Spanish Course Overview

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2011-2012 School Year

Mrs. Huff Denver High School Denver, IA

Copyright 2011 Emily J. Huff

Your Spanish Class
Classroom Expectations
Students are expected to come to class with the following materials: writing utencil, folder, and notebook. General positive classroom behavior is expected: * Quiet and attentive during class * Appropriate participation in discussions and activities * Respect shown for teacher, classmates and materials In addition, I ask that students help promote a postive classroom environment by refraining from complaining about the weather, temperature, facilities or things that neither the teacher nor the student has any control over.

Grading

Grades will be routinely updated on JMC so that students and parents can have constant access to student performance data. Both parents and students are encouraged to be active monitors of classroom grades. Assignments not completed on time will not receive full credit. Students may turn in assignment one day late for half credit. After two days, any missing work will be converted to a zero. Students that are absent have two days to make-up any assignments, quizzes or tests missed on the absent days. It will be the respondsibility of the student to make arrangements to come in and make-up quizzes and tests. Make-up quizzes and tests can be done before school, after school or during a study hall, time permitting. All grades will be final on the last day of each academic quarter. Grading Scale A AB+ B BC+ 95% - 100% 90% - 94% 87% - 89% 84% - 86% 80% - 83% 77% - 79% CD+ D DF 74% - 76% 70% - 73% 67% - 69% 64% - 66% 60% - 63% 0% - 59%

Cheating and Plagarism

Reproducing someone else’s work for your own credit is cheating and will not be tolerated. Students suspected of cheating will receive a zero for the assignment, quiz, project or test and parents will be notified. Be careful with internet translators and dictionaries! The student handbook states that using five or more words in a sentence is plagarism, a serious form of cheating. Do not use translators to complete phrases or sentences in Spanish. Reason #1) almost all internet translators will produce incorrect translations, #2) your teacher can tell the differnce between work that a computer did and work a beginning level student did, and #3) it will not help you learn the language. Believe in Yourself, Trust Yourself

Quarterl Assignments y
Blog Submission
Students must share a reflection from Spanish class on our classroom blog. These items will be submitted and uploaded to the classroom blogs through www.wordpress.com. Each student has a log-in name and password for the blog and can submit their work at any time. Blog submissions should total 5 sentences or more. Examples of blog entries include: reflection on classroom activities, review of a Mexican restaurant, TV show or movie involving Spanish themes, update on a current event involving Spanish themes, profile of a famous Hispanic, sharing photos or stories about trips to Spanish speaking territories, or personal stories involving Spanish themes. At least one blog entry will be due at the end of each quarter and can be completed at any time.

Current Event Article Review

Students should find and read a current news story using any news sources available (internet, print, video). The current event news story must be related to the themes of Spanish class (places, history, people, diversity and lanaguage). After reading the article, students should complete an eletronic article review found in Edmodo. This article review requires that students write a three paragraph summary of the article. In the first paragraph, students must summarize the main points of the news story. In the second paragraph, students will explain why this news story related to Spanish class, and in the third paragraph, students share a personal reflection on the news story. The electronic article review must be turned in by the final day of each academic quarter. Reviews can be submitted electronically through Edmodo or may be printed out and turned in at any time. Due Dates for Quarterly Assignments 1st Quarter Oct. 31 2nd Quarter Jan. 9 one blog entry two blog entries 3rd Quarter Mar. 21 4th Quarter May 29 one blog entry (something new) two blog entries (one about class; one with picture)

Extra Credit
Every assignment and project has a minimum requirement. Any student that puts forth extra effort and goes beyond the minimum requirement will be rewarded with extra points. This can include doing more: *writing words 10 times each instead of the assigned 5 times each *choosing to do more than one assignment when given a choice between several assignments * doing extra blog entries each quarter This can include demonstrating high quality: * add color and/or decoration to enhance the assignment or project * including details and work done with precision * demonstrating that much care and attention went in to producing the assignment or project This can include creative expression: * put a unique twist on an assignment or project * do something original that no one else thought to do * make the assignment or project brand new The amount of extra credit that can be earned by demonstrating this extra effort varies based on the difficultly of the assignment or project. The two best ways to earn extra credit in Mrs. Huff ’s Spanish Classes include, 1) doing extra blog entries, and 2) demonstrating extra effort on projects. Additional extra credit will not be given to students looking to increase their grade throughout the year. There are more than enough opportunities to earn points through regular class activities.

Special Academic Prizes

Plus 5 Square of Happiness Throughout the year, students may have the opportunity to earn a Plus 5 Square of Happiness. These Happiness Squares can be stapled to any assignment, project, quiz or test throughout the year. They must be used prior to grading and act as an additional five point of extra credit. These are typically given out as prizes for activities or in return for completing a task. Red Box Prizes Students earning a prize in an activity may earn a prize from the Red Box. The Red Box is a mysterious box that holds a variety of coupons. Students may look through the box and pick the coupon they most desire. Example Red Box Prizes include: Plus 3 for you, Plus 3 for a friend, Use a Notecard on a test, or Candy Bar. Edmodo Badges Students can now earn badges on Edmodo for completing different tasks. These badges will give the students advantages throughout the year, as well as a competion to see which student can earn the most badges. Race to the Top The ten students that have the highest grades during the 2nd and 4th quarters of school will be exempt from taking the Semester Test. These students will receive an automatic 100% on the test.

Mobile Learning
We will be using three online vocabulary practice sites. Each of the sites has a username and password that students must remember. These accounts will be set-up during class. www.quizlet.com www.studyblue.com www.wordchamp.com

The vocabulary from each section will be available on these sites. It is highly recommended that students routinely review this vocabulary. There are several applications for mobile devices that easily allow students to review flashcards and go over the vocabulary. Here are some recommended applications: Android Works with any Android operating system * Kaka Flashcards (free) Uses Quizlet words * Flashcard 101 ($1.99) Uses Quizlet words * StudyBlue (free) Uses StudyBlue words IOS Works with IPhone, IPod Touch, IPad * Flashcards (free) Uses Quizlet words * Flashcards Plus (free) Uses Quizlet words * Voice Cards ($.99) Uses Quizlet words * StudyBlue (free) Uses StudyBlue words

Useful Web Applications
Throughout the course you will use a variety of web applications. These will be the most common ones so students should familiarize themselves with the uses of each application.

Keys to Success
Worried about surviving Spanish class with Mrs. Huff? Follow these keys to success and you will have a stress free and successful learning experience.

Stay Connected Mrs. Huff Denver High School 319-984-5639 [email protected] Spanish Twitter @DHSEspanol Blogs
www.srahuff.wordpress.com www.huffspanish2.wordpress.com www.huffspan1.wordpress.com

1. complete your homework assignments on time Most of your assignments will be graded on completion, meaning as long as you try, you will be rewarded. Just do it and you’ll never lose those easy points. 2. do more than the minimum Extra points are given for extra effort in every assignment or project. Don’t just do enough to pass. Put in a little extra to ensure that you get maximum points. 3. routinely review vocabulary Knowing the vocabulary is a crucial part of learning a new language and cannot be done overnight. Regularly go over old and new vocab to stay sharp. 4. ask questions and be curious Interrupt me (nicely) during classroom instruction to ask questions about the language or anything that pops into your head. If you stay curious and interested, it makes it easier to learn. Also Mrs. Huff loves questions and sometimes that leads to a very interesting lesson . . . one that you helped create by being curious. 5. be aware of your learning level Although you are a high school student, you are learning a language at a very basic level. Do not get frustrated if you can’t write, read or speak Spanish like an adult right away. For the first year or so, think of yourself as an elemntary student. 6. believe in yourself and trust yourself Don’t take the easy way out and just take someone else’s work. Try it and believe that you know what you are doing. And only use dictionaries to look up one work per sentence. Trust what you know and make it work from there. 7. don’t forget your online passwords We will have a lot of online usernames and passwords. Remembering them is as important as not losing your textbook. Write them down and do whatever you need to to make sure you can find that information if you need it.

YouTube Channel HuffSpan

All classroom materials are provided through Edmodo, as are assignments, calendars and important notices. Please routinely check Edmodo for updates. Parents interested in Edmodo access should contact Mrs. Huff. Updates will also be provided on Mrs. Huff ’s classroom web portal.

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