International School Eastern Seaboard
2011 = 2012
Course Syllabus
Middle School Spanish Gr. 7 & 8
Teacher: John Murray
Length of Course: Two Semesters
Course Description/Overview: This is a basic, and fun, introduction course to the Spanish language. . This course will be taught using a wide range of mediums and styles. Based around the textbook series “Dime Uno!” we will also be doing some cultural activities involving paired conversations, acting out scenarios, language games, and the internet! To develop competency students will be given opportunities to interact in Spanish. To help accomplish this I will be speaking in Spanish half of the time. 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, and finally to grammatically correct paragraph structure, written as well as spoken and comprehended.
Goals/objectives: To be able to read, write, think, speak, and comprehend Spanish at a very basic level, and to have a general cultural awareness of the Spanish Speaking world.
Resources: “Dime Uno!” text and workbook, audio-visual technology, handouts, 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 and projects must be completed on time, and attendance is essential. Although you may get 100% on tests, quizzes, and homework your grade could be affected by your effort in class. Just join in with the class and you shouldn’t have any worries.
Tests———- 80%
Participation-10%
Homework—-10% =100%
Student Requirements/Expectations: As I explained already above, participation, attitude (behavior), and attendance are essential in this class.
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 office. Thank you, Mr. Murray
