Spanish 3
Dr. Buhler
kbuhler@trinityclassicalacademy.com
The goal of this Spanish course is to develop your ability to speak Spanish. Students who take responsibility for their learning will find themselves able to speak, read, and understand Spanish.
Students are expected to learn to use Spanish for communication in real, meaningful situations. It is also intended that students develop an understanding of basic grammatical concepts and an appreciation various Spanish speaking cultures.
To attain these goals, this course uses Spanish language as much as possible for classroom interaction.
Students will follow Don Potter’s Spanish Grammar textbook to it’s completion, as well as supplemental materials from Encuentros Maravillosos and La Santa Biblia. Reviewing content from alphabet and pronunciation, and Spanish 1-2 vocabulary and tenses, students will acquire intermediate to advanced vocabulary and grammar. They will also learn Spanish concepts that don’t quite translate directly into English words.
Language-learning is a discipline built on rote memorization and immersion into the thought-patterns of a foreign time and place. The goal is not only to be able to translate English thoughts into Spanish words but to “think in Spanish” as soon as possible. As a result, students are expected to devote time and energy to memorizing vocabulary, practicing declension and conjugation forms, practicing “Spanglish” (speaking Spanish and mixing in English vocabulary) and translating in and out of class.
This course is divided into sixteen units of about two weeks each. Student work in each block consists of memorization, reading, quizzes, and eventually translation and composition.
You will be graded primarily on reading, participation, and tests.
| Assessment category | % |
|---|---|
| Conversation (oral practice) | 25% |
| Homework | 25% |
| Quizzes / Translations | 25% |
| Oral & Written Tests | 25% |
Many minutes every class period will be devoted to conversational practice in Spanish. Keeping focused and diligent in this period will equip students for “live” Spanish speaking outside the classroom, and will do much to bolster grades.
The best way to earn an ‘A’ is to spend time every day memorizing new vocabulary and grammar forms and practicing what you have already learned, participate, and study well for the tests. Weekly and sometimes daily quizzes build to monthly or quarterly tests.
Trinity Classical Academy offers a challenging education grounded in the Christian faith and the classical tradition to produce young men and women of virtue, wisdom, purpose, and courage.
Inculcating virtue requires that teachers invite and allow students to take an active part in their own learning. Many of the activities of self-responsible students fall under the grading category of ‘participation.’ This rubric is designed to create clear expectations between teachers and students as to how to excel in participation and to develop the virtues needed to do so.
We want students to take responsibility for themselves and for their own learning. In so doing, students learn leadership, initiative, self-knowledge, diligence, and wisdom.
Especially in language courses, one of the primary goals is to improve in the live reading, understanding, and translating of Spanish into good English (and English into Spanish). Hence we will speak and read Spanish almost every class.
With these truths in mind, the participation expectations for this course are as follows:
An “A” in participation is neither automatic nor easy. Excellent students may still need to work to refine their participation before they earn a perfect score.
Everyone starts out at an 8 out of 10 (80%) for the week. Students who cause no problems whatsoever will rise to a 9 or 10. Students who cause a problem sometimes will remain at an 8; those who cause more problems will drop to a 7, 6, 5, or even less.
Short vocab and grammar quizzes will be given frequently. These quizzes assess how consistent and diligent you are being in memorizing new material. Be diligent. Some days may not have quizzes, and some quizzes will be a surprise (pop quiz, not announced). So always be prepared!
Tests and exams will assess how well you have mastered the core material of the class. In addition to periodic unit tests, students will take a fall final, and a spring final. Finals may be cumulative.
Only quality work from students will be accepted. Quality work is clean, clear, properly titled, formatted, and stapled according to the assignment’s specifications. Unless otherwise stated, electronic assignments are to be turned in online to Google Classroom and paper assignments are to be hand-written and completed in pencil or black ink pen.
Assignments are due at the beginning of class unless otherwise stated. Late work will not be accepted. Late assignments are inputted in the gradebook as a zero.
That said, any student may request an extension (of 1-7 days) on any assignment at any time. That request may be denied. In general, it is advised to work ahead, and plan carefully, to avoid turning assignments in late or requesting extensions.
Invalid excuses for late work include printer failure, internet failure, forgetting, being busy, being tardy to class, and more. Diligent and proactive students will find a way to overcome these common problems and get the assignment in on time. When in doubt, print and email the assignment in order to prevent a zero.
Valid exceptions to the “no late work” policy are: 1. Illness: missed assignments due to excused absences resulting from illness are automatically extended, then due the first day the student returns, unless a further extension is granted. (It is the student’s responsibility to find out from the teacher or fellow students what is due.) 2. Planned absences: missed deadlines resulting from vacations, sports games, college trips, etc., are extended then due the day a student returns, unless a further extension is granted. (A good practice is to turn in assignments before the planned absence.) 3. Teacher discretion: the teacher may choose to offer a retroactive extension out of courtesy if it seems appropriate, though a point deduction of 10%-50% may be applied. It is not advised that students be optimistic about their chances of receiving such an extension.
In sum, students should foster the habit of turning in completed assignments by the beginning of class on the day they are due.
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I have read and understand the above rules and responsibilities. By signing this document, I agree to abide by the expectations above and to make a positive contribution to this class.
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