Mr. Bunker’s 7th Grade Spanish IA
2nd Period A-day/B-day
Matapeake Middle School
Phone: (410) 643-7330 Extension 2602
Email: andrew.bunker@qacps.org
Course Description:
Throughout the school year, students will participate in a variety of activities to help them speak, read,
write and understand spoken Spanish with emphasis on speaking the language. In this course, students
will: acquire a broad repertoire of vocabulary, learn about cultural practices of Hispanic countries, give
oral and written summaries on familiar topics in Spanish, and demonstrate comprehension of short
reading selections and listening comprehension of short spoken selections of native Spanish speakers.
Important Notes:
1.) In order to receive credit for high school Spanish I, students must return in Eighth Grade to
complete the second half of this course, titled Spanish IB (every other day for the entire year in
eighth grade as well).
2.) Seventh Grade Students take the High School, Spanish I Mid-Term as their final exam at the end
of the Seventh Grade Year (this assessment is a county-wide standardized assessment that all
students of Spanish I take, whether in high school or middle school).
3.) As this course, Spanish IA, is being taken for high school credit, the county’s high school grading
policy, outlined below, will be applied.
Course Objectives:
The main objective in this class is communication in Spanish. The other standards regarding culture,
connections, comparisons, and communities will also be addressed throughout the school year. Students
will actively use the language to:
1. Communicate about a variety of familiar topics.
2. Comprehend spoken and written Spanish in real-life situations on various topics.
3. Acquire new vocabulary and grammatical structures in Spanish.
4. Write narrative and descriptive statements in Spanish.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the culture of Spanish-speaking countries.
6. Identify the geographical components of Spanish-speaking countries.
Course Outline:
Unit
Lecciones Preliminares
Capítulo 1: What are we like?
Capítulo 2: Your family and the house
Capítulo 3: In school and after-school
Topics to be Learned
Greetings, days, months, date, time, weather, 0100
People, appearance, personality, nationalities,
“ser”, definite and indefinite articles, nounadjective agreement
Family, rooms in house, furniture, “tener”,
possessive adjectives
School activities, classes, classroom objects,
supplies, -ar verbs, “ir, dar, estar”, contractions
“al” and “del”
Textbook: ¡Así se dice! IA (orange book)
Students will be assigned a textbook to use for studying and completing assignments.
Supplies List for 7th Grade Spanish:
Pencils, erasers, plenty of loose-leaf paper, 3-ring binder with section for Spanish, a one-subject, spiral
notebook for daily warm-ups, a highlighter, dividers, and crayons or colored pencils for classwork.
Grading Policy: As this class is taken for high school credit, Seventh Grade Spanish will follow the
county’s high school grading policy. It is as follows:
Summative Assessments - 45% of final course grade
Formative Assessments - 30% of final course grade
Final Exam - 15% of final course grade
Homework - 10% of final course grade
•
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The Seventh Grade Final Assessment is the High School Spanish I Mid-term.
It will count as 15% of the final grade for Spanish 1A (Seventh Grade Spanish).
Formative Assessments: classwork, daily or weekly assignments, quizzes, BCRs, warm-ups, speaking
practice activities, listening activities, writing assignments
Summative Assessments: projects, unit vocabulary tests, chapter tests, mid-terms, final exams, and
performance assessments (students demonstrate their ability to “use” the language for a specific task by
way of performances or presentations).
Homework Assignments: homework will be assigned to reinforce daily lessons, as an extension of
classroom learning; it will be used to gauge student comprehension.
Missing Assignments (Summatives, Formatives, Classwork and Homework):
Missing work will be accepted with the following restrictions:
1. Missing work must be turned in within three days of the due date, unless the student is absent,
in which case the county policy is to be followed.
2. As per the high school grading policy, all missing assignments, including homework, will be
recorded as incomplete and will receive a value of 0%.
Excused Absences, Lateness, Suspension (Make-up Policy):
The make-up policy for short-term (no more than 3 consecutive days) shall be:
The student/parent/guardian may receive missed assignments upon returning to school. The make-up
work must be obtained from the “en tu ausencia” bin in the classroom.
Students will be given one day for each consecutive absence up to a maximum of 3 days to turn in all
make-up work. All make-up work will be graded in accordance with the regular classroom grading policy
and must be completed within the established time period.
Make-up work time frame for extended lawful absences (more than 3 consecutive days) will be
determined on a case-by-case basis with the teacher and administration. Suspension from school is
considered to be a legal absence.
Summative Retake/Revision Policy:
Students will be allowed to retake or revise summative assessments if they score 69% or low and have the
opportunity to earn up to 70% of their retake. Original and retake assessments will not be averaged. The
student’s new grade is to reflect the higher grade up to 70%. Please note that students need to make an
effort to make arrangements with the teacher for a retake. Additionally, students will only receive one
opportunity to improve their grade. This must be done after school, unless the teacher receives a note
signed by their parent/guardian allowing them to retake during the school day, where in essence, they will
be missing valuable instructional time in class.
Teachers may use their discretion in designing retakes. Retakes may be a learning log, a set of different
questions, the same test, a new test, or an alternative assessment. These opportunities will be assigned in a
timely manner and students will be given at least 3 days to complete the new assessment. Teachers may
also choose to have any student re-do a formative assessment, as part of the daily instructional process.
Final Exams may not be re-taken under any circumstances. Please make sure your child studies well for it
so that he or she can perform his or her best on the first attempt.
Rounding Off Grades:
All final grades will be rounded to the nearest whole percentage. Please note that a first, second, or third
quarter progress report grade or end of quarter grade is not a final grade; thus, it will not be rounded off
until the end of the school year.
Extra Credit:
If extra credit is offered, it must be made available to all students and must adhere to the following
guidelines:
- the assignment must reflect extra learning
- the extra credit product must relate to the content area from which it was assigned
- the value assigned is to be equivalent to one formative assessment
Teacher Availability for Extra Help:
Extra help will be made available after school. Please contact me through e-mail, on the phone, or in a
signed note to arrange for help after school. I am available after school from 2:50-3:10 p.m.
Classroom Rules:
1. Arrive to class prepared and on time.
2. Respect yourself and others.
3. Remain in your seat unless otherwise directed by the teacher.
4. Teacher dismisses the class and NOT the bell.
5. Refrain from eating/drinking in class or chewing gum unless it is a class-sharing project.
6. Raise your hand before speaking and wait to be called on.
7. Keep all electronic devices and toys in your locker unless otherwise instructed.
8. Academic dishonesty of any nature will NOT be tolerated.
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TEACHER COPY
(Please detach, sign, and return this completed form below)
I agree with all the aforementioned expectations, policies, consequences, and I will abide by them
throughout the school year in Mr. Bunker’s class.
_____________________________________________
Student’s Name (Print)
_____________________________________________
Student’s Signature
Date
_____________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
Date
_________________________________________________
Preferred E-mail address of Parent/Guardian