¡Bienvenidos al español 1B
Welcome to Spanish 1!
Learning another language opens the world to you. It is both fun and challenging. Two of the most important things you can bring with
you every day to class to help you learn are a positive attitude and willingness to work. It’s important to know that I can teach you, but I
can’t learn for you, so I encourage you to be responsible for your end of things by consistently doing your homework, taking the time to
study any concepts you may find challenging --even if you have finished the assigned homework--and to actively participate in class in
a positive manner! Actively participating means listening in class, asking questions and seeking extra help when you need it.
EXTRA HELP: I am here after school most days and am happy to help you. Do not wait to see me if you have questions, are stuck, whatever.
Check with me before coming in to be sure I will be there.
Katy DesChenes
425-837-4857
deschenesk@issaquah.wednet.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Spanish1B is specifically designed for students who completed Spanish 1, but need more time to master the contents before taking
Spanish 2. Students will increase their competence in all areas of the Spanish language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. We will
also discuss culture, history, and geography of the Spanish-speaking world.
Textbook:
DESCUBRE 1
You will be given online access codes shortly This book will be our main text, but supplemental materials will also be used.
Materials
For class daily: pen, pencil, lined paper, and a three-prong notebook
At home: You will also need to purchase a vocabulary ring for your vocabulary cards from me (75¢) and you’ll need the
following items to complete your vocabulary cards: If you have a ring and vocabulary cards from last year, that is great!
•
a single-hole punch
•
scissors
•
glue stick
A Spanish-English dictionary is optional. We recommend VOX COMPACT SPANISH AND ENGLISH DISTIONARY,
THIRD EDITION. Online edition is fine.
. Classroom Policies:
Absences: Attendance is vital in the language classroom; missed class time is missed language input that students will have a difficult time
replacing. Here are some steps you can take when absent to help minimize the loss of class time.
Check my blog at (My blog is being created and will be up and running shortly.) Meanwhile, if you are absent, please email me
for the homework.
Check my blog to see what was done in class the day you missed, look at the homework, and try to do it on your own if you only
missed a day or two. If you miss more than a day or two of class at a time, you will most likely need to schedule a time with me after
school to review the lesson(s) that you missed.
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You have the same amount of time you were absent to make up the homework (i.e. if you are absent on a Monday and back in class
on Wednesday, then you have until the next time we meet to make up the homework, which would be Friday).
If your absence is unexcused (no phone call/note given to the Attendance Office excusing your absence), then I do not allow
students to be able to make-up the homework that was due, nor any tests/quizzes missed!
Make-up Tests/Quizzes: Short quizzes can typically be made up in class; longer chapter/unit tests must be made up on the student’s own time after
school or during my prep period (8th period on B days.). Students must let me know when they are planning on coming to make up chapter tests.
Chapter tests must be made up within a REASONABLE amount of time (within a calendar week or less, depending on the length of the student’s
absence).
Late work NOT due to excused absences: If a student simply forgets to do homework, he/she may turn in it within a calendar week for 25% of the
original point value. No exceptions.
Participation and Behavior: Students are expected to be respectful of themselves, their classmates, their teachers and school property. Behavior
should always be conducive to learning, and students are expected to support their classmates in strengthening their language skills. We are a
community of language learners and our classroom must be a safe environment for students speaking in ‘Spanish.
Tardies: Students are considered tardy if they enter class after the bell rings, or if they leave class for any reason before the bell rings, and are not
back by the time the final bell rings. After the first week of school, I expect all students to be on time to class, especially and including 1st period
students! More than one unexcused tardy (arriving late with no note from the attendance office) will result in a partial loss of participation points that
cannot be made up.
Bathroom use: Each student receives 5 bathroom passes per semester, handed out the second week of school. When a student needs to go to the
bathroom during class, he/she need to turn in a bathroom pass to me first. Any unused bathroom passes at the end of the semester are worth 1
point extra credit each. Students are not allowed to leave the room in the middle of a test to go to the bathroom, so I will remind everyone on test
days to go to the bathroom before testing begins.
Technology
1. Cell phones and iPods are not allowed in World Language classes, even after you have finished taking a test and are waiting for your classmates
to finish. Have something else to work on, such as homework or a book to read. Now and then we may use devices to look up something or when
playing a game. Additionally, I may grant students an occasional “technology break” – a time when they are allowed to use their phones Parents,
please encourage your child to text you between classes. In case of an emergency, please call my classroom or the school directly. . If a student
uses his phone during class without previously given permission, he/she will be politely told to put it away. If this occurs a second time, the phone will
be confiscated until the end of the period and participation points will be deducted. I do not anticipate any problem with any student observing the
cell phone policy. We are here to learn Spanish and time is valuable!
2.
Using an online translator for tests, homework, projects, essays, etc. is strictly prohibited. An online translator is not the same as a
dictionary. Online translators allow users to type in full sentences/phrases in English, then translator spits out a Spanish version of what was typed in
originally, which is plagiarism. Dictionaries, such as www.wordreference.com, allow the user to look up individual words on their own, and
determine the most appropriate definition for themselves.
Food, drink, and gum policy: Students may bring small snacks to class as long as it is not a distraction to our learning and as long as no garbage is
left on the floor. Healthy snacks are preferred. Protein helps ward off hunger. The following items are not permitted: Take-out that is odoriferous ,
COSTCO size bags of anything. Friends who have first lunch may not deliver food to friends in class. The only permitted beverage is water. There is
absolutely no gum chewing allowed in class. If a student disregards the food, drink, and gum policy, participation points will be deducted, and it too
many students abuse the policy, the policy may be changed.
Grading Categories: (The grading scale can be found under World Language Policies further down the syllabus)
Tests – 30%: Each lesson will include a chapter/unit test at the end. Tests will be written in various formats (matching, multiple choice, fill-in-theblank, short essay, etc) and can include sections on grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, and writing.
Quizzes - 25%: Students can expect to have multiple quizzes per chapter on vocabulary and grammar. Not all quizzes will be announced. Students
can drop one quiz grade per semester.
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Homework 20%: Late assignments not due to an excused absence (i.e. student simply forgot or chose to work on homework for another class) will
only receive 25% of the original point value of the assignment, and will only be accepted within 1 calendar week of the original due date.
Participation/Behavior/Speaking 15%: The speaking category will be comprised of oral activities done in class, oral participation, oral exams and
other oral presentations. Oral participation points are given for using Spanish in class to the very best of the individual student’s ability.
Final – 10%: The final exams will be cumulative per each semester. (So the final exam in June will only cover what was covered 2 nd semester). The
final exam will include components of vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading and writing. There will be a review packet & review done in class
before each final.
Extra credit: I provide 1 or 2 optional extra credit opportunities each semester. Students will be informed of the extra-credit opportunity iin class and
will have plenty of time (at least a month or more) to complete and turn in. Extra credit will be put into the homework category. I do not create any
additional extra credit assignments for individual students who simply wish to have more extra credit because they are looking to boost their grade;
nor is moving extra credit points into another grading category an option. Students are encouraged to do the extra credit provided each semester, as
the opportunities for extra credit are limited.
Grading Scale
100-93 A
92.99-90 A-
89.99-87 B+
86.99-83 B
82.99-80 B-
79.99-77 C+
76.99-73 C
72.99-70 C-
69.99-67 D+
66.99-60 D
59.99-0 F
Academic Integrity: Anyone caught cheating or not abiding by the Academic Integrity Policies* will receive a zero for the assignment.
ACCEPTABLE
TUTORS AND OUTSIDE HELP
ANSWER KEYS
TRANSLATIONS
COLLABORATION WITH STUDENTS
Discussing the topic of a composition and working on an
outline for it with your tutor, parent, or friend.
Going over assignments your teacher has corrected with
your tutor, parent, or friend in order to understand and
correct your mistakes.
Using the answers in the back of the book to check your
work after completing an exercise (write the corrections
in using a different color
Using your dictionary or online dictionary and other
study guides (as instructed by your teacher) when
reading texts. Online translators are not acceptable.
Discussing the material covered by an assignment, the
concepts or structure, with a classmate or tutor before
beginning to write it.
Collaborating on dialogue work, scenes, etc. where the
teacher specifically asks you to do group work.
USING AND CITING RESOURCES
All written work you hand in should be your own
individual production, with proper attribution (page
references, footnotes, works cited page) given when you
are quoting, summarizing, borrowing ideas, or
paraphrasing. All oral work should also be based on
information that you obtained yourself from sources
which you cite (whether print, recorded, or electronic).
Using the internet as a resource of background
information that can inspire and feed into your own
analytical and creative work, and citing all materials
used as rigorously as any textual source.
UNACCEPTABLE
Getting someone else's help with the actual writing of a
composition.
Having your assignment completed or corrected by your
tutor, parent, or friend prior to handing it in.
Looking at the answers in the back of the book before you
do / complete an exercise.
Using an English translation of a text.
Using translation software or online translation sites.
Writing down exactly the same thing as your classmate or
finding specific answers with the aid of someone else.
Allowing someone to borrow your work, writing, or
completing an assignment for someone else is not
acceptable.
Passing off collaborative work as your own, or not doing
your fair share of the collaborative work and thus receiving
credit for what someone else accomplished.
Copying material from books, articles, the internet, and
other material created and/or published by someone else.
Pretending that you personally obtained information from
other assigned sources when you actually got it from
another student (paper, project, test, etc.).
Copying and pasting material of any length from the
internet and passing it off as your own work, your own
phrasing; using material on the internet without attribution
and proper citation.
*Adapted from Lakeside Schools
Translators, cell phones, notes or materials of any kind will not be used for tests, homework, essays, etc.
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Please return this completed page to Sra. DesChenes by Friday, 9/11
Name (please print): _________________________________________________________
Period _________
Date ___________
Student contract:
I have read, agree to, and understand my responsibilities for this class. I will adhere to the rules listed in this syllabus & to
Liberty school rules, as listed in the school handbook.
.
Student Signature________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature__________________________________________________________
Parent Releases:
Cultural Celebrations/Food Days: I give my student permission to participate in cultural food days that happen throughout
the year and to eat food that has been prepared by other families.
Parent/Guardian Signature______________________________________________________
Films/Music Videos: I give my student permission to watch music videos and portions of film that have a PG-13 rating.
Everything shown in class will be previewed by the teacher. Students that do not have permission will be offered alternative
assignments.
Parent/Guardian Signature_________________________________________________________
Photographs and Videos of Students
I give permission for my student to be photographed or recorded in the classroom for learning purposes. No photos or
recordings will be for public use.
Parent/Guardian Signature ______________________________________________________
Preferred Way to Reach Parent/Guardian
Please check and complete the information.
__________-Phone Name _________________________________________________ Number_____________________
Name _________________________________________________ Number ____________________
-__________Email Name ______________________________________________Email__________________________
Name ______________________________________________Email __________________________
Additional Information You Would Like Me to Know about Your Child
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