PLEASE KEEP THIS PACKET IN THE FRONT OF YOUR SPANISH NOTEBOOK ALL YEAR! Classroom Rules and Syllabus Rules A complete list of rules can be found in the student handbook. 1. Be prompt. (i.e. seated at the bell, ready to start class) 2. Be prepared. (i.e. homework completed before entering class, material studied, supplies on hand and ready for use. Student must have ALL materials for EVERY class. There will be a book check at least once every 6 weeks) 3. Be pleasant. (i.e. courteous to fellow students, teachers, and visitors in words and actions) 4. Personal technological devices such as cellphones, Ereaders, ipods, personal laptops, etc. will not be permitted in the classroom except on rare occasions with prior teacher approval. Devices should be turned off and out of sight. Violation of this rule may result in a referral and confiscation of said device and may be considered cheating. Rewards 1. Verbal Praise of student. 2. A positive note, emails, or calls to parents. Consequences 1 st time a student breaks a rule = verbal warning 2 nd time a student breaks a rule = call to parent 3 rd time a student breaks a rule = referral to vice principal 4 th time a student breaks a rule = report to vice principal immediately Four points will be deducted from citizenship for each consequence. Cheating Cheating will result in a grade of zero (0) for the assignment, quiz, or test in question for both (or all) students involved, the lowering of the citizenship grade by 25 points, as well as parent notification. Cheating will also result in the loss of all extra-credit privileges. Both or all parties involved will be held accountable for their actions and will be subject to punishment for cheating. UNAUTHORIZED USE OF TECHNOLOGY IS CONSIDERED CHEATING! 1
Materials and Supplies Proper materials should be brought to class each day. They include: 1) Textbook, correctly covered 2) Spanish Notebook 3) Wireless or spiral notebook for note taking (College-ruled, 80 sheets) 4) Black or Blue pen 5) Red correcting pen or pencil 6) 3X5 index cards, cut in half (Purchasing a large supply is suggested) 7) White loose-leaf paper Grading Your class average will be determined by many factors: 1) Class participation in individual, paired and group activities 2) Homework (usually sample grades taken at random) 3) Vocabulary and grammar quizzes 4) Listening activities/quizzes 5) Oral Proficiency 6) Chapter Tests 7) Extra credit flash cards The general grading is thus but may vary from time to time: Homework counts one time. It is a sample grade, meaning that only a sample of the homework will be graded and the grade will be taken from the sample. Homework will usually be given daily and will be collected at random. Vocabulary quizzes will be given throughout each chapter. These grades count as two homework grades. The quizzes may contain any/all of the vocabulary words for the section and may require that the student write out the word in Spanish correctly. If the word is misspelled then it will be marked as incorrect. Five points of extra credit is available on some quizzes if the student has flash cards made on 3X5 index cards cut in half for each of the words in the section. Extra credit is only available on the day that the quiz is originally administered and must be turned in with the quiz. Grammar quizzes will also be given throughout the chapter. These will test the grammar concepts learned and may count two or three times. Chapter tests and Projects/Presentations may count as four homework grades. These are comprehensive exams that also evaluate the listening, reading and writing skills of the student for the material in the covered chapter and may contain material from previous chapters. Oral Proficiency grades will vary greatly both in the assignments and in the weighted grade. They will vary from class participation grades to writing skits in Spanish and performing them in front of the class. The student must be willing to speak in class in Spanish in order to receive a passing grade. A large portion of your grade will be determined by oral participation. Therefore, it is extremely important that you be present in every class in order to maximize your 2
opportunities to practice and gain confidence in your speaking skills. Of course, your grade will be a reflection of your effort. In the real world your use of Spanish will probably be oral. It is therefore extremely important that you maximize your opportunities for oral communication. Most class periods will be spent in aural/oral practice. As for written work, a majority of it will be done outside of class in the form of homework. Written homework assignments are usually short, but your understanding of the concepts practiced will be regularly evaluated. Some homework assignments may be preparation for speaking the following class period. Therefore you are expected to study Spanish 15-20 minutes nightly, not every other night. Even if there is no written assignment, you still have Spanish homework. Proficiency Levels There are five proficiency levels Distinguished, Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice. The first 3 of these levels are broken into subgroups of high, mid, and low. At the end of level 1, students should be at Novice High. This means the student should be able to use a lot of memorized words and phrases and occasionally rearrange them to express a creative thought. It is very unlikely that they will be fluent after one year. However level 1 is the foundation for future study and it is vital that they obtain this proficiency level in level 1 in order to enable future success. Work Deadlines No assignment will be accepted late for any reason except with an excused absence. Work assigned during an excused absence must be made up within five (5) school days from the date of the absence unless other arrangements have been made with the teacher. Homework and quizzes that were due the day of the absence are due the first day back in class. It is the student s responsibility to find out about make-up work. Come see me the first day you are back, even if you do not have Spanish that day. Check the assignment board, and other students class notes sections. Ask me if you need explanations. Quizzes and tests may be made up most days during lunch or by appointment after school. Note also that different quizzes and tests may be given as make-up quizzes. Tutoring There are several options for tutoring. The National Honor Society offers tutoring for students on an individual basis. I will post a list of peer-tutors in my classroom. I am also available for tutoring during lunch on the day that you do NOT have my class. You must come prepared with questions/concepts that you need help with. 3
Spanish Notebook for Mr. Green s Class Rationale Each student should acquire a 1 ½ three-ring binder (without a zipper) and five LABELED subject dividers to be used only for Spanish class. All workbook pages, work done on notebook paper, assignment sheets, class notes, etc. will be kept behind the appropriate divider. The idea behind this procedure is to teach the students organizational skills, foster personal responsibility, and encourage communication with the parents. Student must do all homework assignments and keep up with papers in an orderly manner. Correction of mistakes made on homework must be made during class discussion of the assignment. In addition, students must copy homework assignments onto the assignment sheet provided and keep it in the notebook. Format The Spanish notebook will be divided into the following six sections using subject dividers with labeled tabs: 1) Assignment Sheet (Assign.)* 2) Practice Workbook (Practice)* 3) Writing, Audio, and Video Workbook (WAV)* 4) Guided Practice Workbook (Guided)* 5) Miscellaneous (Misc.)* *Mark the subject divider tab with this abbreviation in this order. At the end of the last section, the student should have an ample supply of loose leaf paper AND a wireless or spiral notebook. The spiral will be used for note taking and will be used next year in Spanish as well. All assignments must be copied from the board/website to the assignment sheet provided. At the beginning of a chapter, workbook pages will be provided and placed in notebook. The student may be evaluated throughout the year on their notebook. 4
Student Information Sheet Name Student ID# Grade Age DOB / / Address Zip Home phone# Email (student s) Mother s full name Workplace Email Work phone# Father s full name Workplace Email Work phone# (Place a check by the parent(s) with whom you live.) Have you taken this class before? Yes No Place of Employment Hours per Week Extracurricular Activities: 5
The classroom procedures, grading policies, and materials for Mr. Green s Spanish class can be found at the location listed below. senorgreen.weebly.com Please sign the agreement after reading the file. Student/Parent/Teacher Agreement I have read the class procedures, rules, rewards, and consequences of Mr. Green s Spanish class, and I understand the behavior that is expected of me. Date Signature of Student I have read the class procedures, rules, rewards, and consequences of Mr. Green s Spanish class, and I understand the behavior that is expected of my child. Date Signature of Parent or Guardian Language Lab Parent Responsibility Form I understand that my student is enrolled in Spanish at Martin High School and that in order to receive credit, he/she will participate in language lab activities using a foreign language laboratory. I expect his/her behavior to be exemplary; however, I do agree to pay for any damage or repair charges incurred due to misbehavior or vandalism which he/she which he/she my cause to the language lab (refer to the pages on labs in the Student Handbook). Parent/Guardian Signature Date In the interest of evaluating and improving foreign language instruction throughout the district and surrounding districts, class activities may be taped and shared with teachers from other schools. Please read the statement below and sign only if you DO NOT give permission for your student to be taped in class for later viewing within the district. I do NOT give permission for my son/daughter to appear in class videos that may be shared with other language teachers in AISD and surrounding districts. Student Name PLEASE PRINT Date of Birth Parent Signature 6