The following presentation will give you the information and tools you need not only to
survive Spanish 1, but to have fun and learn something in the process!
Listen carefully and jot down a few notes as we go.
If you do not have your binder and paper yet, feel free to borrow a sheet of paper from me
today. Raise your hand (levanta la mano) if you would like to borrow paper.
On your paper, please write your first and last name in the top right hand corner. Below
your name, write today’s date (8/19/2013).
In the left corner, please write “Apuntes” (“Notes”) and below that, write “Surviving
Spanish 1”.
*Tip on good note-taking- Don’t write down EVERYTHING. Write down what is useful for
you. Don’t write down NOTHING  Look for main ideas and important points.
1. KNOW THE CLASSROOM
The first step to surviving Spanish 1 is knowing your way
around the room and being aware of the many
resources that are available to you!
SRA. BALDWIN’S DESK
Things on my desk do NOT belong to you. If you
would like to use something that is on my desk,
please ask me first.
THE READING CORNER
This corner is for reading
Spanish books from our shelf;
it is not for sleeping, lounging
or hiding. You must be
reading to be in this area.
THE WRITING STATION
This area contains the overhead projector,
sentence strips, and a bean bag for those
working on a writing journal. Sometimes you
will work on group assignments here.
THE BACK BOOKSHELVES
The top of the shelves is your creativity station. Crayons,
markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue, etc. Anything you
may need to create something is here.
**Note- extra paper is on the top left shelf. You are welcome
to use whatever is there for SPANISH work (not to color on
when you get bored in my class). However, this is not your
personal paper supply.
TAREA AND OBJETIVOS
Tarea means homework- your daily assignments will be
listed here.
Objetivos is objectives- this is where you look if you’d
like to know what we will be focusing on today.
LA PARED DE PALABRAS
This is our class word wall. Your words will be under
“Espanol 1”. These words may be words from our unit,
words we come across in readings or during class
discussion, etc. They will be useful for you to know.
INFORMATION AREA
Here you will find your “yellow sheets” for missing work, the
absent binder, and the late sign in sheet.
2. BE ORGANIZED
On your desk, some things should be present every day
1. Your Spanish book.
2. Your binder
3. A pen or pencil
SPANISH BINDER SETUP
Important Spanish 1 Survival TipKEEP UP WITH YOUR STUFF.
• Your binder will contain 5 sections- La Primera Cosa,
Apuntes, Vocabulario, Práctica, Cultura.
BINDER SETUP- LA PRIMERA COSA
• La Primera Cosa means “The First Thing” in Spanish. What
do you think might go here?
• You will copy and answer the opening assignment in this
section every morning. Label your paper as we did todaySection, Assignment, Name, Date (Notice this spells SAND)
• You may write multiple “Primeras Cosas” on one sheet of
paper, as long as you label them individually.
BINDER SETUP- APUNTES
• This section is for your notes. Label your paper as
usual, and write any notes that we take in this section
(such as the ones you are taking right now).
• Keep everything in your notebook and in order,
because there will be a notebook check each quarter.
BINDER SETUP- VOCABULARIO
• This section is for vocabulary. Usually, vocabulary will
be given in handout form, and you will hole-punch it
and place it in this section.
• As you build up this section, you will have all of your
vocabulary in one place, which will be useful for
studying.
BINDER SETUP- PRÁCTICA
• This is the section for all of your practice work.
• Again, everything must be labeled.
• This section will include homework, classwork, and
any other practice assignments that we do.
BINDER SETUP- CULTURA
• This section will contain articles, handouts and
activities related to Hispanic culture that we do in
class.
FINAL NOTES ON BINDERS
• Keep them updated- don’t get behind!
• Keep your syllabus and classroom procedures in the
front of your binder.
FINAL NOTES FOR STUDENTS
3. Stay caught up at home- We will likely discuss a new
topic every day. Study it that night. If you’re not careful,
Spanish can have a snowball effect on you and it can get
overwhelming.
4. Participate in class- Be 100% here. Don’t be afraid to
speak in class (after you raise your hand, of course).
Practice, practice, practice!
3. BE PREPARED
In this section we will talk about how the class will be run
and what you can expect from me.
DAILY LIFE IN CLASS
A lot of our class time will be conducted in Spanish.
Sometimes you might feel confused and frustrated.
Stay focused, try your best, and don’t be afraid to ask
for help. I will not ask anything of you that I don’t
believe you are capable of handling.
CLASS STRUCTURE/SCHEDULE
1. La Primera Cosa- Opening assignment
2. Repaso/Prueba- Review from the previous day’s lesson. Be prepared for a short
quiz
3. Lección/Práctica- New vocabulary, grammar or culture lesson.
Guided/independent practice
4. Actividad- Practical application. Put to use what you have learned!
5. Tarea/Tiempo Libre- homework time! Early Finishers- free time to work in the
reading/writing center.
PREGUNTAS?