International School Eastern Seaboard
Course Syllabus: High School Grade 10 Intermediate and IB prep Spanish
Teacher: John Murray .
Course Description/Overview: This intermediate Spanish course will be taught using a wide range of mediums and styles. Based around the textbook series “Dime” we will also be doing cultural activities involving paired conversations, acting out scenarios, and discovering the culture of the Latin world! To develop competency students will be given many opportunities to interact in Spanish. To help accomplish this I will be speaking in Spanish often. Although the students will not be expected to understand everything I say, through. expressions, hand gestures, acting and so on, they will understand the main idea of the day’s topic. In other words, the focus will be on the message being communicated as well as the manipulation of grammatical structures. This encourages fluency from the beginning that eventually leads to correct sentence structure, written as well as spoken and comprehended. The rule of thumb will be to complete one unit every two months in the “Dime!” textbook along with various cultural activities. Some units may take longer. This Spanish course will also be examining literature from Latin America and Spain.
Goals/objectives: To be able to read, write, think, speak, and comprehend Spanish at a beginning/intermediate level, and to have a general cultural awareness of the Spanish Speaking world.
Resources: “Dime” text and workbooks, audio-visual technology, handouts, Latin American and Spanish literature, and myself.
Grading: Grades will be affected by class participation and attitude. This is a fun class but all students will be expected to converse in Spanish with other students and myself. All homework must be completed on time, and attendance is essential. Although you may get 100% on tests and homework your grade could be affected by your effort/attitude in class. Just join in with the class and you shouldn’t have any worries.
Tests 40 %, Quizzes 20%, Participation 10%, Homework 10% Semester Exam 20% = 100%
Student Requirements/Expectations: As I explained already above, participation, attitude (behavior), and attendance are essential in this class. Furthermore, it is the student’s responsibility to stay up to date with any new vocabulary as presented. My advice is to practice out-loud all current vocabulary (and verb drills) EVERY NIGHT for at least five minutes (including Saturday and Sunday).
Communication with parents: I will communicate with parents through progress reports, report cards, and teacher/parent conferences. I am also available for private conferences by contacting the school office.
Thank You,
John Murray
