Course Name: Spanish I Teacher: Seorita Elizabeth Bullock

Contact Information: Office Hours: before and after school by appointment

Email: elizabeth.bullock@dmschools.org
Twitter: @SenoritaBullock
Website: senoritabullock.weebly.com

Course Length/Credits: one-year course; credit each semester

Pre-requisites: N/A; this is a beginning level course

Course Description: Spanish I introduces students to the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world through
units grounded in cultural inquiry. Students will develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the
interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. The skills students will engage in throughout the year will build upon
one another, allowing students the opportunity to develop their ability to communicate in diverse ways on a variety of
topics that are important in todays global society.
Course Outcomes: We will:

become fearless language learners by trying repeatedly, even when we fail the first time.
become culturally proficient by learning more about cultures that are not our own with authentic resources
seek the differences and similarities between our culture and the many different Spanish cultures
see that being bilingual is a beneficial skill to have, which helps us develop critical thinking skills and grow as
global citizens
find opportunities to use Spanish outside of the classroom

Unidades/Temas:

Personal Interests
Family Structure
Travel and Leisure
Natural Phenomena
Fashion and Design
Social Conscience

Course Expectations:

Attendance: Daily attendance is essential to be successful in this course. East High has high expectations for
daily attendance so students can benefit from daily instruction and practice. If you will miss class, you will be
responsible for checking the class website to see what you have missed. If you miss 20 minutes (or a total of
20 minutes of class), you will be expected to serve a detention with Seorita after school to make up
classwork. If you have any questions, ask Seorita Bullock.
Participation: To be successful in this course, it is important to participate, to prepare all assignments well,
and to make an effort both in and outside of class. It is essential to try to use Spanish as much as possible
during class time. Students may receive practices to complete at home. Examples of possible homework are:
short readings, cultural investigations, vocabulary practices, etc. Students will not be graded for these
practices, but as they are purposefully designed to help the student to gain proficiency toward a standard,
they are important. The teacher will monitor student growth for the purpose of instructional decision-making.
Practice will be reported in Infinite Campus as: T (completed), I (incomplete), or M (missing). If the student
does not finish the practice fully or with effort, it will be marked as an I. 90% completion on practices is
encouraged to succeed in this course.
Opportunities to demonstrate learning: (100% of the students grade) There will be opportunities for
students to demonstrate learning in each unit, and students will receive a score for each body of evidence.
They will also receive feedback on their strengths and areas of needed growth. Grading topics include:
o Interpersonal Communication (Speaking and Writing)
o Interpretive Communication (Reading and Listening)
o Presentational Communication (Speaking and Writing)
Grading Scale: A = 4-3, B = 2.5, C = 2, D = 1.5, F = 1
Cell Phone Policy:

Cell phones (and other technology) are not to be visible during instruction time (unless required for classroom
activity or permission granted by teacher). If student would like, the cell phone can be located face down on
their table.
If phone policy is abused, students will receive one warning. If phone policy is abused again, the student will
need to put phone in the phone jail provided for the remainder of the period.
Students that do not cooperate with this phone policy could have the following consequences: parents
contacted, level 2 behavior write-up, administration involvement, etc.

Classroom Policies:

Students are not permitted to leave the classroom within the first or last 20 minutes of class.
Students will receive four hall passes for the entire semester. These passes can be used to go: to the
restroom, to get a drink, to the counselor, to their locker, etc.
LAPTOP USE DURING CLASS: Students will make sure laptops are properly put away and plugged in before
they leave for their next class. If students do not follow this policy, they will not be able to use a computer the
following time and will have to do classwork on paper or for homework.

Logistical Information:

After each assessment, the students have the opportunity to retake the assessment in order to show
proficiency. In addition and more importantly, as each unit builds upon the last, students will also have the
opportunity to show their growth on later assignments. Teachers will consider more recent pieces of evidence
for each standard when assigning a topic score for each grading topic. Before students retake an
assessment, the student must schedule an appointment with Seorita Bullock and complete all necessary
practices.
The cut-off date for retakes is within two days of starting a new unit. If students would like to retake something
from the first unit, they need to have it completed within two days of starting the second unit. If a student is
interested in retaking something, it is important to communicate with the teacher and make a plan together to
make growth in learning as soon as possible so the student does not fall behind.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Plagiarism is the misrepresentation of anothers ideas, phrases, discourse, or
works as ones own; it is not tolerated at East High School. A student found cheating will receive a 0, and a
parent will be contacted.

I have read and understand this syllabus:

_________________ _________________

Student Name Parent/Guardian Name

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Student Signature Parent/Guardian Signature