Dear Parents and Guardians of West Broward H. S. Students

West Broward High School Iris Núñez School Phone: (754) 323-2600 Ex. 3022 E-mail: [email protected] Room: 166

Dear Parents and Guardians of West Broward H. S. students:

With great excitement I welcome you and your son/daughter to my Spanish I class!

I am Iris Núñez. I am from the Dominican Republic. I graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in Santiago, Dominican Republic with a Bachelor of Education and my major was Spanish; I obtained my master degree in Bilingual Education at Rhode Island College, and my certification to teach in Florida includes Spanish K-12 and ESOL K-12.

I have been working for the School Board of Broward County since 1997. Working for one of the biggest school districts in the United States has created broad opportunities, a continuous desire to learn. Needless to say, working in Florida creates the opportunity to learn about many different interesting cultures. In my class, your child will develop good listening, speaking and writing skills in the Spanish language. We will also learn how to embrace other cultures and understand how learning Spanish creates wonderful future opportunities.

Parents, in order to gain a current estimate of your student’s grade, please check PINNACLE (see attached instructions). Please also check your child’s class materials frequently to make sure that your son/daughter is keeping his or her work organized and up-to-date, with notes from class, handouts and homework assignments. I look forward to a positive 2012-2013 school year. Please do not hesitate to contact me at the school number, write me an email if you have any questions or call guidance to set up parent/teacher conferences. I am available during period fifth. ¡BIENVENIDOS!

Sincerely, Sra. Núñez

Spanish I Syllabus

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to enable students to begin to acquire proficiency in Spanish through a linguistic, communicative, and cultural approach to language learning. Emphasis is placed on the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and on acquisition of the fundamentals of applied grammar. Cross-cultural understanding is fostered and real-life applications are emphasized throughout the course.

Course Goals & Objectives:

At the end of the course, the students are expected to:  Engage in conversations in Spanish (express feelings/ideas and to exchange opinions).  Demonstrate understanding of spoken and written Spanish on a variety of topics.  Present information and ideas to an audience through speaking and writing in Spanish.  Demonstrate understanding of social interaction patterns within Spanish and Hispanic cultures through participation in various activities.  Apply knowledge of Spanish language and cultures to further knowledge of other disciplines.  Analyze and use different patterns of communication and social interaction appropriate to setting.  Demonstrate knowledge of use of Spanish language within and beyond the school setting.  Recognize the relationship between the verbal and nonverbal signals in communication while listening to a live speaker of the Spanish language or while viewing and listening to a mass-media product.  Provide information in spoken and written form on a variety of topics of personal, academic, and cultural interest.  Effectively communicate orally in Spanish regarding a past, present, and future event.  Use films or tests produced in Spanish to gain knowledge and understanding of various aspects of the arts, music, literature, history, economics, etc., of the Spanish-speaking world.  Understand how idiomatic expressions have an impact on communication and reflect culture, by using the correctly in both oral and written form.  Understand cultural traditions and celebrations in Spain and Latin America.  Understand that knowing more that one language allows people to function effectively in multilingual communities.

Supplements: Spanish Textbook ¡Exprésate! and accompanying workbook. This book consists of 10 chapters, each of which is subdivided into seven lessons. We will be covering 8 of these chapters in Spanish I.

Chapter 1 - España: ¡Empecemos! Chapter 2 - Puerto Rico: A conocernos Chapter 3 - Texas: ¿Qué te gusta hacer? Chapter 4 - Costa Rica: La vida escolar Chapter 5 - Chile: En casa con la familia Chapter 6 - México: ¡A comer!

2 Chapter 7 - Argentina: Cuerpo sano, mente sana Chapter 8 - Florida: Vamos de compras The lessons in each chapter contain the following sections:

1. Cultura The Geocultura feature that precedes each chapter, realia-based readings and activities, and culture notes in each chapter offer high-interest cultural information and a change to learn about the products, practices, and perspectives of the target cultures.

2. Vocabulario Unique image-based presentations introduce a thematic context and provide a reason and motivation for using the language.

3. Gramática This section presents a grammar topic in functional, how-to terms. The focus is on what linguistic structure is needed in order to immediately practice the grammatical structures by relating them to tasks that students are asked to perform in a variety of formats: alone, with one classmate, in a group, with the entire class.

4. Novela The Novela en video is a continuing story in which each episode includes a strategy for learning and a series of scenes. These scenes are followed by comprehension questions that students will review together. Each episode will feature some of the vocabulary and grammar studied in the corresponding lessons.

5. Leamos y escribamos Students will learn and practice different strategies to help them improve their listening, reading and writing skills.

6. Preparate para el examen This section organizes the chapter for a complete review of the vocabulary and grammar topics and prepares the students for the chapter test.

7. Integración The activities in this section target the four skills and culture and review concepts presented in the previous chapter.

Grading policy: Grades will consist of, but not be limited to per quarter. Exams = 50 - 100 points Quizzes = 20 - 60 points Projects = up to 100 points Homework = 5 - 20 points per assignment

Categories: Values: Percentage Classwork and Projects 40% Tests and Exams 30% Quizzes 20%

3 Homework 10% Total…………… 100% Grading scale: Letter Numérical A 90 - 100% B+ 87 - 89% B 80 - 86% C+ 77 - 79% C 70 - 76% D+ 67 - 69% D 60 - 66% F 0 - 59% I Incomplete

Code of Conduct: Students agree to abide by the rules and regulations set forth in the Broward County Public Schools’ Code of Student Conduct, West Broward High School, and those set forth by the instructor.

"Wish List" Dear parents, we would greatly appreciate it if you could support us in this initiative. Supplies needed for class: Ink pens- black and blue and a red pen 1 Red pen Colored pencils or markers Loose paper # 2 pencils, eraser Composition Notebook Copy paper Box of tissues USB Drive Class Rules: 1. Show respect all the time. 2. Always come to class with your school material and homework ready. 3. Be an active student: listen, follow directions, and participate. 4. Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself. 5. Drinks and/or food are not allowed (including gum, candy). 6. The Code of Conduct of West Broward High School will be implemented all times. 7. Electronic devices are prohibited. Prior to the start of class, please turn your cell phones and/ or pagers off, to avoid unnecessary classroom disruptions. Should not be visible. Keep them inside your backpack or in your pockets. This will prevent you from “texting” anybody and getting a detention.

Class Procedures:

 Be on time to class.

4 . Make up work: if you are absent, it is your responsibility to obtain any missed work, including homework, for the time out. It is also your responsibility to submit any work that was due during your absence. . Late work: if you are not absent, late work will be accepted upon teacher’s discretion, but it will account only for 50% of the original grade. . You cannot leave your desk without the teacher’s consent. . Students must fill out the log when using a pass. . Do not interrupt the teacher, or a student, when they are talking, unless your question is pertinent to what is being discussed. . Speaking during a quiz or exam without permission will result in a grade of zero without the possibility of make-up. . Put your book away at the end of class (must be organized on shelf).

**Students are expected to follow the rules and procedures of the classroom as well as the rules of the school. If a student does not comply with the above rules and procedures, he/she will receive a verbal warning the first time, the second time his/her parent/guardian will be contacted. If the misconduct continues, disciplinary measures will be implemented.

“A safe and learning environment is the goal of the World Language Department.”

HOW TO ACCESS GRADES ON PINNACLE Directions: West Broward High uses a system-wide grade management program called Pinnacle. One of the most important features of this system is the Parent Internet Viewer. The viewer allows parents and students to access grades via the Internet. This is a wonderful tool to stay up to date on how your child is progressing in his/her classes. The Viewer allows you to receive e- mail alerts when your child’s grade drops below a specified average or when your child is absent from class.

To access this student/parent friendly tool simply go to: https://gradebook.browardschools.com/piv/You will need your child’s Student Identification Number and a Pin Code to access your child’s information. The Student Identification Number is a specific county issued number that appears on your child’s schedule, interim report and report card. If you do not have access to these sources, any of your child’s teachers can give him/her the number. The Pin Code is the student’s date of birth. This will be typed as the year, the month and the day.

5 For example, if your child’s birthday is March 5, 1982, you would type 19820305. Do not use spaces, slashes, dashes or commas.

X Excused From the assignment: grade is not affected by this assignment. Z Zero Student did not turn in the assignment. 0 Zero Student turned the assignment in, but did not receive any credit. Blank Space Means the assignment was added into the computer, but it not yet graded; or the student did not submit it yet.

6 I have read and understand the Spanish I Syllabus and will abide by ALL policies set forth by the instructor, West Broward High School, and the Broward County Schools’ Student Code of Conduct.

Student’s name (print) ______Period: ______

Student’s signature______Date: ______

Parent/Guardian’s name (print) ______

Phone number: home ______cell. ______

E-mail address: ______

Parent/Guardian’s signature______Date: ______

ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF INTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING GRADES ON PINNACLE

Parent/Guardian’s initials ______

This is a homework assignment. You will receive 5 points if the sheet is returned with the proper signatures and e-mail address by the next day. Points awarded will decrease according to the date in which the sheet is returned.

TEACHER: I will be fair and consistent in reinforcing the syllabus, classroom procedures and in administering the discipline plan.

Signature: ______Date: ______