Spanish Expectations, Guidelines, and Syllabus
2018-2019
K.Klaich, NBCT
Welcome to Spanish! My name is Karen Klaich, and I am a retired public school teacher, formerly with Pitt County Schools, with thirty years experience. I received National Board certification in English/Language Arts in 2002, and I renewed that certification in 2012. I am also certified to teach Spanish and French. I am excited to be back in the classroom and working at the Greenville Learning Center.
Spanish is a course designed to introduce students to, not only the Spanish language, but also to the countries and cultures where Spanish flourishes. In addition to learning to read, write, listen to, and speak the language, students will research about Latino places, people, and history. Current events will be an important part of our work in and out of the classroom.
I strive to create a classroom that caters to many different learning styles. I believe in maximizing my students’ potential by offering cooperative learning experiences filled with enjoyable, enriching, hands-on activities. I will also emphasize the importance learning and practicing good reading, writing, and speaking skills. Please encourage your student to review and practice the language whenever possible.
Using e-mail is a wonderful way to stay informed about your child’s education. I enjoy collaborating with parents to ensure our students’ success. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Karen G. Klaich, NBCT
__________________________________________________________________________
Texts and Resources
1. Richmond, Dorothy. Basic Spanish, 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.
2. Sojo, Cecilia, I. The Everything Kids Learning Spanish Book. Aadams Media, 2010.
3. Everyday Words in Spanish:Photographic. Carson Dellosa Education.
__________________________________________________________________________
WHAT I OFFER YOU:
Respect, the right to dignity, and the opportunity to learn
Knowledge of language, composition, and world literature
Maximum effort to support you in and out of class; I am always available after school, preferably by appointment
A comfortable, safe learning environment
WHAT I EXPECT OF YOU:
Respect and the right to dignity
Recognize our individual strengths and weaknesses
Strive to create an atmosphere that supports all classmates in their efforts to learn
Work your hardest to learn everything you can and share as much knowledge as you can
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I. Course Requirements
A. Vocabulary
B. Listening Comprehension and Speaking Fluency
C. Cultural
** The numerical evaluation system for Spanish will be the same as the Pitt County policy:
A= 100-90
B= 89-80
C= 79-70
D= 69-60
F= Below 60
** Your final grade for the six weeks will be averaged as follows:
Formal projects, presentations, oral and written tests=50%
Daily work, quizzes,opening bell work, class participation, and current events=30%
Homework=20%
______________________________________________________________________________
DAILY CLASS PROCEDURES/ROUTINES:
1.Attendance is crucial! Missing classes will cause you to fall behind in this course and can lower your grade considerably. Do not miss this class unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
2.Be ready to work at the appointed hour. Have pencils sharpened, materials, and work ready to begin the period. You will have an opening bell assignment every day, so get started on that as soon as the period begins.
3.Check the absentee book! If you are absent from class, check the absentee notebook in the front of the room. Your assignments from the previous day(s) will be in that notebook. You have up to three days (depending on the number of days missed) to make up the work, or you will receive a zero. The three-day rule does not apply if you were present on the date that the assignment (paper, quiz, test) was announced. Quizzes may be made up during the last ten minutes of class or before class and with an appointment. I would prefer not to make up tests during class time.
4.Try to use the restroom before class starts. Do not ask to leave in the middle of a quiz, test, presentation, teacher lecture, etc., unless it is an emergency.
5.Clean up around your table and dispose of any trash near your table each day before you leave. Make sure you push your chairs under your tables when leaving. I will dismiss you, not the bell, and I will not dismiss you until I see that these tasks have been completed.
6.See me with any questions. I can’t help you if I don’t know that you have questions. I am available for tutoring. Make an appointment for a specific day-please don’t just show up.
___________________________________________________________________________
List of Materials and Supplies for Spanish
2018-2019
REQUIRED:
Pencils and/or pens (blue or black ink)
One-subject spiral bound notebook for notes
Loose-leaf notebook for class work.
Lose-leaf notebook paper
Multi-colored pencils
Calendar for long range planning.
Personal computer or tablet.
**Earbuds or head phones**
RECOMMENDED:
Spanish Dictionary
WISH LIST FOR CLASSROOM:
Boxes of tissue
2018-2019
K.Klaich, NBCT
Welcome to Spanish! My name is Karen Klaich, and I am a retired public school teacher, formerly with Pitt County Schools, with thirty years experience. I received National Board certification in English/Language Arts in 2002, and I renewed that certification in 2012. I am also certified to teach Spanish and French. I am excited to be back in the classroom and working at the Greenville Learning Center.
Spanish is a course designed to introduce students to, not only the Spanish language, but also to the countries and cultures where Spanish flourishes. In addition to learning to read, write, listen to, and speak the language, students will research about Latino places, people, and history. Current events will be an important part of our work in and out of the classroom.
I strive to create a classroom that caters to many different learning styles. I believe in maximizing my students’ potential by offering cooperative learning experiences filled with enjoyable, enriching, hands-on activities. I will also emphasize the importance learning and practicing good reading, writing, and speaking skills. Please encourage your student to review and practice the language whenever possible.
Using e-mail is a wonderful way to stay informed about your child’s education. I enjoy collaborating with parents to ensure our students’ success. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Karen G. Klaich, NBCT
__________________________________________________________________________
Texts and Resources
1. Richmond, Dorothy. Basic Spanish, 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.
2. Sojo, Cecilia, I. The Everything Kids Learning Spanish Book. Aadams Media, 2010.
3. Everyday Words in Spanish:Photographic. Carson Dellosa Education.
__________________________________________________________________________
WHAT I OFFER YOU:
Respect, the right to dignity, and the opportunity to learn
Knowledge of language, composition, and world literature
Maximum effort to support you in and out of class; I am always available after school, preferably by appointment
A comfortable, safe learning environment
WHAT I EXPECT OF YOU:
Respect and the right to dignity
Recognize our individual strengths and weaknesses
Strive to create an atmosphere that supports all classmates in their efforts to learn
Work your hardest to learn everything you can and share as much knowledge as you can
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I. Course Requirements
A. Vocabulary
- You will be immersed in learning vocabulary during your first year in Spanish. You cannot expect to communicate, either in oral or written form, without knowing the words to use. Prepare to memorize and practice vocabulary intensely.
- We will have weekly vocabulary assessements-oral and written. Review your lists and practice orally every single day, whether or not I assign written homework.
- We will have a class word wall, but I encourage you to keep your own list of vocabulary in a notebook or binder.
- We will be practicing using the on-line site called Quizlet. You will use this site to practice and quiz on vocabulary.
B. Listening Comprehension and Speaking Fluency
- You will be learning to hone your listening comprehension and perfect your speaking fluency every day. You should not be timid about trying to speak the language in class. You will get better the more you use it. The only way to do that is to practice.
- You will be assessed weekly on your listening skills and your speaking ability. Role-playing in this class will enable you to practice with each other and with me. Don't be shy!
- We will also be listening to native speakers so you can get the idea of how they pronounce words. I will give you websites where you can go to do that.
C. Cultural
- Learning new words and phrases is only one part of learning a language. We will be learning about the cultures of where Spanish is spoken: Mexico, Central and South America, and Spain. You will have weekly current event projects to bring what is happening across the Latino world into our classroom. We will be blogging about these current events as well.
- Researching areas of the world, including learning about the history, geography, and important events will be a part of learning the language of Spanish.
- At the beginning, your reading and writing skills will be simple because you will be concentrating on learning words and phrases.
- You will be practicing writing words, phrases, and simple sentences. You will also be practicing reading and understanding those words, phrases, and simple sentences.
- Learning a new language is a building process. Don't be afraid. I want you to have fun and enjoy learning about Latino cultures.
** The numerical evaluation system for Spanish will be the same as the Pitt County policy:
A= 100-90
B= 89-80
C= 79-70
D= 69-60
F= Below 60
** Your final grade for the six weeks will be averaged as follows:
Formal projects, presentations, oral and written tests=50%
Daily work, quizzes,opening bell work, class participation, and current events=30%
Homework=20%
______________________________________________________________________________
DAILY CLASS PROCEDURES/ROUTINES:
1.Attendance is crucial! Missing classes will cause you to fall behind in this course and can lower your grade considerably. Do not miss this class unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
2.Be ready to work at the appointed hour. Have pencils sharpened, materials, and work ready to begin the period. You will have an opening bell assignment every day, so get started on that as soon as the period begins.
3.Check the absentee book! If you are absent from class, check the absentee notebook in the front of the room. Your assignments from the previous day(s) will be in that notebook. You have up to three days (depending on the number of days missed) to make up the work, or you will receive a zero. The three-day rule does not apply if you were present on the date that the assignment (paper, quiz, test) was announced. Quizzes may be made up during the last ten minutes of class or before class and with an appointment. I would prefer not to make up tests during class time.
4.Try to use the restroom before class starts. Do not ask to leave in the middle of a quiz, test, presentation, teacher lecture, etc., unless it is an emergency.
5.Clean up around your table and dispose of any trash near your table each day before you leave. Make sure you push your chairs under your tables when leaving. I will dismiss you, not the bell, and I will not dismiss you until I see that these tasks have been completed.
6.See me with any questions. I can’t help you if I don’t know that you have questions. I am available for tutoring. Make an appointment for a specific day-please don’t just show up.
___________________________________________________________________________
List of Materials and Supplies for Spanish
2018-2019
REQUIRED:
Pencils and/or pens (blue or black ink)
One-subject spiral bound notebook for notes
Loose-leaf notebook for class work.
Lose-leaf notebook paper
Multi-colored pencils
Calendar for long range planning.
Personal computer or tablet.
**Earbuds or head phones**
RECOMMENDED:
Spanish Dictionary
WISH LIST FOR CLASSROOM:
Boxes of tissue