Parker reserves the right to revoke this privilege. Furthermore, students are responsible for their own items.

Please complete the following and return to Ms. Parker by Monday, 30 August.

Contact Information:

In the event Ms. Parker needs to be in touch with a student or parent(s), please provide the following contact information. Also, please mark the box next to the preferred method of communication. If the contact information changes, please be sure to notify the School and Ms. Parker.

STUDENT PARENT(S)

q Email Address: ______q Email Address: ______

q Phone Number: ______q Phone Number: ______

Student/Parent Acknowledgement:

______

Student’s Printed Name Parent’s Printed Name

have thoroughly read and discussed the information and policies in this syllabus. If we have any questions or concerns we will bring them to Ms. Parker’s attention in person during her office hours or via email.

Signed,

______

Student’s Signature Parent’s Signature Date

Please complete the following and return to Ms. Parker by Monday, 30 August.

Contact Information:

STUDENT PARENT(S)

q Email Address: ______q Email Address: ______

q Phone Number: ______q Phone Number: ______

Student/Parent Acknowledgement:

______

Student’s Printed Name Parent’s Printed Name

Signed,

______

Student’s Signature Parent’s Signature Date