8th Grade Spanish

¡Hola!  I am very excited about the work the 8th graders are doing in Spanish!  We are already making plans for the National Spanish Exam in the spring, and will soon begin the ¡Avancemos! 2 textbook.   For any who may not have received the handouts I gave during back-to-school night, here is an overview of our course:

8^th grade Spanish continues instruction in reading, writing, understanding and speaking Spanish.  Approximately 50% of the course is conducted in Spanish.  Our goals for this course are that students should be able to exit this course with measurable oral proficiency, which is understandable to a native speaker of the target language; that students will be able to understand the target language within the vocabulary/structure limitations of the appropriate level when spoken by a native speaker at a normal rate of speed; and that students will learn to write in Spanish without the aid of other devices. Students will also have opportunities to acquire an awareness and an appreciation of the people who speak Spanish.

Textbook: ¡Avancemos! 2, Holt McDougal

Website: http://avancemos.conjuguemos.com/

Vocabulary themes: travel, sports and health, daily routines, clothes and shopping, food, family and relationships, the environment and conservation.

Grammar structures:  direct and indirect object pronouns, the preterite, the imperfect, reflexive verbs, the preterite of irregular and stem-changing verbs, formal and informal commands, the present subjunctive, comparisons and superlatives, the future tense.

Grading: 

Oral and written exams will count 50-200 points each.

Quizzes will count 20-50 points each.

Homework will be scored depending on the number of questions and level of complexity.  Most assignments will be worth 10 points.  Writing assignments will generally be worth 20-30 points.

Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class.  Late homework will receive a 50% deduction.  Make-up homework (illness, absence) will follow the handbook guidelines.

Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of Spanish through class participation, homework assignments, oral and written quizzes, oral and written exams, listening comprehension exercises, and projects.

Students who successfully pass this course should be able to take a proficiency exam to gain credit for one to two years of high school Spanish at Bishop Kelley or other high schools.