MRS. LINGRELL’S SYLLABUS – SPANISH 3-4
E-mail: hlingrell@tamdistrict.org
Website: http://www.tamdistrict.org//Domain/704
Welcome to your exciting new year of Spanish! I am excited and honored to teach you this year, and help open your mind to
more possibilities in your future because of this very important skill. I was once a student like you, and confess was one of the
very worst of my Spanish class. I couldn’t roll my r’s, couldn’t remember my vocabulary and grammar to save my life, had a
terrible accent and thought that I’d NEVER understand or make a full sentence. But through years of patience, persistence, and
hard work, now when I go to native Spanish speaking gatherings I often get asked from what Spanish speaking country I come
from. They are always shocked when they discover I’m from California and, no, my parents don’t speak Spanish.
Why do I tell you this story? Because if I succeeded, I know you can too. My story is proof that early performance does not tell
you anything about you future. Just because some students pick language up quickly does not mean that others cannot
speak it better eventually with focus, training, and practice. With learning a new language, success is 99% hard work and
talent and brains do not necessarily make winners. A slow starter that works hard will come out on top. Remember, your
brain is like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger the more you use it and how good you are at Spanish will always
improve when you work on it!
When you are learning Spanish this year in my class, you will occasionally find yourself in situations where you are struggling to
understand. You will be faced with situations where you do get it and you have to reach a bit. You will understand most things
in this class, but you will not always understand everything. And that is okay; it means you are right where you should be in the
language-learning process. You will purposefully be put into situations that are just slightly beyond your reach. I will probe the
boundaries of what you can understand. I will create experiences where you need to stretch a bit so that you can struggle and
grow. Because you struggle when learning Spanish, this does not indicate a lack of intelligence. Struggle is not weakness
but is an opportunity. It indicates strength, and shows that you have what it takes emotionally to learn and to continue to
learn.
Being “smart” is not required in this class. A strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and an open mind are required. The
students that try hard in class will be speaking Spanish five years from now, while the students that rely merely on their
intelligence and test-taking ability will most likely have forgotten it all.
For you to be successful in learning Spanish this year, you’ll need to practice new vocabulary and use it as much as possible.
This means, when you learn something new in class, find a way to USE it during the day. Also, listen to Spanish speaking
television, radio stations, and Internet. READ Spanish-language books and materials! Make Spanish-speaking friends.
Volunteer in Spanish-speaking communities. Speak in Spanish at every opportunity! Learn to love the language, and the skill
will come to you naturally in time. Use study cards or my QUIA website for vocabulary/grammar practice, and ALWAYS do your
homework! And, if you aren’t clear on what you learn in class, please come in during tutorial hours so I can help you.
What can you expect class to look like for you this year you wonder? You will be learning an average of 5-15 new words per
week, as well as other concepts having to do with grammar, culture, writing, reading, impromptu conversations, theater,
projects, short films, and more. I expect you to keep up with the vocabulary so that it is as fresh in your mind at the beginning
of the semester, as it is at the end. I expect you to do your very best in all of our class activities, and also have high expectations
that most of the words that come out of your mouth in class will be only in Spanish! You’ll need to keep up with the vocabulary
by reviewing it 5-30 minutes daily (depending on how fast you are able to retain vocabulary). Tools are available to you on my
website to help you succeed.
A few quick notes about my class: We will be moving around every day in this class, doing silly stuff and pretty much being
goofy. Get used to it! Part of learning another language is looking silly until you can handle yourself enough to look cool. Also,
be prepared to make LOTS of mistakes. That’s just a natural and necessary part of the learning process. And when you’re
feeling frustrated during your language-learning journey, remember: Nobody laughs at babies. Nobody says they are dumb
because they can’t talk. They just haven’t learned yet! Please have the same kindness and patience with yourself and others
while we learn this year. Finally, because we make so many mistakes in learning a language, I will not tolerate put downs of any
kind in my classroom. Nor will I allow anyone to do anything that will interfere with all of us having a successful, enjoyable year.
To this end, I have created a set of rules, procedures, and expectations below. Please read on and, let’s have a great year!
Sincerely,
Señora Lingrell
Outcomes / Course Goals
This year you will advance your development in the Spanish language in two ways: by increasing comprehension and production.
Within the domain of comprehension you will be assessed on your increasing ability to comprehend both spoken and written
material. In the area of production you will be assessed on your ability to speak and write with increasing fluency and accuracy.
Comprehension
Reading: You will focus this year on using context clues to make meaning of stories in Spanish that have words you may not be
familiar with. The goal is to continually increase the amount and complexity of what you can read and comprehend.
Listening: We will listen to improvised stories told in class, songs, online audio and video clips, Spanish story books and more.
Your ability to listen and comprehend will be assessed daily.
Production
Speaking: Every day you will be asked to communicate in Spanish with your teacher and with your peers. By the end of this year
you should be able to talk about yourself and others in simple but fluid terms. You should be able to tell stories and have simple
conversations with others and ask personal questions using high-frequency vocabulary.
Writing: As with speaking, you will be asked to write regularly. Typically, you will create your own stories based on a prompt that
has to do with the vocabulary we are learning at the moment. Writing will be performed both informally and formally. It can be a
daily informal practice for improvement, all the way up to a formal assessment such as a culminating project, comic strip story,
screen writing for a script, or test. You will keep samples of your writing in your folder in order to monitor your own progress
throughout the year. You will sometimes be asked to assess the work of peers and they will be asked to provide you with
feedback.
Course Description and Objectives
You will continue your language acquisition progress from first year Spanish. The emphasis of Spanish 3-4 is on:
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Mastery of the present tense, present progressive, and subject verb agreement
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An introduction to reflexive verbs.
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An introduction to the past tenses and beginning production of their high frequency verbs
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Increasing ability to correctly produce adjective agreement
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Increasing ability to correctly differentiate between ser and estar
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Mastery in comprehending who is doing what to whom in a sentence and be able to produce it in writing and in speaking
(direct/indirect objects)
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Acquire high-frequency vocabulary words and verbs (top 250 words spoken in the Spanish language) that you will use to
understand, re-tell, and write stories with.
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Culture: Students will focus this year on the Yucatán Peninsula, the Mayans, Day of the Dead, and Argentina.
MATERIALS FOR CLASS  For this class, you will need:
 A spiral notebook with pockets OR 3-ring binder with loose-leaf paper and a folder for vocabulary/grammar/homework/etc.
handouts.
 Pen, pencil and eraser, headphones for when we go to the lab
 Optional: note cards, scissors, colored pencils or pens
PLEASE SET UP YOUR NOTEBOOK IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:
SPIRAL NOTEBOOK WITH POCKETS: You will keep your work in chronological order by date in your notebook. Each entry should have
the date at the top in order to distinguish between class days. Save space and paper, and draw a line at the end of each day’s class so
that you can start the next class under this line instead of wasting a new page of paper. Keep your
vocabulary/grammar/homework/etc. handouts in the pockets.
3-RING BINDER: You should have enough loose-leaf paper so that you don’t run out. Follow the same directions above, and keep your
handouts of all kinds in the folder.
GRADES, NUTS AND BOLTS, CLASS RULES, AND ELECTRONIC USE POLICY
Grades: for this class are weighted into categories for a total of 100%:

60% Assessments: Exams/Quizzes /Final Exam: Expect practice quizzes to assess your skills at least twice during a grading
period. Practice quizzes will be recorded in the gradebook under “EVIDENCE” and will be worth 0%. They only serve to let
both you and your parents know where you are at in your progress. At the end of each quarter, at least one comprehensive
assessment will be given for a grade. You may also be asked to do a project, which could also considered to be an
assessment. The final exam will be comprehensive of your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills and will weigh
heavily in the assessment grade. If you have been diligent about speaking Spanish in class, working hard on classwork and
homework, practicing on QUIA, and putting your best effort forth, the evidence of this should be seen in your assessment
grade. All assessments (student self-assessments as well as assessments that enter the grade book) will be graded on
Marzano’s 4.0 scale:
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20% Participation (Agency) and Collaboration: Speaking Spanish in class, participating actively in activities while giving it
your best effort, being helpful and supportive to your group, asking for help when you need it, always being on task in
whatever assignment is presented, and being present and prepared for class, sum up desired behaviors for a good grade in
this category. Frequent absences (unless the work is made up), tardies (you’ll miss part of the warm-up), not being on task or
distracting others from their task, negatively affect your grade because this means you are not putting your 100% into your
work! Most of the learning goes on in class! Regarding collaboration, students are responsible to each other and are
expected to work together as a team to create a positive language-learning environment. They are expected to make a
commitment to help each other to stay on task and to help each other be successful. Grades for this may be given around
group projects, and separately at least once a quarter. Group contracts will be drawn up with rules and arbitration around
possible problem areas/behavior issues.
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10% Homework: Will be graded credit/no credit.
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10% Projects: These will be graded on a 4.0 scale. For each project, you will have a rubric so that you will know how to get
the best grade possible.
All assessments: Are graded on the Marzano 4.0 scale:
The traditional scale comparison to Marzano’s scale is as follows: 3.75-4.0 = A+, 3.26-3.74 = A, 3.0-3.25 = A-, 2.84-2.99= B+,
2.67-2.83 = B, 2.5-2.66 = B-, 2.34-2.49 = C+, 2.17-2.33 = C, 2.0-2.16 = C-, 1.76-1.99 = D+, 1.26-1.75 = D, 1.0 – 1.25 = D-, Below 1.00 = F).
Homework: You will have two types of homework in my class:
1. DAILY REVIEW: You should review the vocabulary and grammar you have learned in class daily for 10 to 30 minutes,
depending on how quickly you learn and retain the new knowledge. To do this, you can either use your vocabulary sheets, or
even better, my QUIA website (you can get the link from my webpage). On QUIA, you can practice the vocabulary with
flashcards, do practice tests, and watch helpful explanation videos.
2. TAREA CHIQUITITA: On Mondays and the first block class (Tuesday/Wednesday), I will usually give you a very short
homework assignment that reviews concepts learned in class. It should not take longer than 15 minutes for you to complete
and will be graded credit/no credit. This homework is due at the beginning of the period. If you have not done the
homework, you may earn half credit if you do the work while we review it in class (not during the warm-up!). An grade of
50% is far better than a 0%. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’ve learned in class so, if you don’t put effort into
it, this will show come test time. Not doing your homework is denying yourself the opportunity to practice and self-assess
your own learning! No late homework will be accepted unless you have an excused absence.
Absences: You have a one-week grace period to make up homework from an excused absence. The grace period begins once you
have returned to school. After this, the absent work will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to turn in all make-up work on time.
I also have a website that posts the daily assignments that you can print from home, so you have every opportunity to make up the
work, even before returning to school. Make-up work can also be picked up from my class during tutorial. Longer-term absences are
an exception to this general one-week rule, and when this happens, you and I can come up with an acceptable due date for make-up
work together.
Academic Honesty: The goal in this language course is for you to learn to express yourself in the target language in both speaking and
writing. To that end, it is expected that you will produce your own work. Therefore, heavy use of internet translator programs in the
completion of an assignment, copying from another student, or the assistance of a tutor or native speaker to the point that the
finished product does not reflect your own ability are not acceptable. Such work will be given a zero in the gradebook. I then will
certainly ask you to re-do the assignment from scratch, might require you complete it during tutorial with me, and could refer you to
administration, call home, or all of the above.
Behavior: You are expected to follow classroom rules and procedures (see next page). Actions such as being off-task, doing work for
other classes, distracting others and yourself from the work we are doing in class, being disrespectful to others’ right to learn, being
tardy (i.e. you miss part of the warm-up), all will result in a lower participation/collaboration grade.
Food and Drink: I don’t mind the occasional granola bar, but please don’t bring your leftover McDonald’s or other hot meal to class.
Besides the smell making everybody else hungry, it’s distracting, and I will ask you to put it away or set aside out of reach until the
end of class, every single time. You may bring water or other drinks to quench your thirst as long as they have a bottle cap, a lid, or
are in a tumbler with a closed-top. Open drinks are off limits because they can fall and spill. Please recycle everything and clean up
after yourself. Not following these rules will get them revoked for you personally, or for the whole class.
Bathroom/Water Breaks: Using the restroom, or getting a drink of water should be done during passing period, breaks, or lunch, not
during learning time. You are in high school and have had many years to figure this one out! For bathroom/water/I forgot my
binder/homework/etc. passes, you will get a maximum of five personal out-of-class requests per semester unless a medical note is on
file with the office for frequent out-of-class needs. After the fifth pass, any further breaks will be recorded as a TARDY. For these
passes, you will have a maximum of 5 minutes to be out of class, with the exception of extreme emergencies. If you are out longer
than this, I may give you a cut from class or deny you any more passes. I encourage you to bring a water bottle (filled before class
starts) to quench your thirst.
PROCEDURES FOR MS. LINGRELL’S ROOM
FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD……
1. Make sure your electronic devices are turned off/left on silent (not vibrate), get out all materials you will need for learning and begin the
warm-up. If there was homework, have it on the desk, ready to be checked.
2. When finished with the warm-up and waiting for my next instructions, you may write a journal entry in Spanish, read a Spanish-speaking
book from the student table, make note-cards for vocabulary/grammar, or study your vocabulary, notes, or questions for the oral exam
quietly until the timer goes off.
THE END OF THE PERIOD…….
1. Return classroom materials/supplies to appropriate drawer, shelf or cabinet.
2. Pack up personal items, pick up any litter from table and floor and place in the trash or recycle bin and push in your chair.
3. Wait to be excused by me, not the bell.
CLASSROOM RULES:
1. Be nice always!
2. Respect your teacher, the students, and yourself. Respect your classroom and everything in it.
3. Do your best work possible. Work a lot = learn a lot
4. Follow teacher’s directions the first time they are given.
5. Allow Ms. Lingrell to teach and allow students to learn!
6. Behavior that distracts others from learning is not allowed.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO BREAK A RULE/NOT FOLLOW A PROCEDURE:
First time: The LOOK
Second time: The TALK
Third time: The talk with your parents
Fourth time: Student behavior contract and a meeting/talk with your parents, the principal, your counselor, or all of the above
Fifth time: Referral to office
Serious disruptions: Student sent directly to the office
PROHIBITED IN CLASS: Hurtful speech, disrespectful or rude behavior, bad attitudes, and prohibited items per the Drake policy.
PROHIBITED AREAS IN CLASS: My desk and surrounding area. Please ask permission to use classroom computers or to get supplies from the
supply cabinet.
ELECTRONIC USE POLICY:
Cell phones, iPads, and other electronic devices can be a tremendous resource in learning and we will use plenty of technology (and
often) in this class. But when technology is misused, it can also be a detrimental distraction from your learning time and sometimes
even the learning time of others. So in order to maintain a functional, respectful, and distraction-free learning environment for
everyone, I have provided you with my electronic use policy for our classroom, which is reinforced by Drake administration and the
office staff:
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Please show me you are fully present and ready to learn by putting your ear phones/ear buds away completely while in class (not
hanging on any part of your body and never in one or both of your ears). Ear phones/buds should never be out unless I give you
explicit permission to use them for an assignment.
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Please be respectful to your classmates and the learning environment around you by turning your cell phone off or turning the
ringer off and putting your phone away before entering the classroom. Cell phones and other electronic devices should be stored
in your purse/backpack (if possible), and not in pockets (all of that radiation can’t be good for you, besides the constant
temptation to check your phone can be habit-forming!). Purse/backpacks should hang on the back of chairs or rest on the floor
and should never be on top of the desks, unless specifically authorized for an assignment. Examples of times when I would give
permission to use them: when you need a Spanish-English dictionary app for a project in class, for research during a project, to
record yourself speak, to film a theater project, work on QUIA, etc. When given permission to use an electronic device for tasks in
class, you are expected to be on-task and on the website/app that has been assigned. Surfing around, game-playing, using
irrelevant apps, and other off-task activities that are not part of the work at hand are not allowed. The policy for unauthorized
use/misuse of electronic devices and apparel that distract from learning time is the following:
FIRST OFFENSE: I will take the item away, lock it in the cabinet, and give it back at the end of class. You and I will have a conversation
after class and the incident will be recorded.
SECOND OFFENSE: I will send the item to the AP office to be picked up after school. If you are using/misusing/off-task on a school
iPad/computer, I may restrict you from using it for a period of time in which you will have to look on with another student in your
group, do your work on paper, or in some cases, do the work at home. We will have another (longer) talk after class and the incident
will be recorded.
THIRD OFFENSE: I will send the item to the AP office/restrict use for a period of time, and contact your parents to address the issue.
The incident will be recorded and a tech behavior contract might be drawn up. Per your tech behavior contract, I might restrict you
from using the device for a period of time, ask you to hand over your device every day upon entering class, have a long-term
alternative (non-tech) plan for your studies available instead of allowing you to use an iPad/computer, etc.
PLEASE NOTE!!!!!
Offenses accumulate over time and might not necessarily all happen on the same day and will not repeat (after the second
offense, you will remain on the consequences for the 3rd offense).
Electronic use violations negatively affect both your participation grade AND your group grade (if applicable)!!!
If a parent/family member is trying to contact you about something important, please LET ME KNOW. I understand that
sometimes things come up that are really, really important. In this case, I can allow you to respond to a quick text, make
arrangements for you to use the landline in my room to call, or let you step outside for a minute. However, if this privilege is
abused, or happens often, I will contact your parents/admin/counselor to discuss the issue. Please be responsible and
honest.