Westmoore High School
Course Syllabus
2013-2014
Course: Spanish 1
Teacher Information: Mrs. MacDonald has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Oklahoma State
University; endorsement in K-12 Spanish. She also has a M.A. in Educational Leadership from
Southern Nazarene University. In November 2011 Mrs. MacDonald earned National Board
Certification.
This fall we also have a student teacher from Oklahoma State University. Mr. Britt will be with us until
Oct. 4th. He will be finishing his studies this semester.
Objective: To learn about the language and culture of Spanish speaking countries. We will be
learning basic conversation and vocabulary through a variety of activities.
Supplies: Always have your supplies with you – this is YOUR responsibility!
1.) Notebook
3.) Notebook Paper
2.) Pencil or Pen
4.) (see below)
* 1st hour – red folder w/out brads and one ream of colored paper
* 2nd hour – green folder w/out brads and Kleenex
* 3rd hour – yellow folder w/out brads and Clorox wipes
* 5th hour – blue folder w/out brads and 2 red pens (to be left in class)
Grading Scale and Policy: I will use the school grading scale. Assignments have various point
values. All classwork/homework is 90% of the total grade with the semester test being the remaining
10%. The grading scale goes as follows:
90-100=A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
00-59 = F
Homework Policy: Each week starting 2nd quarter students will have “Tarea Semanal” or “Weekly
Homework”. Students will only be allowed one late pass per quarter on these assignments. Other
than this, I do not assign much homework. So, when there is an assignment, I expect that it will be
ready to be turned in at the beginning of the class period on the due date. NO late work accepted.
Make-up work: You will be responsible for asking for any work you miss. See the website calendar
or ask me for any make-up work. *In order to become proficient in a language it is crucial to
participate in listening, reading, writing, and speaking activities. Absences seriously hinder students’
abilities to acquire language. Please make every effort to be present in this class.*
Hall Passes: For your safety, principals have asked that the hall passes are limited. For this reason,
no hall passes will be given unless it’s an emergency.
Discipline Policy: I do not expect any problems, however should one occur, I will take action.
Problems will be documented and parents will be contacted.
Classroom Policies: The expectations for my classroom are:
1.) Always be respectful.
2.) Be a participant.
3.) Communicate in Spanish (when possible).
4.) Show scholarly behavior.
Emergency Procedures: In case of tornado drill students will stay in my room. In case of fire drill or
bomb threat, my students will go out the north doors in my hallway and follow me to the field north of
the school. Students are to stay with me and are not to talk to other classes until I have called the roll
and everyone is accounted for. When the attendance is called, students still may not leave our class
for any reason.
This is a serious matter and will be treated as such. Any problems during a drill (or a real situation)
will be dealt with accordingly.
Tests & Projects: Assessments are my best tools for determining how well students are learning
Spanish. Most quizzes are unannounced. Often, quizzes will be brief activities, vocabulary
identification, true/false, comprehension checks, a short dictation, or a short timed-writing. The best
advice is to participate ALL THE TIME in class so that when it is time to test, it will feel natural and
“easy”. It is essential to study on your own to help reinforce what we study in class. Each quarter
students will be assessed using the districts common assessments.
Reading: Reading is so important for acquiring proficiency. For this reason, building a class library is
essential to our success. Our class library is always in need of new children’s books. If you would like
to purchase books for the library please contact me via school email
(lindsaymacdonald@mooreschools.com) .
If you would like to order books from Scholastic online, the code is: H3PW4. Please use the code so
that we will get credit for those sales! Books are delivered within 2 weeks.
Extra Credit: Opportunities for extra credit are given periodically to the entire class. No individual
assignments will be given. The best way to keep your grade up is to complete all assignments!!
If there are any questions, you are encouraged to contact me before or after school or during my 6th
hour planning period (2:15-3:11). The phone number is: 735-4800. However, the most efficient way
to reach me is by email. That address is: lindsaymacdonald@mooreschools.com. Thanks!
Mrs. MacDonald
Date:
Student Signature:
Parent Contact Information
Please complete the following so that I am better able to communicate with you when/if needed.
Student Name _______________________________________________________________
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Names ___________________________________________________
Best phone number to reach us at is ______________________________________________
An alternate phone number to reach us at is _______________________________________
E-mail address(es) to reach us at is/are ___________________________________________
If I need to communicate with you about your child, which form of communication do you prefer to
receive? Please mark your first preference.
□ Phone
□ E-mail
It is my goal to develop a distribution list for the classes I teach this year. If there is an important project
coming up in the future, or an important test, I would like to better inform the parents by sending an e-mail or
text message with the upcoming projects or tests. While the information will also be found on my website in
the assignment calendar, it is my hope that with several forms of communication, we can make sure that the
students are completing the work in a timely manner rather than waiting for the last day to study. Please
indicate below if you would like to be a part of the distribution list for Spanish I. If you would like to receive
text messages, please text @2013sp1 to 657.999.1363 and you will be added to my text distribution list. I will
not be able to receive reply messages. Thank you very much.
Lindsay MacDonald, NBCT
YES / DO NOT include me in the Spanish I email distribution list for the 2013-2014 school year.
(circle one)
If you circled yes, please choose one of the following.
□ Use the above e-mail address for the distribution list.
□ Use this address for the distribution list: _______________________________
____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
Date