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AP SPANISH LANGUAGE SYLLABUS
COURSE OVERVIEW
The AP Spanish Language course requires students to perform exclusively in Spanish utilizing and refining language skills previously acquired with special emphasis on implementing higher level thinking skills and use of authentic resources. Students are engaged in meaningful and integrated use of Spanish language skills which allows them to perform in real-life, age-appropriate academic and social situations. Students develop a sense of ownership, as their input helps develop new class activities and the focus given to themes explored during the year. The course makes connections with the Spanish-speaking world at a local and global level through a variety of resources. The teacher models and fosters an enthusiasm for and love of language and promotes continued use of Spanish in students’ future endeavors.
Course Goals and Objectives ▪ Maintain and improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills ▪ Increase substantially level of vocabulary ▪ Refine and expand understanding of language structures ▪ Use higher level thinking skills in Spanish ▪ Perform in formal and informal situations ▪ Communicate in interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes ▪ Increase awareness and understanding of the practices, perspectives and products of the pluralistic Spanish-speaking world
National Standards The course is designed to blend the goal areas of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning (often referred to as the five C’s) with higher-level thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Students are encouraged to communicate exclusively in Spanish, gain increased knowledge of Hispanic cultures and connect with other disciplines though the sources and discussions provided in class, and compare Spanish language and Hispanic culture with their own language and culture. The teacher also encourages them to enrich their lives with their knowledge of Spanish via participation in the communities opened up to them as speakers of Spanish.
BUILDING SKILL RESOURCES Language Use The doorway of the classroom represents the threshold where English is left behind and Spanish is the exclusive mode of communication. This includes informal conversation among classmates, class routines and announcements as well as grammar discussions. Should a few words of English be necessary for clarification, the situation is treated similar to stepping into a cold shower—uncomfortably and quickly. Students pledge to use Spanish exclusively at the beginning of the year, and the participation grade rubric rewards this behavior in social interaction as well as through formal participation during lessons. Grammar Grammar weaves through all language skills. Therefore, this course offers an opportunity for students to clean up and fill in gaps. For many, this will be a last chance to study grammar before moving onto more specific studies such as literature, culture, conversation and composition. There are quick presentations in class, and students also review concepts on their own in the text. They have an opportunity to ask questions, and there are written and oral activities providing guided and independent practice. Concepts are taught in conjunction with a specific theme or linguistic function to prove more authentic context. Verb tenses and modes, as well as structures and expressions are reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on common pitfalls. Students are tested approximately once per month on grammar concepts studied. Vocabulary As a critical element to successful performance in all skills at the intermediate and advanced levels, vocabulary acquisition is also a key component of the class. Students are provided with thematic lists each week and quizzed each Friday. Words from previous lists are included on the quizzes on a rotating basis to aid retention. Native speakers in the class are encouraged to use the lists to expand their knowledge of English and enhance their knowledge of words used in places other than their native country. Students are encouraged to point out these vocabulary words seen and heard in sources throughout the year. Each list is used for at least one of a variety of skill-building activities (informal writing, group or paired discussion, story creation, situational role-play, etc.) during the week. Individualized Growth Students are reminded that weaknesses and strengths vary among classmates as does previous exposure to grammar and vocabulary. What may be a simple review for some may be new learning for others. Therefore, they have a responsibility to focus on materials being presented, researching in their text and asking questions as necessary. The teacher provides an environment which encourages inquiry and admission of concepts not fully understood. Additionally, students keep a personal log of grammar points based on mistakes identified during the year. They pledge to regularly add to the list, consult the list before formal assessments and avoid repeating any past mistakes identified on their list. For example, student written work is often retuned by the teacher with errors highlighted but not fixed, and students work in small groups to understand, correct and note problems. Finally, each student maintains a personal list of interesting new words learned this year from exposure to authentic sources. They are encouraged to consult this list before speaking and writing activities and to attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary as the year progresses.
DEVELOPING RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS There are several strategies employed to improve listening and reading skills and to integrate them with productive language skills and incorporate higher-level thinking skills. A variety of current, authentic video and audio, as well as literary and print media-based sources are presented to maximize student interest. While not every activity is formally assessed by the teacher, generally one or two grades are recorded per week to track student progress. Sample activities include: Listening Skills Audio/video clips. Every week students are presented with at least one authentic video-clip from an on-line newspaper and/or an audio source from a Spanish-speaking country selected to compliment student interests and themes from the Pasajes text. These sources are used for a variety of language skill-building activities on a rotating basis: ▪ To check listening comprehension (main idea/important details) and vocabulary ▪ To improve note-taking and graphic organizing skills ▪ To generate discussion of related themes or ideas ▪ As a prompt for an informal speaking or writing activity ▪ As one source in response to a prompt for a formal speaking or writing activity Movies/television programs. Each semester, students watch a movie and/or episodes from a television series. This immersion into a scenario peaks student interest, provides greater exposure to authentic Spanish and offers the basis for several language-skill activities: ▪ To check listening comprehension and vocabulary ▪ To generate discussion or debate of related themes or ideas ▪ To make connections and comparisons with their own life experiences ▪ To explore cultural, political or other themes for written or oral presentations Guest Speakers. At least once per semester, an attempt is made to bring in a native speaker to address the classes and field questions from the students. A visitor from another country, a community member originally from another country, or even a former student who utilizes Spanish in her personal or professional life offers enrichment to the curriculum from a linguistic and cultural point of view. AP Preparation. Students regularly listen to short and long narratives and dialogs and answer multiple-choice questions in the language lab (approximately every 3 weeks) to hone skills tested by the AP Language exam. Reading Skills Short stories. Throughout the year, students read 10 short stories by noted Hispanic authors (approximately once per month). Stories are selected (primarily from Abriendo Paso, Lectura) to compliment the themes studied in the Pasajes text. For each story, there are reading comprehension activities, class or group discussion of vocabulary, plot and basic literary style, as well as one or more of a variety of activities to integrate other skills (eg: writing response, role-play activities, etc.). Students keep these stories in a folder and then develop an end-of-term paper based on one or more of the stories. They are encouraged to read other stories by a particular author or compare other works they have read with one of the stories from class. News articles. Each weekend students read an article from an on-line newspaper from a Spanish-speaking country. Articles are selected to expose students to a variety of topics (politics, arts, sports, science, human interest). Students complete several activities designed to develop higher-level thinking skills, such as creating a new title, developing an “greater question” prompt for which the article could be a source, relating the article to personal experience, etc. AP Preparation. Students read excerpts from stories and articles and answer reading comprehension questions (approximately 3 or 4 times per month). These questions include basic comprehension, extraction of main idea, as well as the checking students’ ability to make inferences, draw conclusions and appropriately insert additional text to the story.
DEVELOPING PRODUCTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS There are several writing and speaking activities designed to improve student expression in Spanish, integrate receptive language skills and incorporate higher-level thinking skills. Rubrics (including those developed for the AP exam) will be utilized for assessment, with feedback and evaluation provided by the teacher. Students also participate in self-assessment and peer-assessment activities throughout the year. While not every activity is formally assessed by the teacher, generally one or two grades are recorded per week to track student progress. Sample activities include: Speaking Skills Class discussions and simulations. Students engage in informal discussions (pairs, small group, whole class) relating to thematic vocabulary, articles, video clips and short stories read or current events relating to areas of interest. They also utilize situation cards to simulate a variety of real-life encounters, both formal and informal in nature. A variety of games (many simulating TV shows like Password and $10,000 Pyramid) are played occasionally to motivate students. The participation rubric used as part of the student’s grade encourages active involvement and risk-taking during class. Students change seats every two weeks to promote socialization skills using Spanish. Formal oral presentation to class. Once per semester, each student makes a brief, formal presentation on a topic of interest researched from authentic Spanish-language sources. The student must incorporate information from sources (and possibly from personal experience) to defend an idea and/or draw a conclusion. AP Preparation. In the language lab (approximately every 3 weeks), students simulate and record simulated informal conversations based on typical real-life situations. They also record formal oral presentations given a prompt and written and audio sources. The themes are related to those presented in the Pasajes text. Writing Skills Formal writing. Approximately once a month, students write a formal essay based on a prompt and responding to written and audio sources where they are to demonstrate organizational skills and use higher-level thinking in their presentation. Informal writing. Approximately once a week, students write a short informal response (simulating an e-mail, note, letter, etc.) to a typical real-life prompt, often related to a video-clip, audio or newspaper article presented to the class and/or utilizing a weekly vocabulary list. Literature Paper. At the end of the second semester, students prepare a 4-5 page paper exploring an area of interest relating to an author and/or at least one of the short stories read. They are encouraged to read other stories by a particular author or compare other works they have read with one of the stories from class. The composition must incorporate appropriate organizational structure and reflect the enhancements in vocabulary and structure realized during the year. AP Preparation. Students practice paragraph-completion activities (with and without root words). These challenging activities often prompt mini-lessons on a particular grammar point, and students often add to their personal vocabulary lists from the examples provided. To help students understand the value of the activity from another perspective, they occasionally create their own paragraph completion activities and swap with another student to practice.
COURSE OUTLINE Eight thematic units (which include grammar lessons) from Pasajes (6th edition) are presented during the year, approximately one per month. An attempt is made to integrate the grammar concepts and themes of these units with the array of rotating class activities mentioned above.
Chapter Theme Grammar Topics
1 Tipos y estereotipos nouns & adjectives, ser/estar, present tense 2 La comunidad humana impersonal se, object pronouns, accents 3 Costumbres y tradiciones preterite, imperfect, time expressions 4 La familia direct commands, subjunctive (persuasion) 5 Geografía, demografía, tecnología subjunctive (doubt, emotion) 6 El hombre y la mujer en el mundo actual perfect tense, subjunctive (adjective clauses) 7 El mundo de los negocios subjunctive (adverbial clauses) 8 Creencias e ideologías subjunctive overview, por/para
EVALUATION Quarter Grade 15% Participation Students self-assess every two weeks using a rubric which rates attention, enthusiasm, use of Spanish, and respect. Teacher conferences when in disagreement with student. 15% Preparation for class Students begin each quarter with 100 points and lose 5 point each day they are unprepared for class (incomplete homework, materials not brought, etc.) 70% Activities Reading, writing, speaking and listening activities (including tests and quizzes) are continually assessed to measure student performance. These activities are completed both in and outside of class and the language lab. They include tests of knowledge and understanding (multiple choice, short answer, etc.) as well as opportunities to express higher-lever thinking skills (open-ended questions, essays, etc.) Many simulate the format of the AP exam and rubrics are used to the greatest extend possible. The activities are given single, double or triple weight, depending on the effort expended and relative importance. For example: chapter tests (triple) formal writing or oral presentation (double) informal writing, vocabulary quizzes, reading or listening comprehension (single) This method allows for flexibility and has proven effective and fair, given the fact that the activities vary due to areas of student need and new ideas generated by students and teacher. Semester Grades 80% Quarter Grades + in January: 20% Midterm Exam (modeled on AP exam) + in May: 10% Final Exam + 10% Composition (4-5 pages)
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Primary Text Bretz, Mary Lee [et al.]. Pasajes, Lengua. Sexta Edición. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Supplementary Materials (text) Díaz, José M. & Collins, Stephen J. Abriendo Paso, Lectura. Upper Saddle Ridge, NJ: Pearson Education, 2001 Díaz, José M. [et al.]. AP Spanish. Preparing for the Language Exam. Third Edition Boston, MA: Pearson Education publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007 Gatski, Barbara & McMullan, John. Triángulos. Sandwich, MA: Wayside Publishing, 2006
Suplementary Materials (sample audio/video sources) Puerta del Sol. Nashville, TN: Champs-Elysées, Inc., 2007 (CD magazine) Aquí no hay quien viva. (Primera temporada.) Madrid: Antena 3, 2004 (tv series on DVD) Sariñana, Fernando. Amar te duele. México, DF: Altavista Films, 2002 (movie on DVD) Colomo, Fernando. Los años bárbaros. Madrid: Sogotel, 1998 (movie on DVD)
Suplementary Materials (sample internet sources) El País (elpais.com) and El Mundo (elmundo.es) from Madrid El Univeral (eluniversal.com.mx) from Mexico City La Nación (lanacion.com.ar) from Buenos Aires El Nuevo Día (endi.com) from San Juan, PR Radio Naciones Unidas (radio.un.org/es) from the United Nations
Additional Resources The AP classroom has a Smartboard®, a computer with internet access, CD/DVD/VHS players and a speaker system which allow for audio and video sources to be projected to the classroom. The language lab is equipped with 29 computer stations with internet access and a Sony Soloist® digital language lab system, which permits students to receive audio and video signals, as well as digitally record and save speaking samples. The system also permits student pairing for speaking and instant messaging activities. AP students are provided three back-to-back classes in the laboratory approximately every three weeks. The department budget allows for teachers to purchase authentic resource materials to enhance the curriculum on an on-going basis.
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