¡Bienvenidos a la Introducción al Español!
INSTRUCTOR: Miss Sally VonderHeide
svonderh@hinsdale86.org
(630) 570-8393
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to Spanish 1 is a first year Spanish course designed to emphasize Spanish 1
vocabulary, grammatical concepts, and foreign language study skills in order to provide necessary and additional
support to new language learners. The course is designed to provide students with vocabulary and grammar
acquisition skills that are crucial to the student’s success in future second language study. The course will also
focus on developing student responsibility for his or her own learning. Students will learn organization and study
skills that will support successful study of second language. Students who successfully complete this course will be
able to continue and complete their study of Spanish 1 the following year.
By the end of the first semester, students will be able to...
 Exchange information such as greetings and salutations, and common social interactions using
culturally appropriate expressions and gestures
 Pronounce and use the letters of the alphabet to spell
 Ask and tell time, date and weather information
 Identify and use subject pronouns
 Accurately use subject – verb agreement
 Express and ask about likes/dislikes
 Ask and tell what people are like
 Ask and tell about school and daily schedules
By the end of the second semester, the student will be able to…
 Accurately use noun-adjective agreement
 Identify and use interrogative words
 Describe and indicate where things are located in a classroom
 Talk about food and beverages for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
 Discuss food, health, and exercise choices
 Talk about locations in their community, discuss leisure activities, extend and react to an invitation
CLASSROOM RULES
1.) Be the best member of our team you can be each and every day.
*Being a good team member means being an active participant in class, working cooperatively in groups, and
showing respect to your peers, teacher, and yourself.
2.) Spanish class is Spanish time.
*You will put forth an effort to speak as much Spanish as you can in class. You will expect to listen to and interpret an
extensive amount of Spanish from me. You will be solely focused on your Spanish work during class.
3.) Come to class prepared, focused, and ready to work for the whole hour.
4.) Bring all of your required materials to class every day.
5.) Turn off your cell phone and MP3 player while in class.
Violation of classroom rules will result in disciplinary action. You will be given a verbal warning for the first
offense. Repeated offenses will result in an after school detention and a phone call home. If an offense is
repeated three times, a Dean’s referral will be issued. Please note that Miss VonderHeide reserves the right to
issue detentions and referrals for the first offense if the offense is flagrant.
SUPPLIES (BROUGHT DAILY TO CLASS)
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Textbook
Practice Workbook
Assignment Notebook
1.5” - 2” Binder
o Divided Section Titles – Para Empezar, Capítulo 1A, Capítulo 1B, Capítulo 2A, Culture, Projects,
Miscellaneous
Loose leaf paper
Writing utensils
o Pencils, Pens, Red Pens, Highlighter
Your Hinsdale Central student handbook (You will need it if you need to leave the room for any reason)
Failure to bring your required materials to class will result in a drop in your participation grade. Miss
VonderHeide will hold random “supply checks” during the year. These are great ways to earn a few points by
simply being prepared.
TARDIES/ABSENCES
 Arrive to class on time.
 If you are late to class, you must report to a tardy station to obtain a pass prior to entering the room.
 See your student handbook for the school-wide tardy policy
ABSENCE POLICIES
If you are absent…
 Before you come back...
o Check Sharepoint! That day’s class activities and homework will be posted.
 On the day of your return to school...
o Check the class folder to pick up any handouts.
o Copy notes (if any) from a reliable classmate.
o See me before or after class to talk about what you missed and schedule make-ups.
 FAILURE TO MAKE UP TESTS OR QUIZZES WITHIN FIVE SCHOOL DAYS OF YOUR RETURN WILL RESULT IN
A ZERO.
 PLANNED ABSENCES (FIELD TRIPS): Find out what you will miss BEFORE your absence. YOU WILL BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING ALL HOMEWORK, TESTS, OR QUIZZES THAT ARE SCHEDULED IN THE
DAYS FOLLOWING A FIELD TRIP OR OTHER PLANNED ABSENCE. IF YOU FAIL TO DO SO THE
ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN A ZERO.
HOMEWORK
 Homework will be given each night
 Homework assignments will be worth four points
 Homework must be complete and demonstrate effort to earn points
 Homework will be accepted up to one day late for half credit
 Unless specifically stated, homework will be done independently.
PARTICIPATION: Active participation is ESSENTIAL to success in Introduction to Spanish. An active participant is
alert, sitting upright in his or her desk, comes to class prepared and with all materials, asks questions, takes notes,
stays on-task during group work, works cooperatively with peers, comes to class with a positive attitude and
refrains from demonstrating negative behavior. Students will reflect on their own participation at the end of each
chapter and will be responsible for assigning themselves a participation grade. Miss VonderHeide will also
evaluate student participation and will conference with students if there is a discrepancy between the two grades.
GRADING BREAKDOWN:
100%-90%
89%-80%
79%-70%
69%-60%
59%-below
A
B
C
D
F
Assessments
75%
-Quizzes
-Tests
-Projects
Homework
Participation
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Final Exam
40%
40%
20%
10%
15%
EXTRA HELP & RESOURCES AVAILABLE: You are strongly encouraged to seek extra help if ever you feel that you
are starting to fall behind. I want to help you become reflective, meaningful learners who are able to selfadvocate and seek assistance when necessary. You will be amazed at how far even fifteen minutes of extra help
will go. The only dumb question is the question that you do not ask.
Miss VonderHeide is available for help before and after school (7:25-7:55 am; 3:00-3:30
pm), as well as during 4th, 5th, 6th, and 10th hours. You can find her in Room 145 or in the
World Languages office.
In addition to seeking help from Miss VonderHeide, the following resources are also available to all Hinsdale
Central students:
 Academic Center: Students may go to the Academic Center or to the Foreign Language Department from
7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to receive assistance from a teacher who is assigned to be there every day.
 Tutoring: The Guidance office keeps an updated list of private tutors available at a reasonable cost for
students who are unable to attain help during regular school hours.
 Internet: Students should also consider searching for practice exercises on the internet. Simply type the
grammatical term (e.g.: “Spanish, pretérito”) in Yahoo or Google to find many self-checking exercises
created by teachers around the world.
I am so thrilled that you have decided to start the process of learning Spanish. You will find knowing another
language to be an incredible asset in your life. You have started on a path that will allow you to communicate and
with a diverse set of people, will open your eyes to many new cultures, and will make you a more fulfilled citizen
of your community and the world.
This class will be challenging, and it will be extremely rewarding. In order for each of us to be successful, we must
work together as a cohesive team. There is no possible way to learn a language without interpersonal interaction.
You will find this classroom to be a safe, cooperative environment where you are free to make mistakes, share
your ideas, and learn about world around you.
Please know that I am here to help you in any way I can. If there is ever any concern you have, anything you would
like me to know, or anything I can do to help you have a more positive and fulfilling class experience, please do
not hesitate to come in and let me know. I am looking forward to a wonderful year in Introduction to Spanish.
¡Bienvenidos y prepárense para un año fantástico!
Srta. VonderHeide
Please clip and return
I understand the expectations for my Introduction to Spanish class. I will strive to meet these expectations.
Student signature: ______________________________________________ Date: ___________________
Parent signature: _______________________________________________ Date: __________________