WHITTIER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Whittier, California January, 1994 Reviewed April 2001 BOARD APPROVED: May 22, 2001 C O U R S E O F S T U D Y Course Title: Department: SPANISH LANGUAGE - AP Foreign Language Grade Level: 10-12 COURSE DESCRIPTION The Spanish - AP course prepares the student to undertake a third-year college level course. This course will emphasize the development and enrichment of vocabulary and concentrate on writing, speaking, listening and grammar. A greater awareness of the Spanish speaking cultures and lifestyles will be fostered through the study of literature, history, and social/life problems. This course is designed to serve as an intensive preparation for the AP examination. Students will be encouraged to take the AP Spanish language examination. Length: One year Prerequisites for Enrollment: 1. Spanish 3 with a grade of A or B or teacher recommendation 2. Spanish for the Native Speaker 2 with a grade of A or B Recommendation for Enrollment: Teacher recommendation Type of Course: Elective; meets the University of California requirements and Honor designation for GPA FOREIGN LANGUAGE CONTENT STANDARDS: Based on Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century published by the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project in 1999. Goal One - Communicate in Style 1.1 Students engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. 1.2 Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. 1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas in Spanish to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. 1
Goal Two - Gain Knowledge and Understanding of the Cultures of the World 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of Hispanic cultures. 2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of Hispanic cultures. Goal Three - Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information 3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through Spanish. 3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the Spanish language and its cultures. Goal Four - Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture 4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons between Spanish and English. 4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons between Hispanic cultures and their own. Goal Five - Participate in Communities at Home and Around the World 5.1 Students use Spanish both within and beyond the school setting. 5.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using Spanish for personal enjoyment and enrichment. I. COURSE COMPETENCIES The student will: A. Develop sufficient skill in listening comprehension to enable him/her to: 1. Comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish including dialectal differences 2. Follow oral reports and classroom lectures on non-technical subjects with general understanding 3. Understand main points and some details of conversation between native speakers 4. Follow the plots of Spanish-language media programs, understanding main ideas in character dialogues 5. Assimilate and process newscasts and speeches B. Demonstrate proficiency in reading Spanish narratives and literary texts with good overall comprehension 1. Understand articles on various topics of general interest 2. Separate main from subordinate ideas and identify morphological changes 3. Draw inferences from material read, although recognition of subtle nuances may be limited 4. Develop successful strategies for interpretation of unfamiliar words, based on broad general vocabulary and solid knowledge of grammatical forms, idioms and structures 5. Discriminate between formal, informal, literary/conversational registers of language, recognizing many of the important cultural implications 6. Acquire the vocabulary and understand structure to allow the easy, accurate reading of materials including newspaper, magazine articles and modern Hispanic literature 2
C. Develop the ability to write in Spanish on topics of general interest; students must have a good written command of grammatical forms and processes as well as a vocabulary extensive enough to cover most topics, although gaps in vocabulary can be compensated for by circumlocutions 1. Write a description or narration several paragraphs in length 2. Present and defend ideas and points of view 3. Provide appropriate examples and draw conclusions from them 4. Provide introductory remarks, transitions and a conclusion in an essay format 5. Develop the ability to compose a story from an illustration or a sequence of illustrations and provide a structural and grammatically acceptable document D. Attain a speaking proficiency that allows the students to: 1. Communicate facts and ideas with an accent that is accurate enough not to interfere with comprehension 2. Discuss topics of current interest and express personal opinions while demonstrating a good command of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns 3. Narrate, describe and explain using different tense of verbs correctly 4. Have immediate recall of a fairly broad range of vocabulary in order to speak with a level of fluency and accuracy that does not impede communication 5. Interpret and translate verbal materials E. Evaluate information or facts based on textual and supplementary variations 1. Appraise the logical consistency of student conclusions as well as those of others 2. Contrast critical presentations and justify the validity of thought processes relating to contributing authors II. COURSE OUTLINE A. Grammar 1. Concentrated review of all major tenses of regular and irregular verbs 2. Particular emphasis on study and review of subjunctive mood in its various tenses 3. Accents - Rules and applications 4. Orthography - Review of rules and exceptions B. Structures 1. Adjectives - possessive, descriptive, demonstrative, indefinite, numeral 2. Pronouns - personal, object, prepositional, interrogative, relative 3. Adverbs - ending-ly, phrases 4. Idiomatic expressions C. Detailed study of vocabulary 1. Cultural differences 2. Dialectal differences 3. Regional variations D. History of Spanish speaking cultures 3
1. Mexico 2. Central America 3. South America and other Spanish speaking areas 4. Spain E. Study of contemporary social problems 1. Spanish speaking cultures 2. Sub - cultures F. Writing 1. Essays 2. Journals 3. Projects G. Emphasis on comprehension of spoken Spanish 1. Native speakers 2. Tapes and aural/oral exams 3. Films and television H. Speaking 1. Declarative standards 2. Oral presentations - formal and informal 3. Debates I. Reading 1. Proverbs 2. Short stories 3. Poetry 4. Articles/current events 5. Plays III. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS The educational exchange will be facilitated through: A. Class lecture B. Class aural/oral drills C. Class discussion D. Audio-visual presentation IV. EVALUATION/GRADING OF STUDENT WORK A. Students will be given objective tests on a regular basis covering substantial units of material. Tests will require that the student retain, interpret, and apply the information and concepts taught in each unit. B. Students will be expected to participate constructively and contribute positively in class activities. C. Students will be given a wide range of materials and will be involved in activities covering specific lessons in each unit of study. Student performance will be a factor in grading. 4
D. Tape recorders will be used as a tool to better pronunciation and as intensive preparation for the oral part of AP Examination. E. Homework will be assigned and checked on a regular basis. V. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS A. Basic Texts: See Board Approved List B. Supplementary: See Board Approved List Reviewed, July 1999: Laura Avila (LSHS) Reyna Conrado (LSHS) María Fulton (CHS) Irene Illanes-Cabral (SFHS) Gabriela Ortega (PHS) Pam Spindola (PHS) Diane Sutton (CHS) Alicia Lara-Wright (WHS) 5