My Class Guides (basically all the info you'll need)

  • Spanish II, III, & IV strengthen and build increasingly upon basic knowledge of the language and cultures of Spain and Latin America. You will sharpen listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary to communicate about self, family, daily life, and basic survival needs.  You will also explore cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. You will be expected to begin reading, writing, and producing Spanish within the first few days of class with increasing complexity depending on your class level.

  • SUPPLIES:

    new supploes

    • composition notebook (college ruled/any design)
    • at least one folder for handouts (you may keep this in a binder if you have other classes that you use one for)
    • pens/pencils for notes and activities
    • laptop & charger
    • earphones (whatever type you prefer)

     

    CLASSROOM RULES:

    • Be Safe,
    • Be Helpful,
    • Be Actively involved,
    • Be Respectful, &
    • Be Prepared. 

     

    DISCIPLINE PLAN:

    1st offense - verbal warning 
    2nd offense - infraction notice 
    3rd offense - parent contact 
    4th offense - counselor/administrative contact 
    5th offense - referral/ISD  

     

    ATTENDANCE:

    1. Missing more than 20 minutes of class equals an absence. 
    2. Four unexcused tardies = office referral
    3. Be sure to keep up with classwork even when absent.

    **Your attendance is VERY important. Foreign language builds on prior knowledge attained.

     

    GRADING:

    34% - Minor (quizzes, classwork, homework) 
    66% - Major (tests, projects, presentations) 

    1. Any work turned in late will have time-based deductions.
    2. Turn everything in on time, unless excused absence -- then go by excused absence guidelines. 
    3. If you know you’ll be absent, turn it in early! 

    ** It is the student’s responsibility to gather information about missed or make up any test or quiz. You may refer to my website, another classmate, or come by my room before/after school or during breaks.  (See late policy in the parents' tab.)

     

    CELL PHONES:

    Cell phones in general will not be allowed in class and are only to be used at the teacher’s discretion, insomuch as they are needed as a necessary aid in the classroom experience.  I have a safe location for phones during class instruction. Multiple infractions will result in the phone being sent to the office to be dealt with accordingly. 

    PLEASE NOTE: If a parent/guardian needs to get in contact with a student, please go through the office. I understand needing to get in contact with your students for emergencies, but cell phones often create a huge distraction in the language classroom. 

     

    RESTROOMS:

    To ensure everyone's safety and to keep disruptions to a minimum, we implement the Securely Pass system for students to use to check in and out of the classroom as needed. I have elected to allow students to check themselves out of the classroom, provided it isn't in the first or last fifteen minutes of class or when I am giving direct instruction.  Only one student at any time may be outside the classroom, so I have a small signal by the door that allows the rest of the class to see, without interruptions, if the bathroom is available at any given moment.

     

    TRANSLATIONS/AI:

    The use of any translation device on the internet (other than an online dictionary), computer software, or the aid of a Spanish speaker or artificial intelligence [AI such as ChatGPT, etc...]) to complete your work is considered cheating.  All submitted assignments are subject to a verbal followup review to ensure authenticity. If your work is a product of a computer translator or AI, you will be subject to receive a referral and a zero.  While such tools do have their place and can be useful at times with prior teacher guidance and approval, the aim in language class is to better understand how to *fully* comprehend the language and how to speak with command, confidence, and competency.  That's my goal and why we focus on what we can accomplish personally rather than technologically. 

     

  • RESOUCES

    Throughout the year, we will be working with a variety of resources to help us engage in the language. Students will never be required to purchase these online resources, but they might be asked to create an account in which they are expected to keep up with their username and password. Some of the online tools which will be utilized are:

    • Savvas Realize - Our curriculum is frameworked around the Auténtico series from Savvas.
    • Canvas*  - Important assignments will be detailed here for students' convenience.
    • Word Reference - Students should become familiar with this online dictionary and how to use it in finding appropriate translations. it is an invaluable tool for finding English/Spanish/English translations as well as helping with specific conjugations when they are stuck.  There's even a forum when they need extra insight on a common phrase or slang term.
    • Microsoft Office Suite, (which includes Teams) - though all online work will be submitted to Canvas. We are a Microsoft school with access to the creative capabilities offered as well as the communication platform if we ever have to have distance learning days. I will teach live from Teams, as well as record lessons for those times that we are unable to have live sessions. All computers have this integrated and ready to use.
    • Clover - The district has given us access to this resource to help minimize the number of passwords students have to remember. Clover is quite useful to help expedite logins for several of our programs and apps.
    • Conjuguemos - this website is a solid resource for learning how to correctly use verbs and their meanings -- All verb sets and vocabulary for each chapter can be found here for easy access to practice.
    • Lingo Clip* - (Formerly called Lyrics Training) is an excellent resource for listening comprehension in Spanish. It takes popular songs and asks you to choose or type the missing lyric in the correct place.  We'll be using this throughout the year.
    • Remind* - Each section will have a Remind code that they should stay connected to throughout the year in case of last-minute communications.
    • Quizlet*- ALL of the vocabulary will be found here.
    • Kahoot* - this is a good site to review concepts
    • Quizizz - as is this one :)
    • Blooket - and this one as well ;)
    • GimKit - can't forget this one :P
    • Textivate - this site is great for reading comprehension
    • VerbMaster App** - this is a new app that I have recently found that seems to be a great (free) tool to help practice verb conjugation on your phone

    *Apps are available for these sites

    **App only available

grammar