Plainfield South High School

Course Outline

Accelerated Spanish 2

2006-2007

Adele Hunt

815-577-5548

ahunt@psd202.org

Required Texts: En Español 2

En Español 2 workbook “Más Práctica”

Supplemental Readers: Ventanas 2, Susana y Javier en Sudamérica

Course Description

Accelerated Spanish 2 is designed to prepare students for Accelerated Spanish 3 which leads to recommendation for Spanish 4 Honors. Its curriculum is designed to increase Spanish proficiency through extended lessons, a cultural reader, and supplementary materials.  The class is accelerated, but does not carry honors credit.

Illinois Learning Standards Addressed in Course

§ State Goal 28: Use target language to communicate within and beyond the classroom setting.

§ State Goal 29: Use the target language to develop an understanding of the customs, arts, literature, history and geography associated with the target language.

§ State Goal 30: Use the target language to make connections and reinforce knowledge and skills across academic, vocational and technical disciplines.

Planned Units of Study

Semester 1:

• Preliminary Unit: Includes a brief review of Spanish 1, likes/dislikes and school life, as well as grammar.
• Reflexive unit: Reflexive verbs are introduced through daily routine vocabulary.
• Unit 1: Vocabulary includes traveling, art and food. The preterite past tense is introduced along with demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.
• Unit 2: Vocabulary includes childhood activities, family celebrations, ordering in a restaurant and things to do in the city. The imperfect tense is used to talk about the past, and other grammar points include possessive adjectives and pronouns, reflexive verbs, progressive tense, and direct and indirect object pronouns.
• Unit 3: (completion of this unit depends on how much the class can accelerate and still maintain a high learning curve.)Vocabulary includes health and exercise, beach and weather, more body parts,and time expressions. The subjunctive mood and formal and informal commands are introduced.

Semester 2:

• Unit 4: Vocabulary includes traveling in Spain, neighborhood vocabulary, and shopping. Study of the subjunctive mood is continued.
• Unit 5: Vocabulary covers geographical terms, nature, the environment, weather, ecology, and conservation. The future and conditional tenses are introduced.
• Unit 6: (completion of this unit depends on how much the class can accelerate and still maintain a high learning curve.)Vocabulary covers jobs, professions, descriptions, interviewing, and talking on the telephone. Verb tenses are reviewed and the Present perfect tense is introduced.

Components assessed

The basics of language learning will be assessed. These are: reading, writing, listening, speaking, culture, grammar, and vocabulary.
Each Unit exam will include a test of grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing and speaking.
The midterm exam will cover grammar and vocabulary, reading and listening.
The final exam will cover grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Tips for succeeding in this Course

Daily attendance is extremely important in language learning. Students should also complete homework on time, study vocabulary and grammar concepts consistently, seek help if needed and actively participate in classroom activities and tasks. Whenever possible, the student should practice, practice, practice!

Routines and Procedures

All language classes include grammar, vocabulary, and cultural activities along with reading writing listening and speaking activities. Both guided and independent practice is provided. Group and paired activities are common. Plainfield South H.S. is fortunate to have an ASC language lab which is used weekly.

Grading policy

Tests 20% A=90-100%

Quizzes                         20% B=80-89%

Homework 15% C=70-79%

Participation 15% D=60-69%

Projects 5% F=59-below
            Midterm Exam                5%

Semester Exam 20%

Extra Credit Policy

Extra credit must be language-based and must be related to the curriculum. It is offered only occasionally as the language teachers prefer to stress completion of homework done well and tutoring for tests retakes. Tests can only be retaken after a session of teacher approved tutoring on the prescribed weak areas. The score of the original test will be averaged with the score on the test  retake, and that score will replace  the original grade entered.

Proficiency Goals

Speaking:

1^st semester: 45 sec. Monologue describing a picture. Students will be given 2 minutes preparation time while looking at the picture.

1-2 Q’s with 10-15 seconds processing time allowed.

2^nd semester: 60 sec. Monologue (see above)

1-2 Q’s (see above)

Grading on speaking will reflect the “whole” picture and what was done well rather than looking for number of mistakes made.

Writing:

1^st semester: 1 well-developed paragraph

2^nd semester: 2 well-developed paragraphs addressing one theme

A rubric will be developed for grading.

Reading:

able to read the reading selections in the current text

Suggested Projects: (assignment of projects depends on time availability)

Reflexive unit:

Booklet describing a daily  life using reflexive and non-reflexive verbs.

Preterite unit:

Oral presentation of a newscast featuring a travel section, food critics, and the news.

Imperfect/Preterite unit:

Storybook or mystery / trial activity.

Commands:

Taped commercial. Can be performed singly or in groups of no more than 3.

Subjunctive:

Choice of creating a poster or brochure over a trip to Spain, describing a city, or shopping and presenting it to the class.

Future and Conditional tenses:

Research project about what would or will be done on a trip to Costa Rica.

Interviewing:

Oral presentations of the steps in getting a job, including counseling and interviewing.

Final project:

Taking a situation and telling it in different tenses and in the subjunctive mood.