Class Description

(Open to Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors)  Student enrolled in this year-long course will be introduced to the Spanish language and culture.  The primary emphasis is learning basic vocabulary and putting it to use in simple conversational structures.  Students will listen to, read, write, and speak the language on a daily basis in an attempt to become proficient in simple conversations.  The class is structured so that students must use their knowledge of the language to complete certain tasks during class (such as handouts, games, conversational dialogues, and projects).  Through the course of cultural discussions, student will learn about the Hispanic culture, compare and contrast it with the American culture, and will come to understand and accept the Hispanic culture as a unique creation of God.

 

Class Expectations

Throughout the course of the year of Spanish I, students will become more comfortable speaking and hearing Spanish and will appreciate and marvel at the cultural differences God created in his world.

 

Students will be graded as follows:

First nine week period = 40% of final grade.
Second nine week period = 40% of final grade.
Semester exam = 20% of semester grade.

Students are expected to have homework complete at the beginning of class and no late work will be accepted unless special circumstances are approved. Tests and quizzes are unannounced in Spanish because learning another language is a process, not a cram-the-night-before endeavor. As long as students are paying attention in class and staying on top of their work, they will have no problem doing A work on tests/quizzes. If a student is absent, classwork and homework will be updated daily on the assignment calendar online. Each student is also assigned a partner in class with whom they can receive notes and information from class periods they miss.

 

Learning a foreign language is a new and exciting experience. It is a process. It’s important to stay on top of things and not fall behind. Try to imagine yourself as a baby first learning English - it’s picking up words and structures little by little and becoming familiar with how the language fits together to make communication possible. It can be frustrating when you aren’t understood, and it’s a matter of creativity sometimes to make yourself understood. There’s an endless amount of ways to get your point across. But in the end, one way or another, your message is conveyed and communication is achieved. Have fun! Be creative! Be flexible! Be humble! You get to learn Spanish!

 

Class Outline

Preliminary Chapter

Vocabulary - alphabet, colors, numbers

Chapter 1

Vocabulary - numbers (0-30), sports, music genres, classes at school, foods
Grammar - definite articles, ser, pronouns yo and tú, noun gender and agreement
Culture - interpersonal distance, greetings and goodbyes

Chapter 2

Vocabulary - school supplies, contents of your room, things you do, numbers 31-199
Grammar - indefinite articles, making nouns plural, mucho and cuánto, pronouns él and ella, infinitives
Culture - the school day, apartments,

Chapter 3

Vocabulary - school subjects, descriptive adjectives, free-time activities, likes/dislikes
Grammar - telling time, forms of ser, adjective agreement, tag questions, possession with de
Culture - grading scales, school day, course loads, la hora latina

Chapter 4

Vocabulary - places in town, location words, days of the week, things you like to do, talking about where you like to go
Grammar - conjugating present tense -ar verbs, present tense of jugar, contraction al, use of que, present tense of estar, subject pronouns, present tense of ir, use of el and los with days ofthe week
Culture - use of tú and usted, el paseo, school-sponsored activities

Chapter 5

Vocabulary - weekend activities, seasons, months, weather expressions, frequency terms
Grammar - negation, ¿quién(es)?, present tense regular -er and -ir verbs, telling the date
Culture - getting together with friends, seasons in South America

Chapter 6

Vocabulary - members of the family, descriptive adjectives, household chores
Grammar - possessive adjectives, present tense of hacer, salir, deber, and poner, understanding the "personal a"
Culture - el compadrazgo, privacy, the family, diminuatives

Chapter 7

Vocabulary - places and events, extending and accepting invitations, telephone vocabulary, personal chores
Grammar - e->ie stem changing verbs, pensar + infinitive, ir + a + infinitive, reflexive verbs, expressions with tener
Culture - telephone expressions, transportation, invitations

Chapter 8

Vocabulary - table settings, food and drink, words to describe food, restaurant vocabulary
Grammar - present tense of encantar, estar in talking about how things taste, ser vs. estar, o->ue stem changing verbs, expressions with tener, otro
Culture - food and meals, table manners

Chapter 9

Vocabulary - gift suggestions, stores downtown, words describing clothes, shopping vocabulary
Grammar - comparisons, demonstrative adjectives
Culture - specialty stores, style, currency

Chapter 10

Vocabulary - festivals and holidays, preparations for a party, expressions for times in the past
Grammar - present progressive, direct object pronouns lo and los
Culture - fiestas and celebrations, piñatas