Spanish III is described in the STSD 2010-2011 course description handbook as a course that will:  “involve more complex structures of Spanish grammar and an intensive presentation of all the indicative verb tenses.  Greater cultural awareness of geography, history, and current social topics will be studied through a variety of Spanish language materials, which require more advanced usage of the four language skills.  Students at this level should acquire a command of the key vocabulary and structures necessary for personal communication within the Spanish speaking world.”  This is a one-credit course (Spanish II is recommended before taking this course). 

The goal of this class is to:

Achieve advanced proficiency in the target language.

The objectives of this course are:

• To continue mastery of grammatical concepts.
• To hone communication skills in the target language.
• To continue cultural appreciation of the Spanish speaking world, through art, literature and music.

Textbook:

Boyles, Peggy Palo. (2004). Realidades 2. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Zayas-Bazán, Eduardo.  (2006). Conexiones: Comunicación y cultura.  New Jersey: 

Prentice Hall.

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

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 for 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.

• Grades are earned through a variety of sources. There will be quizzes, both announced and unannounced; unit tests; worksheets/in-class writing exercises; and oral activities. 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.