Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School

Spanish II Syllabus 2009-2010 Main Office: 202-576-

6130
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
Señorita O’Neil Phone: (954) 612-6765
(cell)
Room 218 Email:
katherine.o’neil@dc.gov
¡BIENVENIDOS A LA CLASE DE ESPAÑOL!
(Welcome to Spanish class!)

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will:
• Introduce students to the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in
the Spanish language.
• Explore why learning all four skills of the Spanish language is important and
relevant to students’ lives.
• Investigate the cultures of all 21 Spanish-speaking countries and prepare students
to participate, compete and cooperate in a multilingual world.
• Connect Spanish to the real world and identify academic and career opportunities
enhanced by the ability to communicate in the Spanish language.

EXPECTATIONS
I expect that all students will be respectful, be prepared, be present, be purposeful,
and be mature and responsible young adults. Strict adherence to classroom
expectations and procedures is crucial to creating a high-quality learning environment
where no valuable time is wasted.

1. BE RESPECTFUL to your classmates, to your teacher, to class materials and to

yourself.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN MY CLASS. Always use positive language, listen
while others are speaking and be supportive of others.

2. BE PREPARED and on time everyday in class with all necessary supplies. Come to
class with your homework done and ready to learn from bell to bell.

3. BE PRESENT means more than showing up. It means coming to class every day, on
time and paying full attention. NO sleeping or using your cell phone or music
device. This will not be tolerated. Use your time wisely and ask questions when
you don’t understand.

4. BE PURPOSEFUL by being a positive contribution to the learning experience.

Everyone in this class is a scholar with something to offer. Everything we do in class
has a purpose.

5. BE MATURE AND RESPONSIBLE young adults. School is one of your jobs - act
professionally and set high expectations for your BEHAVIOR and your LEARNING. You
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 must earn your grade through hard work.

OWN YOUR ACTIONS. OWN YOUR LEARNING.

MATERIALS/TEXTBOOKS:
Students will be required to have on a daily basis…
1. A 1.5 inch 3-ring binder (your cuaderno)
2. Package of 5 dividers for your cuaderno
OR a duotang folder with pockets (folder with brackets in the middle)
3. Loose leaf paper
4. Pen in blue or black ink
5. Textbook: En Español is the name of our textbook. We only have a class set.
Students will be given photocopies of any material they may need from the
textbook.

***You will need to have all materials in class by FEBRUARY 1st. All cultural experts
must keep a neat record of all the information they compile. As students in this class, the
same is expected of you. There will be a RANDOM cuaderno check at least 2-3
times each advisory to ensure you hold on to notes, classwork, homework, quizzes and
tests. Each cuaderno quiz is worth 5% of your grade. ***

PACE OF COURSE
The units included in this course are the following:

Unit Name
1. Who Am I?/¿Quién soy yo?
2. School Life/La vida escolar
3. Daily Routine and Chores/La rutina diara y los
quehaceres
4. Shopping/De compras
5. Community/La comunidad
6. When I Was Young/Cuando era joven
7. Restaurante Experiences/¡Buen provecho!
8. An Unforgettable Trip(Un viaje inolvidable)

GRADING
Hacer Ahora (Warm Up)10%
Class Participation 15% The FINAL GRADE for the semester is
Homework 10% calculated as follows:
Classwork 20% Advisory 1 Grade Advisory 2 Grade Final Exam
Binder Quizzes 5% 40% + 40% + 20% =
Weekly Quizzes 20% FINAL
Unit Tests 20%
Total 100%

**Students will be given their updated class average every Monday**

***NOTE*** 10 unexcused absences in an advisory period results in

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AUTOMATIC FAILURE of advisory.

Grading procedure will reflect the DCPS grading scale:

A 93 - 100% C 73 – 76%
A- 90 – 92% C- 70 – 72%
B+ 87 – 89% D+ 67 – 69%
B 83 – 86% D 64 – 67%
B- 80 – 82% F below 64%
C+ 77 – 79%
CONSECUENCIAS NEGATIVAS (NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES)
Failure to adhere to school or classroom rules and procedures may result in
the following disciplinarian action:
1. Verbal Warning
2. Student-Teacher conference
3. Deduction of participation points
4. Phone call home
5. Student-Teacher-Parent-Administrator conference

***TEACHER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO JUMP CONSEQUENCE STEPS

OR IMPLEMENT OTHER CONSEQUENCES BASED ON SEVERITY OF
OFFENSE***

CONSECUENCIAS POSITIVAS (POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES)

1. Praise & Shoutouts
2. Phone call or note home
3. Bonus Points/Tickets
4. Class Rewards
5. Classroom Culture Days (Class average of a 85% or higher on the unit
assessment)

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES

1. Entering/Exiting the Classroom

You are to enter the classroom in an orderly, non-disruptive fashion. I will close the
classroom door when the bell rings. After the bell rings, you are considered tardy. Sit in
your assigned seat, take out your homework and begin working on the Hacer Ahora. The
Hacer Ahora is a timed and graded assignment. As you work SILENTLY, I will walk around
and stamp your Hacer Ahora. Without this stamp, you will receive a zero on your Hacer
Ahora. If you lose your Hacer Ahora paper, you will not receive credit.

At the end of class, the bell does not dismiss you, I dismiss you. Do not pack up your
materials until I tell you to do so. I will not dismiss the class until everyone’s area has
been cleaned. When I say ¡Adios! (Goodbye!), you may leave the room. When you exit
the classroom, you will do so in an orderly fashion. On your way out, turn in your exit
slips into the inbox and place your Hacer Ahora sheet in the class folder.

2. Seating

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You will sit in your assigned seat. I will change seating assignments periodically. If you
need to get up from your seat, please raise your hand. If there is a problem with the
behavior, I will change your seat.

3. Homework (Tarea)
You will have a homework assignment everyday. This is crucial to your learning. On
Monday, you will receive the HW packet for the week. Homework packets are due on
Fridays. If you turn in your homework packet late, you will receive half credit. HW will
not be accepted for half credit after a unit test. Homework is 10% of your grade.

4. Tardy Policy
If you are in class after the bell has rung, YOU WILL BE MARKED TARDY. If you have a
pass from another class, you have an excused tardy. If you receive 3 tardies in one
week, you will have an after-school or lunch detention with me. If you miss the first 5
minutes of class, you will miss the graded Hacer Ahora. The Hacer Ahora can NOT be
made up!!! It is very important you come to class on time. If you come in late, sign the
attendance/tardy sheet and sit at your desk and begin working with the class. Do not
disrupt the class.

5. Supplies
You are expected to come to class every day with your binder/folder, materials and
writing utensil. If you do not bring a pen, you may purchase one from me for 25 cents.
You can only purchase pens during the Hacer Ahora time. Note: I will not always have
pens available, bring your own or ask a neighbor for one.

6. Ticket Policy
Students will receive 4 tickets at the beginning of each week. Students will receive
tickets for good behavior, outstanding participation, etc. Students will need to give up
tickets for bathroom/water fountain use. At the end of each week, there will be a ticket
raffle for a prize.

7. Bathroom Policy
If you need to use the restroom, you may raise your hand and ask Ms. O’Neil in Spanish
if you may use the restroom (¿Puedo usar el baño, por favor?). There is ONE bathroom
pass for the whole class. YOU NEED TO “PAY” ME A TICKET TO USE THE
BATHROOM. You have 5 minutes to complete your business and return to class.
Anything longer than 5 minutes and your participation points will be taken away. If you
do not return to class, you will be marked absent and you will receive a consequence for
skipping. Only one person may use the bathroom at a time. It is to the COMPLETE
DISCRETION of the teacher whether or not Ms. O’Neil will permit you to use the restroom.

8. If You Are Absent

It is your responsibility to make up any work you have missed, including what you
missed when out on a pass or tardy to class. If you are absent, you should first go to the
weekly folders on the front table to collect what you have missed. You should copy
someone’s notes so that you can understand how to do the homework. YOU WILL HAVE
1 WEEK TO COMPLETE ALL MAKE UP WORK. Ms. O’Neil may or may not remind you
so be sure you take action as soon as you get back to class. If you have an unexcused
absence, you will receive a ZERO on all assignments missed, including quizzes.
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If you are absent, you must bring a note from a parent/guardian explaining
your absence. Failure to do so will result in a ZERO on all assignments missed.
Frequent absences will severely hinder your ability to pass this class.

9. Tests & Quizzes

I expect you to really know Spanish and be able to demonstrate your knowledge and
abilities at any time. If you actively attend and participate in class, do your homework
and complete classwork this should not be a problem. We will have at least one
exam and/or quiz every week.
***If you talk during a quiz or test, even if you have already handed in your test,
you will lose 5 points on your test.
***Any cheating will earn you a grade of ZERO and that includes the
person who is sharing their answers!!!!

10. Participation
Class attendance everyday is not optional. You will earn points everyday for coming to
class on time and prepared. Each day you will fill out a participation tracker. You will
lose points if you are not following the expectations of the class. You can receive bonus
points if you are exceptional in your participation. You will get a participation grade
everyday. Srta. O’Neil has full discretion to alter individual tracker if student is not
completing the self-assessment honestly.

11. Extra Help

I am in my room during lunch and after school almost every single day. I am more than
happy to do one on one tutoring or hold study sessions before a quiz or test. Talk to me
during class to set up a tutoring appointment or stop by after school. Please do not
hesitate to ask for help, learning a new language can be difficult!

THE SYLLABUS CONTRACT

This contract must be signed by the parent, student and teacher to ensure that all
policies and procedures contained in the attached syllabus are understood.

I (the student) have read and understand these policies and procedures for the
Spanish II classroom. My signature indicates that I understand these policies
and agree to always do my best to abide by them.

Signature: _________________________________________ Date: _______________________

I (the parent) have read and understand these policies and procedures for the
Spanish II classroom. My signature indicates that I understand these policies
and agree to always help my student to do his/her best to abide by them.

Signature: _________________________________________ Date: _______________________

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I (the teacher) have read and understand these policies and procedures for the
Spanish II classroom. My signature indicates that I will always do my best to
help each and every student to succeed in the Spanish classroom.

Signature: _________________________________________ Date: _______________________

***STUDENTS: Please turn this in by Friday, FEBRUARY 5th!! This, along with your
PARENT/GUARDIAN survey counts as a quiz grade!!!!!

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