AP & SPANISH IV

Profesora Canisalez
What Spanish 4
vs. Spanish 4AP?
For many this fourth year of Spanish will be the “capstone” course in
your language study in high school. Each Spanish course you have had
up until now has been a stepping stone along your learning journey.
Whether you are in Spanish 4 or AP, to get to this proficiency level is no
small feat. All of your previous years of Spanish laid a foundation for
this course.
The AP course is a college level course. This course is comparable to a
fourth or fifth semester college course. The AP students will have to take
the AP Exam at the end of the course. The Spanish 4 students will have a
final, but will not take the AP exam.
While the much core material is the same, some additional course work,
higher expectations and some independent accelerated work will be
expected of the AP students in order to prepare for the exam.
We will learn and grow in proficiency together. Sometimes you will be
put into different groups and I will differentiate my lessons.
What were your previous experiences with Spanish that got you to this
point?
 How will this AP
course give you an
advantage in
college?
• AP students could earn college credit before
they even set foot on campus (depending on
your score and your college).
• AP students can earn advanced placement-
Your AP score can let you skip introductory
courses in college.
• Save money and time- Earning credit or
placement can open up time on your
schedule or even let you graduate early.
• Stand out to colleges- “AP” on your high
school transcript shows colleges you’ve
tackled college-level work.
• If you take more than one AP class, it’s
possible you could start your freshmen year
classified as a sophomore.
Are you taking or have taken any other AP
courses?
 5 college students
talk about AP
• Watch and listen to these students talk about their
AP experiences.

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsaui3l-
P1ppHec8F6SrBj_5aCbLBZe7Z

• While Spanish 4 students may not receive

college credit for this course, they may have the
opportunity to test out of Spanish courses
(depending on college and major).
• Spanish will give you and edge in the job market.
• So why did you choose to take Spanish 4 and
AP? Are you any of you considering declaring
their major or minor in Spanish?
 IN TODAY’S GLOBAL COMMUNITY, COMPETENCE IN MORE THAN ONE
LANGUAGE IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING. STUDY OF ANOTHER LANGUAGE NOT ONLY PROVIDES
INDIVIDUALS WITH THE ABILITY TO EXPRESS THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FOR
THEIR OWN PURPOSES BUT ALSO GIVES THEM ACCESS TO PERSPECTIVES AND
KNOWLEDGE THAT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE LANGUAGE AND
CULTURE. ADVANCED LANGUAGE LEARNING OFFERS SOCIAL, CULTURAL,
ACADEMIC, AND WORKPLACE BENEFITS THAT WILL SERVE STUDENTS
THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. THE PROFICIENCIES ACQUIRED THROUGH THE
STUDY OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES ENDOW LANGUAGE LEARNERS
WITH COGNITIVE, ANALYTICAL, AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS THAT CARRY
OVER INTO MANY OTHER AREAS OF THEIR ACADEMIC STUDIES.
Course Content
Develop your Spanish language skills and learn about the
cultures in Spanish-speaking parts of the world. You’ll practice
communicating in Spanish and study real-life materials such as
newspaper articles, films, music, and books. Here are the 6
different themes and units we will study this year:

Unit 1: Families in Different Societies

Unit 2: The Influence of Language and Culture on Identity
Unit 3: Influences of Beauty and Art
Unit 4: How Science and Technology Affect Our Lives
Unit 5: Factors That Impact the Quality of Life
Unit 6: Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges
Exam Day May 11, 2021
How the AP
Exam is
Scored
The exam scoring process, like the course
and exam development process, relies on
the expertise of both AP teachers and
college faculty. While multiple-choice
questions are scored by machine, the free-
response questions and through-course
performance assessments, as applicable,
are scored by thousands of college faculty
and expert AP teachers. Most are scored at
the annual AP Reading, while a small
portion is scored online.
Scores on the free-response questions and
performance assessments are weighted and
combined with the results of the computer-
scored multiple-choice questions, and this
raw score is converted into a composite AP
score on a 1–5 scale. AP
AP Score
◦ While colleges and universities are responsible for setting their own credit and placement
policies, most private colleges and universities award credit and/ or advanced placement for
AP scores of 3 or higher. Additionally, most states in the U.S. have adopted statewide credit
policies that ensure college credit for scores of 3 or higher at public colleges and universities.
To confirm a specific college’s AP credit/placement policy, a search engine is available at
apstudent.org/creditpolicies.
 Is the AP Exam difficult?
The chart presents some very
surprising details about the AP Spanish
Language and culture exam. Nearly
90% of students earn a passing score of
3 or higher, which is probably one of
the highest passing rates of any AP
exam. In addition, there are more
people who received 4’s and 5’s than
received 3. In fact, those who received
a 3 represent the lowest percentage of
all those with passing scores. However,
despite the fact that this makes the
exam look relatively easy, these
percentages are misleading.
The high pass rate can be attributed to
the dedication it takes and the years 2/3 of students that take the exam are heritage learners.
you spent to learn the language.
These percentages are misleading….
◦ First of all, the high pass rate can be attributed to the dedication it takes to learn a language. Those who
have studied for the exam have been taking classes for 4 or 5 years. This makes it hard to compare the
Spanish language exam to other AP tests, such as that of AP Government, which has a pass rate of only
50% for the 2015 school year with an almost equal amount of students taking the test. The AP Government
course is only taken for a semester or, more rarely, a year, before the exam is taken.
◦ Secondly, this is misleading because colleges usually require a score higher than three to take credit and
substitute that score for a college course. Most colleges only accept 4’s where some even only accept 5’s as
passing scores to accept the test as college credit. This raises the difficulty curve to represent 62% of all
students who took the exam. This number is the more representative number of those who truly “pass” the
exam.
◦ Overall, this means the exam requires a more advanced level of study in order to be used for college credit.
Most students will need an AP Spanish Language study plan to get the 5. In order to figure out such a plan,
you first need to look at the structure of the exam.
Don’t leave any questions blank…
Books
◦ Temas black old (orange is new)
◦ Teacher Answer key online
◦ Workbook is good
◦ Free trial at Vista
 Exam Structure
◦ The exam’s structure is about as complex as the language itself. The exam is meant to give a comprehensive evaluation of your knowledge of the Spanish
language. Because of this, the test is one of the longer exams, running about 2 and half hours. The time is split up between two main sections, which are
in turn split into a total of 6 separate subsections. The structure of the exam is as follows
◦ Section I: Multiple Choice Reading, 95 minutes The first section of the test is 95 minutes long and divided into two subsections. It represents half of
the final score. All questions in this section are multiple choice and are meant to test aptitude in reading and listening. The first subsection is solely a
reading section with printed texts. It is made up of 30 questions and is 40 minutes long. This means you will have 1 minute and 15 seconds for each
question.
◦ The second subsection is meant to evaluate both reading and listening skills. You first have to listen to an audio that is played by the proctor, and
then read a text relating to the audio. There are 35 questions divided up among the different audios and their texts. This section is 55 minutes long
when taking into account both the length of the audios and the time to answer questions.
◦ Section II: Writing and Speaking, 90 minutes The second section is 90 minutes long and divided into four subsections. The first subsection is an
informal writing evaluation, usually in the form of an e-mail response. There is only one prompt, and you have 15 minutes to answer.
◦ The second subsection is the formal writing prompt. This usually takes the form of a persuasive essay. You will have 1 prompt and 55 minutes to
answer the prompt. This section is probably one of the hardest because you will have to be persuasive in a second language, which means you will have
to manage a persuasive tone in Spanish.
◦ The third subsection is the informal speaking part that is made up of a simulated conversation with the proctor. You will have to respond to 5 or 6
prompts, and you will have only 20 seconds to respond to each. Despite the speed and length of this section, it is easier because the language is simpler.
◦ Finally, you will have the formal oral presentation. This subsection is meant to represent all accumulated skills that you have gathered in your Spanish
language learning. It can be the most difficult because you only have 4 minutes to prepare for the single prompt. After you have prepared, you will
have 2 minutes to give your presentation
AP Credit Policy
Search
◦ Your AP scores could earn you college
credit or advanced placement (meaning you
could skip certain courses in college). Use
this tool to find colleges that offer credit or
placement for AP scores.
◦ Have you decided on a college? Search
colleges of interest to see if they offer
credit or placement for your AP scores.
◦ https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-
credit-placement/search-policies
◦ https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-
credit-placement/search-policies/course/29
But do you want to become proficient in
Spanish? Here’s how!

Get more input! Read and listen in Spanish

and you will be able to speak and write.
If you want to speak and write in Spanish,
then read and listen in Spanish
◦ Novels
◦ News
◦ Audio
◦ Movies
◦ Podcasts
◦ Youtube Videos
◦ Music
But by the way…
Don’t worry. Be happy!
Set realistic proficiency goals
◦ Will you become a native speaker by
the end of this course?
◦ What does it take to become fluent and
proficient in a language?
◦ What are some ways we can improve
our proficiency outside of class?
◦ Who is ultimately responsible for your
learning?
Growth
Mindset
◦ Learning a language is a
process.
◦ You are on the pathway to
proficiency.
◦ Be patient with yourself.
◦ Let yourself make mistakes.
◦ No one is perfect.
◦ We are all learning new things
every day.
◦ Embrace the journey.
 Expectations
◦ Be courteous and kind. Treat others as you would want
to be treated.
◦ Be on time and prepared to learn.
◦ Have a positive attitude.
◦ Encourage and praise others.
◦ Be responsible for making up work if absent (3 day rule)
◦ Relax. Enjoy class.
◦ Do your best. Try to participate.
◦ Focus. Remove distractions.
◦ Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, b/c mistakes are proof
you’re trying!
◦ Talk to me if you have any concerns. I’m here to help!
Translators
◦ Translators may be used occasionally in class and for assignments when you are stuck.
◦ Please do not use rely on a translator too much or you will not receive credit for the assignment.
◦ In order to become proficient in a language, it’s best to “go with what you know,” but keep learning and pushing
yourself to learn new vocabulary.
◦ I recommend the following translators for class https://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp or
https://www.spanishdict.com/
Required Materials for Class
◦ Tablet (well charged)
◦ Headphones with microphone
◦ Pen or pencil
◦ A notebook
OneNote
We will utilize OneNote for class assignments and activities.
Your OneNote must be well organized and contain the following
sections:
◦ Class Notes & Activities (Pages: Unit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
◦ Writing Journal (Pages marked by date)
◦ Vocabulary Journal
◦ Country Profile (Pages: Geography, history, demographics,
economy, current news, art, music, food, products, architecture,
literary text, author, celebrations, traditions, regligion)
◦ Español En Mi Vida (Pages: Movies, Music, Novels, FlipGrid
Pals, Podcasts, YouTube Videos)
◦ AP Exam (Pages: Practice tests, Study tips
Schoology
Schoology will be utilized for posting lesson
plans and assignments. This is the first folder
you will find on your Schoology class page.

Please check Schoology on a daily basis for

upcoming assignments and due dates.

I will also post helpful resources and links for

activities.
Microsoft TEAM Meetings
Microsoft TEAMS will be used for online team meetings.
Please make sure you download the app or extension.

TEAM NORMS
• Try to connect early
• Use your video camera
• Use your microphone headset
• Mute your microphone if note speaking
• Raise hand to speak
• Light your face, not your back
• Take notes on paper for reference and transfer to
OneNote
• Stay engaged, no other open tabs, no games, no cell
phone usage
• Break (stretch, bathroom etc.)
Create an account on My AP
Collegeboard