Quia: To help my students with practice and memorization of vocabulary and grammar concepts I
utilize Quia.com to create on-line quizzes (labeled “quiz” by the server and not me) as a part of their
assignment. Students will be given approximately four to five days to complete the on-line practice
quizzes. These can be taken unlimited times until a satisfactory grade has been obtained, the
highest score will be added to the grade book. Games and other fun activities can be accessed for
additional help. These are not obligatory nor do they count for a grade. Many times students like to
start with these games prior to taking the quiz.
Dear Parents or Guardians,
I’m looking forward to working with your child to make his/her learning of Spanish an interesting
and exciting one. As your child’s Spanish teacher I wanted to provide you with important
information regarding on-line resources that your son/daughter will be utilizing for this class. This
work will be 40% of the grade.
We will be implementing a teaching model known widely as the “flipped classroom”. In short, a
“flipped classroom” switches around the traditional order of teaching with the purpose of creating a
more in depth and supportive environment in the classroom when the teacher is present and able to
help students. It allows for students to receive a more individualized instruction, thus resulting in
higher and deeper level or understanding. In addition, it challenges students to learn how to take
charge of their learning, becoming resourceful learners. Lastly, it provides time for more practice and
questioning during class time, helping students to become reflective communicators and to think
more deeply about the subject.
For homework, students will be required to watch an instructional video, where the lesson and
examples are the same as they would receive in class. However, because the students are watching
the lessons on video, they can pause, rewind, or re-watch any segments of the video at any time. This
allows students to learn at his or her personal place and become more self-directed. Each lesson is
specifically designed to be around 8 to 15 minutes long.
These videos can be accessed at YouTube, or students can get the videos on a flash drive in order to
watch them without Internet access through the Media Center. All direct links are also accessible at
the class website under the Schoology link.
ON LINE SITES FREQUENTLY USED:
Quia quizzes
To help my students with practice and memorization of vocabulary and grammar concepts I utilize Quia.com
to create on-line quizzes (labeled “quiz” by the server and not me) as a part of their assignment. Students will
be given approximately four to five days to complete the on-line practice quizzes. These can be taken
unlimited times until a satisfactory grade has been obtained, the highest score will be added to the grade
book. Games and other fun activities can be accessed for additional help. These are not obligatory nor do they
count for a grade. Many times students like to start with these games prior to taking the quiz.
Schoology.com
To assist student to be well informed and manage their Spanish work proficiently, I’ll be using this site to post
all upcoming events; quizzes, tests, projects, etc. I encourage you this visit this site to know the work your
child should be working on or when the next test/quiz will be. Students will also be enhancing their writing
skills by going to the “conversation” section and respond to questions or articles given by the teacher as part of
an assignment.
Remind.com
During the first week of school I will be asking student to sign up to this program. Remind will allow me to
text remind messages to your child (through an on-line source) regarding due work, tests or quizzes. Students
are not able to respond back but only receive the message I send. Here’s another way you can find out about
any due work coming up. Text 630-517-5859 this code; 5th Period - @spanish256 / 11th period -@cef2e9
Your student will receive all the usernames and passwords needed to access all this sites in class. If you would
like to receive your child’s username please let me know through email. I would be more than happy to share
that information with you.
Because I understand that technology problems can happen, I make sure to give students ample time to
complete the quizzes on Quia in case a problem presents itself. I encourage students to bring any problems
they might have to my attention with their username or site (this usually occurs in the beginning of the year)
as soon as possible so that I can take care of the problem before the due date. Students will be walked through
the process of using these sites during the first week of school while in the language lab so I can assist them as
needed.
I invite you to visit my school Web page where you’ll find helpful links to help your student get the extra help.
Also please check the Class Calendar on schoology.com where I post the all upcoming work, quizzes, test, etc.
You may contact me any time you have a question or concern about your child’s progress in my class. Thank
you for your time and I look forward to working with you and your child.
Sincerely,
Araceli Torres
Spanish Teacher
atorres@olchs.org