¡Bienvenidos a la clase de
español!
Soy Sra. Jennings
y seré su profesora este año.
Learning a new language is like
learning to play a sport or an
instrument!

When you learn a new language, you are
learning a new skill set. (It’s a new way of
learning, so you must develop new habits.)

Learning a language requires practice, practice,
practice!!

You wouldn’t expect to be 1st chair trumpet or start on
the volleyball team if you never practiced….now, would
you?
You WILL have to put in some time & effort!
Smart is not something you just “are.”
Smart is something you “get.”
Effort (not innate ‘gifts and talents’) is
the key to high achievement.
~The Efficacy Institute, Inc.

You get out of a foreign language as much
(or as little) as you put into it.

On the grading scale, “A” does not stand
for “average.” If you want that “A” (or
even that “B”…and in some cases, the
“C”), you will have to be responsible
enough to make the decision to put in the
extra effort to make it happen.
Effort leads to Achievement
As a tenth grader, Michael Jordan (considered by many
to be the greatest basketball player in history) was
cut from the varsity basketball team. But this only
pushed him to work harder at perfecting his
game.
He later said, "I think that not making the Varsity team
drove me to really work at my game, and also taught
me that if you set goals, and work hard to achieve
them—the hard work can pay off."


“Happiness does not come from doing easy
work, but from the afterglow of the
satisfaction that comes after the
achievement of a difficult task that
demanded our best.”
~Theodore Rubin
"Having once decided to achieve a certain
task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and
distaste. The gain in self-confidence of
having accomplished a tiresome labor is
immense.”
~Thomas A. Bennett
Effort leads to achievement.
 Your
grade will reflect the effort
that you put into this class.
 I carefully select assignments
and I make sure you have plenty
of them to accurately reflect
your effort!
 So, if you want your grade to be
good, be ready to work!
I was hired to teach you things even
more important than Spanish!
For example:
Study skills
 Work ethic
 Benefits of being detail-oriented
 Organizational skills
 Analytical skills such as critical thinking
 Interpersonal & Intrapersonal skills
 Understanding of cultural differences
 Tolerance, appreciation of diversity (open-mindedness)

In other words, it is my job to get
you ready for the “real world.”
Therefore, I will expect YOU to work
hard, have good attendance, and be
respectful.
I will NOT “spoon-feed” you. (“Would
you like me to fan you & feed you
grapes too?”)
You do NOT have to be in
here!!!
A foreign language is NOT (I
repeat, NOT) required to
graduate.
A foreign language is only required
for an advanced diploma, which would
likely mean that your plan is to attend
a four-year college.
 It
is, therefore, a “college-prep
class” and I will teach it as such.
You will learn many skills that will
help you succeed in college.
 If
you choose to stay in Spanish, I
expect you to behave accordingly
and be serious about learning.
There are several important
things you must know before you
commit to this class…

My expectations of you are high. (Ask
anyone who has taken my class.)

We will work every minute of every day.
Your “free days” are Saturday and Sunday.

If you are not up to that task, you are in
the wrong classroom! You have until
August 26 to change your schedule.
The profile of a successful
language student:

Has a good attendance record

Keeps a well-organized notebook including all old quizzes
& tests for later review

Has good on-task behavior & is engaged in class

Is willing to put in extra time outside of class even when
there is not written homework (The universal suggestion
is 20 min. per night.)

Is open-minded; has high interest in languages & other
cultures
Good Attendance is a MUST!!
Of course it is important to make up your
work when you miss & make sure all of
your absences are excused when an
absence is unavoidable.
BUT…it is not the same
as being in class!
You cannot be successful if you don’t have good
attendance!

If you are absent frequently (EVEN IF THEY ARE
EXCUSED), it adversely affects your grade!!!

You must be present in a language class EVERY
SINGLE DAY POSSIBLE. You cannot
comprehend & retain material that you are not
“here to hear.” I CANNOT TEACH YOU IF
YOU ARE NOT IN CLASS!!

Also, you are also supposed to be
learning real world skills in high
school; developing good habits for
your adult life. You can’t keep a job if
you miss work all the time. (You may
not even GET a good job in the first
place when the employer looks at your
attendance record!)
Learning a F.L. is like
building a tower out of blocks.
Every piece of the tower must be solidly in
place for the tower to be structurally
sound.
 Excessive absences cause weakness in
the foundation and make it extremely
difficult for the student to catch up and/or
keep up.

Learning a F.L. is like
learning a math
 The
student must master “Step
A” before he/she can proceed to
“Step B.”
 A student can’t learn to multiply
until he/she masters addition!
(3 X 4 is the same thing as 3+3+3+3)
When you miss class,
You miss instruction & practice.
That can affect your comprehension
of the material from that point
forward…
(Think what a disaster math would’ve been if
you’d missed the lesson on addition & came back
just in time for multiplication!)
Added Bonus:
The added bonus to having good attendance
is that if you miss fewer than 10 days and
you have at least an 85 average, you are
exempt from the final exam in that class.
Many students finish the school year a
week early! (Sweet!!)
(And a student that generally misses more than 9 days per year
is going to have a difficult time keeping up in a language class
anyway. So, make exam exemption your goal!)
If you miss class, you WILL have
make-up work.



So, don’t ask,” Did I miss anything?” Ask, “What did I
miss?”
You can expect a quiz or assignment most every day.
(What other way would we assess your
comprehension to see that you can move on to the
next “step”?)
Not all quizzes will be announced.
 (There, that was your “announcement”! You’ve
just been warned.)
An Organized Notebook
is of the utmost importance in a
language class.

It helps establish that sequence of learning in the
student’s mind and makes it easier to recall old
information & integrate new.

And, in the event that one cannot recall the old
information needed, it can be located quickly.
Las Reglas de la clase de español:

Preparación:
 Always be on time to class & prepared to
work when the bell rings.
 Come
to class with your textbook, notebook,
and a pen/pencil. (I’m not picky about pen color.)
 Please have all assignments completed & on
your desk ready to be checked at the beginning
of the class period. (No, not by the end of the
day…no, your mom can’t bring it later, etc.
Remember: responsibilty, choices &
consequences.)
Las Reglas de la clase de español:
 Actitud:
 Please
(attitude)
have a positive attitude in this
class. Negativity isn’t useful and will
not be tolerated. A positive attitude
creates a positive learning
environment.
 Interfering with the learning of others
will not be tolerated.
Las reglas de la clase de español:
 Respeto: (respect)
 Have good manners & be respectful. Respect
your classmates, your teacher, and yourself.
 Help provide an attitude conducive to learning
so that learning can be pleasant for all
involved. (When learning a language,
everyone will make mistakes. We must have
an environment where everyone can get past
their inhibitions & be comfortable speaking up
in class.)
Your quarter (9 weeks) grade will be calculated
as follows:
Your grade has two “halves”:

50%--A daily average made up of quizzes,
homework, class work, oral activities, etc. (with
MANY grades)
AND

50%--A test average which may include projects,
skits, oral presentations to the class, and chapter/unit
tests (with only 2-4 grades).
So…how many times do tests count?


So, a test doesn’t count a certain “number
of times.” (Refer to previous slide.)
It depends on the total number of tests taken:
 If you have four tests in a grading period, each of
them would count 1/8 of your grade.
 If you had three, each would count 1/6.
 If you had two, each would count 1/4.
In a typical quarter (9-weeks grading period),
we have several daily grades (usually 15-25),
but only 2-3 test grades.
 As you can see, good preparation for tests
and keeping up on a daily basis (being
present, involved in class, and completing
required work) are essential.

Can I have extra credit?
There are no substitutes for learning
the required skills in a F.L. If you are
playing basketball & miss a shot,
you don’t stop and ask the referee,
“Can I do a report on Lebron James
and get credit for the goal?”
Remember the “math” comparison?
You must master “Step A” before you can comprehend “Step B.”
(So, we can’t “substitute” a 3 pg. report on Spain for “Step
A”! You’d be lost the rest of the year!)

Students must learn the basic required skills by completing
all assigned practice before progressing.
So, extra credit in the place of step A
would just set you up for failure later.
Therefore extra credit will be available to the
student if and only if he/she has completed
all required assignments in their entirety.
(No incomplete homework/class grades.)
 So, the minute you make the decision to take
a zero or a partial grade on a homework
assignment, you have forfeited your right to
extra credit. (In other words, I’ll help you if
you help yourself first.)


The extra credit grade would be quite
lengthy and challenging and, depending
on your average, may or may not bring
you up an entire letter grade.

Students should complete all required
assignments along the way to maintain a
good average, rather than (at the end of
the quarter) expecting one extra credit
project to magically improve their grade.
Make-Up Work
No make-up work will be done
during instructional time. This
would only cause you miss that
lesson & put you further behind.
Make-up work will have to be
done during guided-practice time
or before/after school.
Late Assignments
Homework will NOT be accepted late. No
exceptions! We go over the answers, so
that wouldn’t be fair to the students who
DID complete it. (Remember:
responsibility, choices, & consequences.)
(I do, however, drop 1 low daily/quiz
grade to help you out a little. )
**Projects will be accepted late (since they
count as TESTS at a penalty of 10 pts. per
day.

There are a few things you should know
about my expectations.

Students need to be responsible for their own
learning.

It is the job of the teacher to make resources
available and to facilitate instruction. It is the
STUDENT’S responsibility to do what it takes to
learn the material!

It is NOT the job of the teacher to…..
“You can lead a horse to water,
but you can’t make him drink.”
I promise to do everything in my power
to “lead you.” YOU have to meet me
half-way and take it from there. I
can’t learn it for you!
 “We
are responsible for our own
lives. Our behavior is a function
of our decisions. We have the
initiative and the responsibility to
make things happen.”
~Steven Covey
You will be expected to take charge and
self-regulate with strategies for
correcting errors and redirecting yourself
when those plans do not work.
 You will be expected to know your own
strengths and weaknesses and know how
to deal with your weaknesses
productively and constructively.

(This helps prepare you for the “real world.”)
“All our choices have consequences;
the better we choose, the better the
outcome. Choosing to be
responsible and to work hard has
many benefits. When you do make a
mistake (and we all do), learn from
it. A mistake can be considered
worthwhile if it teaches you a
valuable lesson.”
~K. Jennings
“Risk and responsibility help teens
thrive.”
“Kids need to learn how to tolerate
frustration, delay gratification,
negotiate, and advocate for
themselves in school. It is part of
healthy development.”
~Michael Ungar, professor & author
~Dr. Marisa Crandall
“Experiencing what happens when
you forget your homework or
receive a bad grade is exactly what
kids need to develop a sense of
responsibility and self-mastery.
Sheltering kids from inevitable
hardships hurts them more. All
children need to foster their
independence.”
~Dr. Mariso Crandall
“Kids have to develop self-regulation skills
which allow them to function in the world
no matter what they face. They have to
learn to deal with negative feelings when
they are young.”
~Dr. Marisa Crandall
“A mediocre grade can be a blessing, as it’s
an opportunity to teach kids the
consequences of not studying or not
paying attention in class.”
~Hara Marano, author
You are in control of what you learn!
 “If
you believe in yourself and have
dedication & pride—and never quit,
you’ll be a winner. The price of
victory is high, but so are the
rewards.”
~Bear Bryant, legendary Univ. of Alabama football coach
(ROLL TIDE!!!  )
There are many benefits to
learning a foreign language.
I look forward to a rewarding year
as you successfully discover
the advantages of learning
Spanish!