Williams Field High School Honors Spanish 3/Chandler-Gilbert Community College Spanish 111 Course
Syllabus and Management Procedures
Instructor Name and Degrees: Sra. Patty LaVallee, B.A. Ed, Spanish/M.A. Ed Counseling
Contact Information: Phone: (480) 279-8144 Email: patricia.lavallee@husd.org
Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs. from 2:10-3:10 p.m. and “B” lunch by appointment only.
Textbook: Dicho y hecho, 7th Edition, Wiley, 2004 ISBN #: 0-471-47656-0
Course Description: Accelerated study of elementary Spanish for students with previous Spanish
coursework. Includes basic Spanish grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and the study of the Spanishspeaking cultures. Emphasis on speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
Prerequisites: SPA101 or SPA115, or two years of high school Spanish, or permission of Department or
Division.
Course Competencies (Semester 1):
1. Define Spanish vocabulary terms, and identify various sentence structures.
2. Derive meaning from auditory context in specific content areas in Spanish.
3. Demonstrate correct pronunciation and intonation of Spanish in statements and questions.
4. Describe self and others.
5. Provide and obtain basic information in Spanish about events that happen, are happening, and are
going to happen.
6. Use basic courteous expressions, convey basic needs, and talk about events that happened or were
happening in Spanish.
7. Read for meaning a written Spanish text that contains learned and new vocabulary and structure.
8. Use the Spanish writing system.
9. Use vocabulary to write structurally simple statements and questions.
10. Write a composition in Spanish of at least 150 words, using learned vocabulary and sentence
structure.
11. Identify geographical areas of the Hispanic world.
12. Identify customs commonly found in the Hispanic world.
13. Describe key traditions, simple cultural norms, beliefs, and regional variations of the Hispanic world.
14. Describe experiences with Hispanic presence in the student's community.
15. Participate in an event or activity in the local Hispanic community.
State standards of emphasis:






1FL-R4: Identify people and objects based on oral and written descriptions
3FL-F2: Write or orally present brief messages that provide information
4FL-P2: Use formal and informal language appropriately in a variety of settings
1FL-F2: Comprehend brief written messages and short personal notes
1FL-E1: Comprehend the main idea in authentic oral and written material
6FL-F1: Identify and compare (in English, if necessary) cultural perspectives of people both in
their own language and the culture being studied related to family, school, work and play
Materials:
Required: Composition book
Recommended: Access to a quality Spanish-English dictionary to use at home
Optional: Copy paper and Tissue box
Class Outline and Calendar: (Subject to change)
Unit 1 (7/27-8/21): La rutina diaria: Communicating about daily routine, chores, present and past
events. (Present tense, Preterit tense, Reflexive verbs, Adverbs, Direct object pronouns)
Unit 2 (8/24-9/18): Por la ciudad: Communicating about places in the city and completing tasks at
various places such as the bank, post office and various shops. (Prepositions, Demonstrative adjectives,
Irregular preterit tense, Indefinite and negative words)
Unit 3 (9/21-10/23): De compras: Communicating about clothing, shopping and describing past events.
(Possessive adjectives and pronouns, More preterit irregulars, Indirect object pronouns)
Unit 4 (10/26-11/13): La salud: Communicating about health, the human body and treatments for
ailments. (Formal commands, Imperfect Tense, Imperfect vs. preterit, Hace que + time)
Unit 5 (11/16-12/4): Así es mi casa: Communicating about the home, household chores and making
comparisons. (Informal commands, Present perfect, Past perfect, Comparatives, Superlatives)
Final review and Final exams (12/7-12/18)
No class: 9/7, 9/28-10/12, 11/11, 11/26-27
General Disclaimers: Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular
group. The student is responsible for the information in the syllabus.
Attendance and tardies: You are responsible for making up any missed work if you are absent for any
reason. You will have as many days to make up work missed as the number of days you are gone. If you
are tardy to class, you will be assigned ASD (after school detention), per school policy.
Grading: Your letter grade will be determined by the following percentage scale:
A = 90+%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59% and below
Your grades are calculated by the following category weights.
20% Final Exams
60% Semester assessments (quizzes, tests, projects…things graded to measure how you can use or
understand the content of the class)
20% Practice and participation (classwork, homework, participation, practice assignments, Spanish
speaking points)
Please check Synergy to verify your grades periodically. Keep all of your work until you can see that it was
entered correctly. If there is an error, come see me to have it corrected.
Late work/homework policies: In each unit or chapter, you will be expected to complete all homework
and class assignments. You must check the teacher page calendar for what assignments and practice
must be completed. You will get full credit for all homework and classwork assignments as long as they
are satisfactorily completed by the end of the unit. After that, work will be accepted up until a “drop
dead date” at the end of the semester (TBD), but for half credit. If you have not completed your
assigned homework by the beginning of class, you will be assigned ASD. I will sign off on homework only
at the beginning of class.
ASD: Timeliness and preparedness are vital to ensuring student academic success. To this end, ASD is an
intervention designed to encourage and reinforce student academic success. Throughout the day,
students may be assigned ASD by their teachers for the following reasons: tardy, missing homework, and
unpreparedness for class. Students assigned ASD will serve it the following day to provide for parent
notification. ASD begins at 2:10 PM and ends at 3:10PM.
Testing and retakes: We will have multiple assessments per unit – quizzes, presentations and actual
tests (writing, speaking and unit exams). There will be no retakes of quizzes. They will serve as a
snapshot of how you are doing in the chapter and will not count toward your grade once the unit is
over. For unit tests (speaking, writing, unit exams) though, retakes not only are possible, but they are
required if you score less than a 70%. We will not accept poor performance and will do all we can to
hold the student accountable for his/her learning.
If you score less than 70% on any test, it will count as a zero in the gradebook. A “0.1” will be entered
and you will have 2 weeks to make up all missing work from the unit (worth half credit after unit is over)
and the necessary test reflection and retake the test during your teacher’s office hours. If you do not do
so, parental contact will occur and, if you still do not complete your work and retake your test, you will
meet with administration.
If you score less than 70% on the retake, a “0.2” will be entered as your score and you will have another
two weeks to retake it again. If within that time frame you have not done so, parents and administration
will get involved.
The score you get on the second retake (your third attempt overall) will be entered in the gradebook, no
matter the grade.
We insist that you perform well and that you persevere if you do not until you do. That is why we
require you take a test up to 3 times.
If you scored at least a 70%, you may retake the unit test during your teacher’s office hours no more
than twice up until the semester’s “drop dead” day if you are not missing any work from the unit. If you
are, you must make it up for half credit before you may retake it. The grade you get on the retake will be
what goes in the gradebook.
Anyone can get an A in Spanish! Focus your efforts and studying on understanding and using Spanish.
¡Sí se puede! 
When you come into class: You are expected to have paper, a composition book and a writing tool with
you each day. Take your seat and look up at the board to complete the “Diario” activity. Have your
homework assignment and your homework calendar on your desk so the teacher can check and sign.
Begin the “Diario” (bell work). Write your “tarea”(homework) on your homework calendar. The “tarea”
will be posted on the side board under Español 1-2..
Spanish speaking points: Many days in class we will have activities that involve Spanish interaction,
either writing or speaking with a partner, using ONLY SPANISH. You can get 10 “Spanish points” those
days. Speaking English will cause you to lose 5 points each time you do so. It is purely effort. You speak
and practice Spanish, you get your points.
Food and drink: There will be NO food at all and no beverages other than water in the classroom except
when the teacher has made special exceptions. If you are seen with food or drinks out after the
beginning of class, it will be taken and thrown in the trash.
Leaving class: The expectation is that you take care of personal business on personal time (bathroom
and such). You should take advantage of passing periods and lunch time for that. You will have a limited
amount of passes to use over the course of the semester.
Electronic devices: There are to be NO phones or any electronic music or gaming devices used while it is
class time, unless permission is given. They will be confiscated according to school policy.
Class Behavior and Classroom Rules:
 Use Spanish in class.
● Always show respect
Treat everyone and everything with respect and there will never be any problems. Do not write on or
damage school property. Do not take things that are not yours unless you have been given permission
from the owner to do so (ask for my permission to borrow something from my desk and return it
promptly when finished using it). Be nice. If what you wish to say or do is going to be unkind or done in
an unkind manner, simply do not do it. Kindly encourage all to do the same. Profanity will not be
tolerated.
● Always be honest
This is common sense. Don’t lie, don’t cheat. It is wrong and it can lead to school issues. If you are
suspected of academic dishonesty, you will simply be asked to retake the assessment. If you are caught
using an electronic device for any reason during an assessment, you will receive a zero, but you may
retake it as you would under normal retaking procedures and it will be recorded with administration. If
the evidence is clear there was cheating, all parties involved will receive a zero with no chance of
retaking it.
● Always come to class prepared and always work hard
I expect full participation in all activities all the time. You may not sleep, read a book or work on work
from other classes unless you are done with the activity of the moment AND completely caught up in
the class. You are expected to work from the start of class until the bell. Do not pack up early. Do not
leave your seat until excused.
●
●
●
●
Always be responsible for your learning and performance
You are expected at all times to follow the policies outlined in the HUSD Student Code of
Conduct.
When completing assignments and projects, you must follow all Acceptable Use Policies and
Copyright Laws by citing your sources and avoiding any kind of plagiarism.
When the phone rings, if directed by Sra. LaVallee to answer the call, please answer “Sra.
LaVallee’s room, student speaking.”
(Diversity Statement)
●
All individuals have a right to an educational environment free from bias, prejudice and bigotry.
As members of the Williams Field High School educational community, students are expected to
refrain from participating in acts of harassment that are designed to demean another student’s
race, gender, ethnicity, religious preference, disability or sexual orientation.
BEHAVIOR ACTON PLAN
If you do not follow these rules, any of the following may occur:
●
●
●
●
Informal conversation between student and teacher
Discussion with parent and teacher
Removal from class setting
Involvement of school administration
Should the safety or wellbeing of another student or students be involved, administration will be
involved immediately.
At-home tips for student success:
1. Check parent portal periodically to keep up with your student and teacher page calendar to see
what is being done daily.
2. Look at your student’s homework calendar to see if he/she has signatures that indicate
homework is being completed.
3. Expect the student to print their grade from the student portal and have you sign it roughly
every two weeks.
4. Discuss concerns with your student and contact me for any reason. (patricia.lavallee@husd.org,
480-279-8441…email preferred)
5. Make sure the student has daily, dedicated study and homework time.
Online Synergy gradebook:
●
Parents can access their child’s grades and assignments by going to the school’s website and
clicking on ParentVue/StudentVue on the quick links bar (right side of the page). Teachers may
include digital documents, classroom assignments, points and percentages, and individual
feedback and comments. Students’ information is only accessible by using an individualized
password assigned by the school. Parents may contact office personnel/counselor for their
child’s password at 480-279-8000.