General Class Information Spanish I

The goal of Spanish I is to be able to communicate orally and written at the beginning level. At
the end of the year the students should be able to use verbs in the present tense to communicate
about common everyday activities. In order to accomplish this goal, the student must be
committed to learning the language by:
• participating in class

• using class time appropriately

• completing the assignments, some as homework

• memorizing the vocabulary

• taking the risk and speak the language in class and outside of class

Grades (notas)
Grades are weighted with the following scale:
Bell Ringer 10% Participation 10%
Assignments 40% Quizzes/tests 40%

Bell Ringer (tarea de campana)

A Bell Ringer is a short, review assignment given at the beginning of class and due in a
few minutes. If you are absent you do not get to make them up. The only exception is school
excused absences (field trip, sports). If you are tardy, yet still quick enough to finish the bell
ringer, you can receive ½ credit. If you miss a lot of class due to illness you will have to do
extra credit to make it up or take the grade. It is 10 % of the final grade.

Participation
In order to learn, students must participate in all classroom activities, such as songs, skits,
questions, etc. and be willing to use the target language, Spanish. In the Spanish I class, students
should attempt to speak in the target language as much as possible. Some assignments are
recorded as a participation grade (it’s either completed or not.)At midterm and the end of the
quarter the teacher will enter a grade for participation. This grade is based on the teacher’s
observations.
Star Card
A reward system for this class is the star card. A full card is 10 stars. Stars are received
for winning games, perfect quiz scores, participating is skits, speaking the language or whatever
the teacher wants to reward. A full star card can be used to erase a tardy, for an assignment or
extra credit. They may not be used on quizzes, tests, or big assignments. They start over every
semester. You lose it, your problem.

Classroom Procedures

• Roll call by seating chart. If the student is in the wrong seat, there is a chance of being
marked tardy or absent.

• The teacher excuses the class, not the bell.

• At then end of class, pick up papers and garbage.

• Food, beverages are okay in class IF it does not interrupt with the teaching process and
no garbage is left.

• Gum is okay if the teacher does not see it.

• Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class.

• Completed assignments should be placed in the “IN” folder for that class.

• When absent, get the assignment from a classmate or check with the teacher on the “off”
day, or before class starts. Make up work must be turned completed in a timely manner.
(Student handbook has the district policy.)

• Assignments that should be completed during class time will not be accepted late.

• Late assignments will be accepted but with a grade cut. 10% for one day, 20% for 2
days to a week, and 10% more for every week later until there is no more points.

• If a student is marked truant, (a sluff) by the office, there are no make-up privileges. If a
test is given that day, a zero will be given.
 • No cell phones are to be seen in class. (School policy)

• No Ipods, etc, in class. (School policy.)

Class Binder (El cuaderno)

Each student is to have a three ring binder for this class with loose-leaf paper and dividers.
Label the 5 dividers:
1-Vocabulary; 2-Songs & Poems; 3- Notes; 4- Stories
and 5-Assignments
Class binders (El Cuaderno) will be graded once or twice every quarter.