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Spanish 3

dverlinger@greenwichacademy.org

What are we going to accomplish this year?

• First, we’re going to review what you have learned up until now.
• Then we’ll build on the elementary material and learn the more sophisticated grammar which will enhance your ability to use the language. By the end of the year, you will have studied just about all the major grammar points of Spanish.
• We’re going to build your vocabulary. The more words you acquire, the more fluently you’ll be able to speak.
• We’re going to work at improving your listening skills.
• You’re going to have a lot of opportunities to speak the language.
•  

How are we going to accomplish these goals?

• We will use the exercises in your textbook and workbook, exercises I give you, and exercises on the Web.
• To learn the vocabulary, there will be worksheets and a game now and then.
• To improve your listening, first, I will use Spanish in class almost all the time; then we will use the sitcom in Spanish that comes with the text.
• There will be many exercises which will require that you speak with a partner or work in groups speaking Spanish. In addition, you will do an oral presentation for the class and have one oral evaluation each quarter.
• You’re going to use the grammar and the new vocabulary to write simple compositions.

What do you need?

• Ventanas, your text
• The Ventanas workbook
• Your laptop
• Pens: please write all work you do for me in class IN INK!
• www.quia.com: this is a website which I will build to help you learn the vocabulary.

A note about your laptop . Please bring your it to class every day. Please connect to the server and boot up as soon as you arrive in class so that you will be ready to work on it at a moment’s notice.

Please keep in mind the following:

• Keep the volume down
• Print or e-mail assignments before class
• Use the network server to store your work long term
• Avoid game-playing, e-mailing, surfing the Net, and other non-academic pursuits

How will I evaluate you?

• a TEST after every chapter……………….…35%
• written work…………………………………20%
• quizzes………………………………………15%
• project……………………………………….15%
• participation…………………………………15%

What’s the project and when is it due?

Each of you will be assigned a city in Spain or Latin America. You will read up about the city and then make a 5-minute presentation to the class about the important sites as if you were a tour guide and we were the tourists. Power Point would be nice because it would give you the opportunity to present some pictures. You will not be able to present with a script; you may only use 2 notecards which I will check before you speak. I will be evaluating you on the quality of your information, the quantity of information, the correctness of your language, and your fluency. Presentations will begin November 13; the date will be determined by lottery.

The cities: Spain: Sevilla, Barcelona, Santiago de Compostela, Toledo, Valencia; Granada, Córdoba. Latin America: Guanajuato, Mexico; Oaxaca, Mexico; Cuernavaca, Mexico; Veracruz, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Quito, Ecuador; Bogotá, Colombia; La Paz, Bolivia.

What are my class policies?

Participation. Taking an active part in class activities is crucial to your success. Answering questions or working in pairs are ways to practice the language and make mistakes without penalty. More than any of the skills you will learn, this is the most important one. Make up your mind that you are not going to be one of those adults who says "Oh, yeah, I had four years of Spanish in high school and don't remember anything but "Gracias."

Absence. It is your responsibility to make up work that you have missed when you are absent. Most homework will be posted on the Spanish 3 Conference. If you miss a test or a quiz, it must be made up within three days of your return to school. (There will be a copy of the test waiting for you in the library.)

Homework. I expect that you will do your homework every night. No assignment should take you more than 30-40 minutes. I will check each day to see that you have done it. Occasionally, I will collect it and count it as a quiz. If you miss three homework assignments, I will drop your average by one percentage point. For every assignment you miss after that, you will lose one point from your average.

Late Work. Assignments are due when they are due. You will lose one letter grade per day for every day an assignment is late.

How can you succeed in this class? Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Learning a language is a lot like learning math because one thing builds upon another. So it is important that you master each "block" of material as it is presented. For example, make your vocabulary learning tools the same day that it is introduced in class; then you can continue to review it every night as we complete the lesson.

It is also very important that you go back and review material that we previously studied. So do your 30-40-minute homework assignment and then spend another 5-10 minutes reviewing old vocabulary or visiting one of the grammar links to review old material.

REMEMBER: Study a little each night. Cramming before a test MAY get you a decent grade, but it will do little to help you really learn the language.

TIP: For some people, learning and retaining vocabulary is difficult. If you are so inclined, you can make a flashcard for every word we learn, but they become a bit unwieldy. I recommend you type up a sheet with English words in a column on the left and Spanish words on the right. You can then cover either side and test yourself orally and in writing.

How can you get help?

I am available during C, F, and G blocks. You'll find me in the Language Office or in our classroom. I'll be around at least until 4pm from Monday through Thursday.

Please read the following statement carefully:

How do I type accents in Spanish?

á, é, í, ó, ú control ‘ then the vowel

ñ control shift ~ then “n”

¿ control alt shift ?