Benton Central High School Class Syllabus

Course Information:
High School Course Spanish Level I
Length of Course: 2 Semesters
Diploma: Core 40/Academic Honors Course
Room: S104
Instructor: Kayla Villalobos
Indiana DOE Course Description:
Spanish I, a course based on Indianas Academic Standards for World Languages, introduces students to
effective strategies for beginning Spanish language learning, and to various aspects of Spanish-speaking
culture. This course encourages interpersonal communication through speaking and writing, providing
opportunities to make and respond to basic requests and questions, understand and use appropriate
greetings and forms of address, participate in brief guided conversations on familiar topics, and write
short passages with guidance. This course also emphasizes the development of reading and listening
comprehension skills, such as reading isolated words and phrases in a situational context and
comprehending brief written or oral directions. Additionally, students will examine the practices,
products and perspectives of Spanish-speaking culture; recognize basic routine practices of the target
culture; and recognize and use situation-appropriate non-verbal communication. This course further
emphasizes making connections across content areas and the application of understanding Spanish
language and culture outside of the classroom.
Recommended Grade Level: 9-12
Recommended Prerequisites: None
Credits: A 2-credit course
Fulfills a World Language requirement for the Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma or
counts as a Directed Elective or Elective for any diploma.

Materials and Technology:

Textbook: Avancemos 1
Class Web Page: bcvillalobos.weebly.com
Gradebook: Harmony
Presentation: Google Slides, Powerpoint, Google Maps, Authentic Resources
Practice: Duolingo, Quizizz, Kahoot, Quizlet, Seor Wooly, studyspanish.com,
conjuguemos.com, Nulu, BBC Mundo, Ver-taal, Newsela, Google Maps
Work distribution/Collection: Google Classroom
Assessment: Quia

Tentative Course Overview By Month

AGOSTO
Introduction to Classroom:
teacher/classmates/procedures/technologies

ENERO
U3L1 vocab: talk about foods and beverages,
describe feelings(tener idioms), question words

Why Learn Spanish

Spanish Origin and Expansion
EL abecedario / el alfabeto
La Tomatina
SEPTIEMBRE
Leccin Preliminar: Greetings, Introductions,
Origin, Numbers, Days of Week, Weather
Spanish Speaking Countries on the Map
El da de Independencia
Hispanic Heritage Month
Vocab: classroom objects, classroom instructions,
book instructions, colors, grammar vocab
McFarland USA - movie
OCTUBRE
Los Estados Unidos
el 12 de Octubre
U1L1 vocab: after-school activities, snack foods
and beverages
U1L1 grammar: the verb gustar
U1L2 vocab: describe yourself and others
U1L2 grammar: definite/indefinite articles,
nouns/adjectives
NOVIEMBRE
Mxico
Da de los Muertos (with project)
U2L1 vocab: daily schedules, telling time,
numbers 11-100
U2L1 grammar: the verb tener, presente tense -ar
verbs
The Book of Life - movie
DICIEMBRE
U2L1 vocab: describing classes, describing
location, express feelings
U2L2 grammar: the verb estar, the verb ir
La Navidad
El da de los Reyes Magos y el Ao Nuevo

U3L1 grammar: gustar with nouns, present tense

of -er/-ir verbs, hacer
U3L2 vocab: family, ages, dates
U3L2 grammar: de to show possession,
possessive adjectives, comparatives
Family Tree Project
Quinceaera
FEBRERO
U4L1 vocab: shopping, clothing, colors review,
tener expressions
U4L1 grammar: tener expressions, stem changers
e>ie, direct object pronouns
Centro Comercial en Mxico (google maps)
U4L2 vocab: places-events and getting around
town, in a restaurant: dinner & a menu
U4L2 grammar: the verb ver, ir + a + infinitive,
stem changers o>ue, stem changers e>ie
MARZO
Pobre Ana Novela (with review of present tense)
Las Fallas
Pascua
Cascarones
ABRIL
U5L1 vocab: house, household items, furniture,
ordinal numbers
U5L1 grammar: ser or estar
U5L2 vocab: party planning, chores &
responsibilities
U5L2 grammar: go in yo verbs, regular + t
commands, irregular + t commands, acabar de,
deber, hay que
U6L1 vocab: sports
U6L1 grammar: conocer vs saber, jugar
U6L2 vocab: body parts
U6L2 grammar: preterite tense -ar verbs, -cargar-zar verbs
MAYO
el 5 de mayo
Country Project

Procedures and Expectations

Qu necesitas cada da? - What do you need every day?

fully charged computer

sobre (envelope)

pocket folder
headphones


utensil

crdobas
(participation points), hall passes,
and salvavidas (homework life
saver)
notebook paper and writing

mouse for laptop *recommended,

not required

Rutina - Daily Routine

1. Quietly take sear
announcement

2. Log in to computer

3. Copy the daily agenda 4. Prepare

Comportamiento - Classroom Behavior

Fully charged laptop stay on task, visiting only sites that pertain to the current activity
Cell phones coincides with handbook
Spanish music only!
Work the entire hour - teacher dismisses, not the bell
Cheating - 0 on assignment or assessment, detention, essay about
THIS INCLUDES USING A TRANSLATOR... it is EASY to detect
Incomplete Assignments (tracked per unit)
1st offense: a warning and a call or email home, work can be completed
for half credit
2nd offense: detention where work is to be completed for half credit back
Further offenses: detention and no further points may be made up for
missing work
RESPECT: Treat your teacher, classmates, and classroom visitors the way you would want to be

treated.

If you have a question about something other than Spanish, ask the teacher after class.
Respect the professionalism of teacher/student relationship
A word from the wise: If youre not sure if it is okay or not, it probably isnt.

Pase - Hall pass

3 passes per 9 weeks to leave classroom for authorized reason you dont already have a
pass for
each unused pass is worth 2 points extra credit at the end of the 9 weeks
Salvavidas - Life saver
one SALVAVIDAS per semester
part of your crdoba envelope
second chance in the case of an
emergency to turn in assignment the next
day, ie: document didnt save

This is a privilege, use it wisely.

may not be used on lengthy
compositions or projects
unused and not lost is worth 5
points extra credit added to that semesters
final exam

Sistema de crdobas - crdoba system

Participation and possible extra credit points will be earned in crdobas, the currency of Nicaragua.

 crdobas will be earned during announcements and other class participation activities
store your crdobas in an envelope to be counted and turned when collected (frequency will vary)
the grade will be calculated based on the class mode (most reoccurring number)
crdobas above the class mode will be divided by 2 and added to the total as extra credit (max. 5pts)
Asistencia - Attendance
Becoming confident in the Spanish language requires repetition and lots of practice! Attendance and class
participation are the keys to success. Attendance coincides with the school handbook. It is important to
note that crdoba participation points may not be made up for any absence.
Make up Work
For excused absence, you have as many days as you were absent to make up work you
missed.
Unexcused absence work must be made up for half credit.
When asking about missed work:

-always look on the agenda first

-ask another student for an explanation
-find an appropriate time to ask teacher with other questions about work you missed

Libro de calificaciones - Gradebook

Participacin: Participation points are earned daily through crdobas.

Clase: Work that was completed, mostly worked on or presented during class time.
Tarea: Homework that is assigned as outside work and includes both completion & accuracy.
Pruebas: Quizzes can be anywhere from 5-25 points and they usually occur weekly to biweekly.
Examenes: Exams will occur at the end of each unit.
Composiciones: Any writing that has high value similar to a test grade.
Proyectos: Major projects or presentations that have the same value as a test grade.
Crdito Extra: Extra credit opportunities will mostly come from the unused passes and life saver.

You should be checking your grades frequently. When you do, keep in mind...
Incomplete assignments will not be indicated with the letter I.
If you are absent, the task will show as 0 until your time allotted to turn it in is has expired.
If you choose not to complete an assignment, the gradebook will reflect a 0.5 for that task.
Assignments with 0.5 may be turned in for half credit no later than the day of the unit test.
Necesitas ayuda fuera de la clase? Do you need help outside of class?
Please, come to me with questions! I may not know that you have a question until you ask it! I am
available before school, after school or can make other arrangements if necessary.