September 9, 2009

Dear Parents/Guardians:

            Welcome to our second school year at our newly renovated, state-of-the-arts Visual and Performing Arts Academy building.  Our course offerings this year are Grade 8 Spanish, Levels I, II, III Spanish, and Level IV/AP Spanish.  Please read the following course descriptions as they apply to your child/children and the grading policy at the end.   Please sign and date the bottom section to acknowledge that you have read and understand what is expected of your child this year and have it returned to his/her Spanish teacher at your earliest convenience.  Although this document deals with the academic side of instruction, appropriate student behavior is essential for the success of all the students in the class.  Students must follow the school rules posted in the classroom, be punctual, prepared, and come with a willingness and eagerness to learn.

Course Descriptions:

            Spanish Grade 8

            The eighth-grade Spanish course is designed to reflect the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and is aligned with Checkpoint A and the New York State standards.  By the end of the school year, students should be able to use Spanish for communication in the above-mentioned skill areas and develop cross-cultural understanding.  Vocabulary and grammar are based on the City of Buffalo LOTE curriculum guide.  Emphasis is placed on comprehensible utterances or phrases when speaking, discerning information for authentic documents and reading selections, and writing skills that incorporate correct vocabulary and understandable grammar concepts.  Students are assessed at the end of each marking period with a test generated for all Grade 8 students in the City of Buffalo.  Students who have maintained an average of 85% or higher for all four marking periods may take the state proficiency exam offered in June and be accelerated the following school year to Level II.

            High School Level I

            High school foreign language instruction is a sequential program beginning with Level I.  The Level I Spanish class is a beginning level course that incorporates grammar, vocabulary, and culture per Checkpoint A and the New York State standards for languages other than English (LOTE). Classes meet five days per week.  Students will be exposed to authentic cultural situations in Spanish as they develop speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills.  Most grammatical structures involve expressions in the present tense or the future using “ir a”.  Homework is an essential element of the class.  Regular practice and review of the vocabulary and grammar will help lead to a proficiency in the language.  Student must have a passing average for the four marking periods and pass the state proficiency exam offered in June with a 65% or higher to receive credit for the class.

            High School Level II

            Level II Spanish is offered to students who have successfully completed the requirements for Level I credit.  Level II incorporates vocabulary, grammar, and culture per Checkpoint B and the New York State standards for languages other than English.  Classes meet five times per week and continue developing all four language skills with a greater understanding of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Classes are conducted primarily in Spanish.  Level II reviews the basic vocabulary and grammar of Checkpoint A and then introduces the progressive and past tenses, commands, irregular and reflexive verbs.  Students expand their ability to initiate and sustain conversations and to provide and obtain information, both orally and written.  Homework is given on a regular basis and students are encouraged to speak Spanish outside of the classroom.  City-wide, quarterly assessments are given to all Level II students.  Students must pass on the average of their four marking period grades to receive credit for the course.

            High School Level III

            Students who have earned credit for Level II are encouraged to continue their study of Spanish with Level III.  The classes are conducted almost entirely in Spanish.  Through the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, students will enhance their knowledge of culture and customs.  An overall review of the basic concepts taught in Level I and Level II is followed by vocabulary and grammar concepts and structures per Checkpoint C and the New York State standards for languages other than English.  Some grammatical components include comparisons, future, conditional, and perfect tenses, as well as the present subjunctive verb forms.  Students will be able to write notes, personal and business letters, journals, and short reports.  Students will be able to read and comprehend materials written for native speakers and initiate and sustain conversations with other students, adults, and native speakers.  Homework, review and practice are essential elements for success in this course.  The course culminates with the New York State Comprehensive exam for Spanish in June.  Students must have a passing average for all four quarters and pass the final exam with a 65% or higher to receive credit for the course.

            High School Level IV/AP

            The Level IV course is offered to those students who have successfully completed the requirements for Level III.  It consists of a variety of activities that incorporate the New York State standards for languages other than English and enhance listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.  The course is composed of units that include creative writing, literature, oral presentations, auditory comprehension, and the arts.  Students will be able to understand and converse with a native speaker.  More complex and authentic vocabulary will be introduced along with the development of complex grammatical structures enabling students to express ideas sequentially and sufficiently on everyday topics while speaking or writing.  Students will be able to analyze written materials in Spanish.  Students need to speak Spanish as often as possible in and out of the classroom.  Students will be given a project that they will work on the entire year.  The Spanish AP exam in given in May.

            Grading Policy

            Students’ grades for all levels  will be based on tests, quizzes, projects, class work, homework, and informal and formal speaking assessments given each quarter throughout the year.  The Department of Foreign Languages in the City of Buffalo has developed quarterly assessments that will be given to all students in eighth grade, Level I, II and III.  These assessments will count as 25% of the quarterly grade. The Level IV students will assessed quarterly with sections from previous AP exams.  Teacher-generated tests will count as 40% of the quarterly grade, quarterly projects 10%, and homework and class work account for the other 25%.  Homework is given Monday through Thursday.  Daily questions and listening comprehension questions from old exams are given at the start of each class period.  Students are encouraged to do corrections on any test or assignment to bring up their grades.  Attendance is essential in all levels to do well. 

            Homework can be viewed for a two-week period through the school’s website.  Go to WWW. BAVPA.org and click on “Contact a Teacher”.  Once there, click on the Foreign Language Department website and then the appropriate tab at the top for the teacher.  All teachers can be contacted through the district e-mail.   We encourage you to please contact us if your have any concerns or questions about our programs or how your child is doing.

            I have read and understand the above course descriptions and grading policy as it pertains to my child.

(Parent signature)

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