St. Benedict Preparatory School
2013-2014
Course Policies and Procedures
Spanish 1
Instructor Information
Ms. Landor -- Room 221
Best way to contact me: slandor@stbenedict.com (I check my email regularly.)
Office hours: Mondays 3:20-4:15 pm in Study Center (located in the secondary school library) Also, feel free
to stop by in the mornings between 7:35-7:55 am. It is best if you let me know in advance that you will be
stopping by so that I can prepare some review material for us to go over together.
Course Information
This course meets daily for two trimesters. Upon completion of the course, with a passing grade, student will
receive 1 credit and can continue on to Spanish 2 and be recommended for Spanish 2 honors.
Prerequisite
A desire to learn and interact with the Spanish language!
Required Daily Instructional Materials
1. Text: Descubre: Lengua y cultura del mundo hispánico, Nivel 1, Blanco, José A., Vista Higher
Learning, 2008, ISBN # 978-1-60576-096-4
PROVIDED BY SCHOOL
2. Instructional Supersite www.vhlcentral.com (student will need regular access to a computer and
Internet to complete homework assignments online)
PURCHASED BY STUDENT
3. Handouts and packets will be handed out regularly. Items must be saved throughout both trimesters
of Spanish. Students will not need to purchase any workbook for this course.
Provided by student daily:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Charged laptop.
All class notes.
Binder. Loose-leaf paper in binder.
Sharpened pencils –required!
St. Benedict Preparatory School Mission
St. Benedict Preparatory School on the north side of Chicago is a Catholic Preschool-Grade 12 community
that utilizes our unique educational resources to provide an innovative and rigorous academic program. To
achieve this mission, we…
 Excel in educating the whole individual in the Catholic tradition
 Challenge students to develop their God-given talents
 Create a Christian community by sharing our gifts
 Honor the gifts and diversity of the community, and
 Serve the Lord and each other in an ever-changing world.
St. Benedict Preparatory School Graduate
The St. Benedict Preparatory School Graduate enters post-secondary life well-rounded and prepared for
learning, achievement and service in a 21st century global society. Honoring the tradition of St. Benedict, our
graduates possess the knowledge, reason, diligence, and perseverance to grow in faith, wisdom and spirit.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to learning conversational Spanish through everyday situations, vocabulary
building, basic composition and grammar. The class focuses on basic language skills of: reading, writing,
speaking and listening. Vocabulary is presented thematically, and grammar patterns are practiced in
functional situations related to unit themes. Students will begin to discover similarities and differences
between the culture of the target language and their own. Students will also examine different aspects of
Hispanic and Spanish cultures.
Course Goals
Upon completion of this course the student can…
1. comprehend the difference between formal and informal spoken and written Spanish
2. acquire and apply vocabulary to a variety of common settings
3. understand and discuss parts of Hispanic and Spanish culture
4. express likes and dislikes in Spanish
5. apply accurate pronunciation to basic Spanish phrases
6. participate in an elementary -getting to know you- conversation in Spanish
7. conjugate and interact using a range of regular and irregular verbs
Instructional Methods
Projects and Activities: There will be both group and independent projects that students will complete
throughout the course. Students will also complete a variety of activities to demonstrate and reinforce
knowledge of culture topics, grammar points, vocabulary, current events and more. Students will participate
in conversations with partners and the teacher, as well as respond to video and audio activities.
Assessments: This course will include a variety of assessments. Students will take weekly quizzes,
which frequently include auditory components. Tests many also include reading comprehension, writing
assignment, and oral expression. Before each final exam there will be two review days. The final exam will
include a variety of components that will be taken over the course of a week and the final component will in
in-class on the scheduled exam day.
Participation
Participation points are based on the following criteria:
o Paying attention in class, staying focused and taking notes
o Following the instructions given by the teacher or students leading the class
o Being an active member during group-work
o Asking questions or making comments that increase the understanding of material to everyone in the
class
o Using appropriate resources to guide comprehension (www.Wordreference.com)
o Making consistent attempts to speak Spanish throughout each class period
o Taking out a dictionary instead of asking for definitions
Homework Policy
 Homework is given nightly and should take about 35-40 minutes to complete each night. Weekend
homework might take up to an hour to complete.
 Regardless as to how long it takes to complete the homework assignment, it is expected that you are
studying 15 minutes a day to review the material taught in class. You will have random pop quizzes that
will show me if you have been keeping up on your studying for the week.
 Homework should always be completed neatly and handed in at the beginning of class or after it is
reviewed in class.
 Sometimes homework will be collected and checked in based on completion, other times homework will
be graded.
 Students should make sure to ask questions about homework problems that they have questions about—
if one student has a question, chances are other students will also benefit from clarification.
 When homework is reviewed in class students need to have homework out and should be actively
correcting it.
 If a student is confused about an assignment and cannot find help from notes, textbook or the Supersite,
something comes up preventing the student from completing your homework, PLEASE email the
teacher that evening for an extension or we can plan a time to work on the material together.
 Late homework MUST be completed and turned in within one day after the due date (unless student has
made a homework completion plan with me prior to the due date.)
 Please come in before or after school to ask questions about homework if you need some extra help.
Feel free to email me any homework assignment questions (I will try to get back to you promptly.)
Make-Up Work
If a student is absent from school with a letter from a parent or guardian excusing him/her from class, the
student will not lose points for turning in homework the following day. Tests and quizzes can be made up
before or after school, not during advisory. Students should contact me via email if they will not be able to
attend class and will have an excused absence.
**Students, please do not come to class if you are sick and may be contagious. Once you return to school, I
will work out a plan for you to make up work and meet with me until you are caught up on all of your
assignments—there is no penalty for being sick.
Technology expectations


Students should be familiar with the Descubre 1 Supersite. Follow the link below:
http://www.vhlcentral.com/ --I will do my best to put up the homework immediately after class.
Students will create PowerPoint presentations and use other media forms to present Spanish material
to the class.
Grades
Progress reports will be completed in the middle of each trimester. Both students and parents should
regularly check grades on PowerSchool. (I update grades daily!) Grades will be configured as follows.
A (93-100%)
B (85-92%)
C (77-84%)
D (70-76)
U (below 70%)
Participation
Homework
20%
15%
Projects/Presentations
Tests
10%
35%
Final Exam
20%
Final Note 
I am excited for the start of this trimester! There are two goals I hope to achieve as your Spanish instructor:
1) I want to teach you all that I can about the Spanish language and its wonderful culture.
2) I want us to have fun engaging in Spanish immersion!
Please don’t hesitate to come in and talk to me; la puerta siempre está abierta (the door is always open.)
Please cut or tear here
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I (student name) _________________________________, verify that I have read and understand the Spanish
1 course syllabus. I can and will follow the classroom policies and procedures required for this course.
Student signature: ______________________ Parent/guardian signature: ___________________________
Please provide the following information:
1. Student grade: ___________
Student age: __________
2. Homeroom teacher: __________________________
Student birthday: ________________
Room # ______
3. Parent/guardian name: _____________________ Parent/guardian phone: __________________________
Parent/guardian email: ______________________________________________
Units
This course covers 5 units. The underlined items will be covered in trimester 1. Units are as follows:
1.
Unit 1, p. 1-­­38 Hola, ¿Qué tal?: greetings and leave-takings, identifying yourself and others,
expressions of courtesy, the Spanish alphabet, nouns and articles, numbers 0-30, present tense of ser, telling
time, Latinos in the United States, map of Latin America
2.
Unit 2, p. 39-­­76 En la clase: the classroom and school life, fields of study and school subjects, days
of the week, class schedules, Spanish vowels, present tense –ar verbs, forming questions, present tense of
estar, number 31 and higher, España
3.
Unit 3, p. 77-­­114 La familia: the family, identifying people, professions and occupations,
diphthongs and linking, descriptive adjectives, possessive adjectives, present tense –er and –ir verbs, present
tense of tener and venir, Ecuador
4.
Unit 4, p. 115-­­150 Los pasatiempos: pastimes, sports, places in the city, word stress and accent
marks, present tense of ir, stem-changing verbs, verbs with irregular yo forms, México
5.
Unit 5 (half), p. 151-­­169 Las vacaciones: travel and vacations, months of the year, seasons and
weather, ordinal numbers, Spanish b and v, estar with conditions and emotions, the present progressive, ser
and estar, Puerto Rico