During the 2011-2012 academic school year I will have your child in my Spanish I course. The following introductory notes will outline our shared responsibilities and goals.

Spanish I is described in the STSD 2011-2012 course description handbook as:  “a basic course offered to students who have no previous Spanish language experience.  It will include entry-level drills and materials to develop the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.  Materials will also be used to develop a students’ cultural awareness of the countries that speak Spanish.”  This is a one-credit course (Students are required to complete one credit of foreign language in order to graduate from the Southern Tioga School District).

The goal of this class is to:

Achieve novice proficiency in the target language.

The objectives of this course are:

• To introduce basic Spanish concepts, including vocabulary and grammar.
• To introduce communication skills in the target language.
• To introduce students to the Spanish speaking world.
• To introduce and emphasize Spanish culture through art, literature and music.

Textbook:  Boyles, Peggy Palo.  (2004). Realidades 1. New Jersey:  Prentice Hall.

This textbook comes equipped with an online tutorial and helpful website, which you should utilize often.  The website is:  www.phschool.com

Required Materials:

• Spanish-English Dictionary
• Notebook

Classroom Rules:

• Mutual Respect between teacher, student and fellow classmates.
• Be on time and prepared to learn!
• No food or drinks except water.

Grading Policy:

• There is ALWAYS homework. Students should devote a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes per day for this purpose. Although homework is not always written, this course requires a great deal of practice and review of pronunciation, grammar, and usage. All written homework should include both questions and answers or it will not be considered complete. Homework will count as 20% of the students overall grade.

• Grades are earned through a variety of sources. There will be quizzes both announced and unannounced (20%); unit tests (40%); worksheets/in-class writing exercises; and oral activities(20%). Class participation is also extremely important, as it is only through participation that fluency can be assessed.

• Students will be required to keep a notebook, in which they will keep notes, in-class assignments, and any other writing activities. The notebook will be checked and graded periodically on neatness and content.

• Students will also keep a folder. In it, they should keep all handouts and worksheets. By keeping a neat and complete folder, the student will have a resource for constant review/reference.

• Students are required to make up work, which they have missed because of absence or tardiness. The work should be completed within five days after returning to school. Any work not completed within this stated time frame will be recorded as a zero.

• In addition to the grading information above, it is imperative that you avoid plagiarism. Remember that plagiarism covers any instance of taking credit for someone else's work. Not only is it against the law, but it will also result in a zero. In order to avoid plagiarism, it is necessary to give credit to the original source--in other words, where you found the information.

Extra help is available for students should they require it. Prior notice is required in order to schedule time for this.

Let's make this a fantastic year for all!