Español 4/AP Lenguaje
SYLLABUS
Señor Blease - Rm. 326
E-Mail address: rblease@cps.edu
As the person who has traveled beyond his or her own doorstep to discover new cultures is wiser than the one
who has not, so brings an ability to scrutinize more steadily, appreciate more lovingly, our own.
-Margaret Mead
¡Bienvenidos! Welcome to AP Spanish Language! I’m sure you will find this course extremely helpful
for further understanding of cultures that speak Spanish, a deeper comprehension of the Spanish language, and
to succeed on the AP exam in May. Congratulations of on continuing to become a worldlier person through
understanding Hispanic cultures!!
Objectives: This course will continue to reinforce your proficiency and help obtain mastery in grammar, vocabulary,
phonological awareness and orthographic skills to help you excel in all four areas: listening, speaking, reading, and
writing. You will use all four skills as you study topics pertaining to historical events, cultural norms, global issues, short
readings derived from literary work from Latin & Spanish writers.
Classroom Expectations:
☺ Spanish will be spoken at all times
☺ Cell phones are OFF. Not on “silent” or “vibrate”. They will be taken away immediately if this is
violated and your parents will be notified.
☺ You will be expected to take the National Spanish Exam in March. This will cost $6.
☺ No cheating or copying exams, homework, or extra credit. 1st offense: 0 on the exam/assignment. 2nd
offense: F for the course. 3rd offense: Expulsion from Northside. This applies to cheating or copying in
any class. You can have one offense in one class and a second in another.
☺ Respect will be the foundation of our class. You always receive as much respect as you give.
☺ Homework must be made up immediately after an absence. All homework assignments will be posted on
the internet and/or the chalkboard by the end of the day.
☺ Washroom breaks are on your own. If it becomes a distraction, we’ll reevaluate this.
Portfolio:
As part of your participation grade, you will be required to maintain a portfolio of all your homework and
classwork in a 3-ring binder. This is for a couple reasons. One, the portfolio will preserve all your work. Two,
an organized portfolio will help you to study for quizzes and exams. Finally, the portfolio will be turned in
twice a semester for my review as well as your parents’ review when they come for conferences. The categories in
your portfolio will be as follows:
1) Tarea
2) Apuntes
3) Correcciones de examenes y pruebas (continuation from last year)
4) Vocabulario (continuation from last year)
E-mail:
I usually check e-mail no later than 8 p.m., so if you have a question, write to me before then.
Pases de tarea: Homework passes are offered for approved extracurricular activities. Homework passes can be
used to replace homework assignments previously marked “0”, they may be used for future homework
assignments, or you may accumulate them for additional points after your extra credit is accounted for!
Homework passes do not excuse your participation the day we review the homework.
Extra credit: Extra credit will only be offered to students who have done absolutely ALL the required
assignments. Extra credit will not be offered to students who fail to turn in homework assignments and/or those
who fail to take their quizzes/exams on time. After all, that is what “extra” means!
Departmental Grading:
100=90
89-80
79-70
69-60
59-0
Evaluation:
A
B
C
D
F
35% of your grade will be your participation in class
 Full immersion in Spanish will count as double 1st semester and triple 2nd semester
 Portfolio
 Projects
20% of your grade will be homework
 Marked complete and on time (100), or not (0)
20% of your grade will be quizzes
25% of your grade will be tests (oral and written)
 There will be quarterly exams for the 1st and 3rd quarters
 Final exams will carry more weight
 National Spanish Exam will count as a regular exam
Teaching Methodology/ Instructional Activities
Some of the activities and/or resources that will be used to introduce material and evaluate student learning are listed
below. Material will be used as a learning tool as well as to guide you to present your own authentic work. All classroom
lessons will incorporate all four skills as you work on the assigned topics.
Listening
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Performing in-class listening comprehension exercises.
Use audio tapes to listen to short narratives and dialogues.
Songs of various Latin American singers to allow for mastery of different dialects
Radio tapings for class discussion and language acquisition.
Short TV Recordings (movies, commercials, clips of soaps, drama, shows), including watching Hispanic television on own
time outside of class.
Special guest appearances
Documentaries on various countries
Listen to classmates read as student take notes
Internet Virtual tours on historical sites and or events
Speaking:
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Directed response questions on reading assignments
Persuasive Speech on selected topics by teacher and students.
Expressing ideas and opinions on related topics assigned in class.
Telling original stories in pairs, groups, or individually, based on sets of pictures, comic strips
Discussing Latin American literature and poetry.
Developing puppet shows and reenacting historical events
Discussing present and past cultural events related to Latin America and
the United States.
Summarize orally the key points of lectures, oral presentations and films.
Debate topics on daily news clips or school related issues
Interviews (Hispanic Achievers in Chicago)
Student discuss preparing for an event (wedding, quinceanera,etc.)
Present student-created short skits, role-play job interviews, impersonate famous Hispanic Achievers “who’s who” project.
Reading
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Reading and discussing autobiographies, Latin American literature and poetry using the elements of fiction handout
Readings from newspapers and magazines, comic strips, letter, e-pals
Reading short narratives, poetry, fables
Students read and prepare recipes, origami art, and other artistic work based on instructions.
Read grocery list from neighborhood paper, billboards found on internet from other countries.
Maps, virtual tour on the internet to teach historical information and current events
Students will listen to Guest Speakers & Internet interviews and use a variety of writing styles to report findings.
Problem-solving topics on specific current events and everyday life
Explicit grammatical introductions. Students will also present on grammar lessons combined with assigned topics.
Writing
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Intense grammar reviews
Writing in-class compositions of 250-300 words with a high degree.
Developing and writing a plot within an assigned group (comedy, drama)
Writing and acting to persuade.
Writing about Latin American festivals and historical events.
Write authentic poetry and lyrics
Connect objects and symbols in fables to underlying perspectives in Hispanic cultures
Prepare posters, photos, magazines clips and other authentic media
Role Playing, drama composed by students based on different topics and authentic work
Pre-quizzes, Quizzes, exams targeting all four skills. Exams will be prepared in different formats
Brainstorming Charts for writing guidance and organizational skills
Course Materials
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Abriendo Puertas: Lenguaje
El Mundo 21 Hispano, Libro y Cuaderno
Repaso - A Review Workbook for Grammar, Communication, and Culture
AP Barrons
Supplemental Materials
Spanish-English Dictionary
Portfolio. I have a few you can use if you don’t have one.