Gonzalo Gallardo
Any question or feedback that can help make
your children successful and happy in this
course is always welcome!
Gonzalo.Gallardo@lcps.org (please expect a
response within 24 hours)
You are invited to school during American
Education Week (November 18-22)
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Spanish native speaker
Born and grew up in Lima, Peru
College studies in the U.S.
 B.A., Cornell University
 M.A., Spanish, Florida State University
 M.M., Ethnomusicology, FSU
 M.M., Guitar Performance, FSU
 D.M., Guitar Performance, FSU
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Spanish, World music and guitar at the
college level and to middle- and high-school
students
Research emphases: beginning-level language
and musical education; the music and poetry
of Federico Garcia Lorca
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Based on modern second-language acquisition
research
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Emphasis on listening, talking, and basic
reading and writing
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County-wide standards of learning—sequence
leading to AP Spanish in high school
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Loosely connected to the textbook Realidades
(online edition)
Please make sure your children have for this
class:
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A 3-ring binder
Loose-leaf writing paper
Binder division tags (useful as we progress)
(Visual learners may find highlighters and/or
color pencils useful!)
We will have quizzes/tests almost every week,
and one project per quarter.
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Quizzes: 10 points
Tests: 25 points
Projects: 25-50 points, depending on the
project’s scope
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No assignment is worth over 20% of the
quarter grade
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Assessments with a score below 70% need to
be retaken (after necessary re-teaching and
Guided Practice homework activities are
completed)
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One assessment scored over 70% may be
retaken per quarter
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No homework grade
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Guided Practice activities are available prior
to each assessment
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GP will not be collected—students are
encouraged to ask me for feedback or help
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GP needs to be completed before any retakes
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There will always be a guided practice
activity, project or review sheet students can
be working on
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Beyond the “official” homework, the highest
quality learning will take place by “playing”
with the language features covered in class
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Introductory activity, expectations, “password”
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Introduction to a manageable linguistic element
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Peer communication with the element learned
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Culture, history, music, etc.
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Study habits and techniques
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Conducted (ideally!) fully in Spanish
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Students are expected to use Spanish to the
fullest extent possible (see Frequently Used
Expressions and Mi Diccionario handouts)
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They are encouraged to inquire about words
or phrases they want to use during class
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Quarter’s quiz, test and project dates
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Electronic versions of handouts, guided
practice activities and review sheets (hard
copies distributed in class)
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Additional resources (websites, mobile
games, etc.)
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Course website with a discussion forum
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Students can ask questions to reinforce class
learning
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Peer collaboration
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Questions beyond the course curriculum
(Hispanic culture, history, etc.)
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Future goals including doctor, lawyer, media
personality, psychiatrist, NBA player,
quantum physicist  how Spanish can
enhance these dreams?
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Individual taste in literature, movies and
music
 Popular songs to learn Spanish
 Favorite books in Spanish
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Positive-behavior stamp point-system
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Students can redeem their stamps for ROARS
or small prizes
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Some initial confusion is a natural part of the
language-acquisition process…
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…but students should not feel overwhelmed
about the course: help is always available
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If students encounter challenges, I am happy
to schedule individual coaching sessions to
help them do well in (and enjoy!) the class
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Keeping their goals and passions in context
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Motivate students to share what they learn at
home, and to look up vocabulary relevant to
the things they love