WLG240

In Level IV students continue to develop and refine the major skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. They read and comprehend authentic texts that include advanced grammatical structures (i.e. passive voice, subjunctive and conditional moods, indirect discourse), and topics that are technical, scientific, philosophical and literary. Students’ writing and speaking also reflect advanced grammatical structures and an ever-expanding, sophisticated, and eloquent vocabulary. Students become more adept at comprehending the speech of native speakers, speaking at a normal rate of speed, in most situations.

Learning experience designs include:

• Slice of Time—an interdisciplinary approach to the study of a selected period of history, beginning with a piece of literature, a film, a historical period, a philosophical movement, or an art movement, etc. as a focal point. Some recent learning experiences have been: Medieval Spanish Literature, The Origins of the Spanish Language, Surrealist Spanish Painting, Revolutionary Movements in Twentieth Century Latin American, and Immigration: Myths and Reality.
• Visual Thinking—based on the belief that art reflects the perspectives, practices and products of a culture. The study of art from the Spanish-speaking world involves careful observation and analysis. It encourages deductive reasoning, speculation about possible meaning, interpretation, and judgment.
• Science and Ethics—designed so that students can examine a scientific problem that affects individuals and society as a whole. The choice of problems may vary from year to year; however, the problem must reflect an ethical dilemma. Examples of topics are: the pros and cons of nuclear energy, the effects of oil spills, genetics engineering, euthanasia, forestry management, use/misuse of the information superhighway, the political role of environmental groups, the responsibility of the scientist in society, etc.

Comprehensive Course Syllabus — Spanish IV
2014-15

Course Description
In Level IV students continue to develop and refine the major skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. They read and comprehend authentic texts which include advanced grammatical structures (i.e. passive voice, subjunctive and conditional moods, indirect discourse), and topics that are technical, scientific, philosophical and literary. Students’ writing and speaking also reflect advanced grammatical structures and an ever-expanding, sophisticated, and eloquent vocabulary. In particular, writing tasks will reflect the ability to analyze issues, engage in critical thinking, and move beyond simply descriptive prose. Students become more adept at comprehending the speech of native speakers, speaking at a normal rate of speed, in most situations.

Instructor
Sr. José M. Palos
(630) 907-5472
jpalos@imsa.edu
A135A

Office Hours
A/C days: 10:00-10:50am; B/D days: 2:20-3:15p, any other time I am not teaching, by appointment.

Texts/Materials
No single individual textbook is used. Copies of some of the readers (El Cid, El coronel no tiene quien le escriba, Don Quijote, etc.) and other materials and handouts will be provided by the instructor. You will be expected to have:

• a 3-ring binder or folder to gather the numerous handouts distributed throughout the year
• a notebook (Composition-notebook size and format) for journal-writing
• a Spanish-English dictionary (printed book) and access to an online dictionary such as www.spanishdict.com or www.diccionarios.com

Essential Experiential Aspect

At IMSA one of our main objectives in teaching foreign languages is for students to engage, on a deep, intellectual, and personal level, in new ways of seeing, thinking, interacting, and communicating. In order for this objective to be realized, students must encounter a communicative system and cultural perspectives different from their own. It is essential for our students’ growth that they engage in immersion-based learning experiences where they are supported in going beyond normal comfort levels, and where they learn to function within a system that is unfamiliar to them, thereby developing real-world proficiency in another language and in other cultures.

As a result of language learning, our students think and act globally, are cosmopolitan in their outlook, and international in their understanding. They will be ethical leaders who advance the human condition. When students speak another language, they think and act differently. Their perspective is widened and their horizons are expanded. Students have a greater capacity to empathize, to make friends, to imagine “what it would be like” to be in another person’s shoes. Imagination is stretched. Students no longer see “aliens” or “others”, but rather they see real people with differences and similarities. If students stop studying a language, they may forget the words and grammar details. However, learning another language and its culture(s), learning how to effectively communicate with other human beings, and learning how meaning is constructed through words other than one’s native tongue, will remain for a lifetime.

The IMSA World Language Learning Standards, in which the five unifying concepts (communication, cultures, communities, comparisons, and connections) are embedded, are the guiding principles of the program. It states that students studying foreign language at IMSA will:

A. communicate in multiple modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).
B. understand the relationships among the practices, products, and perspectives of the cultures studied.
C. reinforce and further knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
D. acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
E. understand the nature of language through comparisons of their own language and the language studied.
F. understand the concept of culture through comparisons of their own culture and the cultures studied.
G. use knowledge of language and culture both within and beyond the school setting for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

In addition, the WL team guides students in the development of their metacognitive skills, their ability to collaborate, and their ability to accurately assess learning–skills which are applicable to all of their learning experiences.

Standards of Significant Learning and Outcomes

I.A. Students are expected to demonstrate automaticity in skills, concepts, and processes that enable complex thought by…

• controlling the linguistic system (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, lexis)
• expressing feelings and emotions
• engaging in oral and written discourse
• exchanging opinions
• compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions between individuals of different age, status, and background
• directly accessing knowledge and information generated by other countries and cultures
• using strategies that enhance the effectiveness of communication
• applying content knowledge to create with the target language.
• providing and obtaining information
• decoding written and spoken language on a variety of topics
• presenting information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics
• transferring content knowledge in alternative scenarios and new problems

II. A. Students are expected to identify unexamined cultural, historical, and personal assumptions and misconceptions that impede and skew inquiry by…

• recognizing that language learning is not simply a word-for-word translation process, but rather the acquisition of an entirely new set of concepts
• processing information on the nature of language and/or culture
• identifying patterns among language systems
• demonstrating mutual cultural understanding and respect

V.B. Students are expected to write and speak with power, economy, and elegance by…

• providing and obtaining information
• presenting information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics
• controlling the linguistic system (syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, lexis)
• using strategies that enhance the effectiveness of communication
• engaging in oral and written discourse on given topics
• recognizing the linguistic and cultural differences that contribute to the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures
• compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions between individuals of different age, status, and background
• expressing feelings and emotions
• exchanging opinions
• decoding written and spoken languages on a variety of topics

V.D. Students are expected to develop an aesthetic awareness and capability by…

• recognizing that language learning is not a word-for-word translation process, but is the acquisition of an entirely new set of concepts.
• recognizing that people of other cultures view the world from a perspective different from their own
• experiencing more fully the artistic and cultural creations of other cultures
• identifying patterns of behavior among people of other cultures
• applying knowledge of the perspectives, artifacts, and practices of a culture

V.A. Students are expected to identify, understand, and accept the rights and responsibilities of belonging to a diverse community by…

• recognizing the existence of other peoples’ world views, their unique way of life, and the patterns of behavior which order their world
• assessing the linguistic and cultural differences that contribute to the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures
• applying knowledge of the perspectives, artifacts, and practices of a culture
• engaging in oral and written discourse
• providing and obtaining information
• expressing feelings and emotions
• exchanging opinions
• compensating for linguistic inadequacies and cultural differences when they occur, and applying knowledge of cultural perspectives governing interactions between individuals of different age, status, and background
• explaining the process of stereotyping and the role stereotypes play in forming and sustaining prejudice
• demonstrating mutual cultural understanding and respect
• engaging in meaningful direct interactions with members of other cultures
• sharing their knowledge of language and culture

Instructional Design and Approach

World Languages teachers establish an immersion classroom where the goal is correct, uninhibited, creative expression and communication in the target language. “Communication” includes speaking, reading, listening, and writing. We denote, and help students to develop skills in, three modes of communication: presentational, interpersonal, and interpretive. Our instructional design provides the opportunity for students to develop core competency learner characteristics. We empower and enable students to discover what they personally need in order to acquire and use a foreign language; we place responsibility on the individual student to collaborate, utilize problem-solving skills, and critical and creative thinking. We ask students to persist through frustration, and to maintain a tolerance for ambiguity; we demand that they look at problematic situations from various viewpoints and perspectives, and we design instruction so that they must develop and go beyond automaticity, actively construct meaning, seek connections and interactions that deepen understanding, and appreciate the value of knowledge from multiple sources and perspectives. We help students develop the cultural sensitivity that is necessary to guard against miscommunication or misunderstanding. We assume that students will display the motivation, maturity, and personal responsibility necessary to participate in this sort of language acquisition environment.

Student Expectations
Immersion means that you will be surrounded by Spanish at a level that is appropriate for you. You will not hear English from me and I expect to hear only Spanish from you. Students speak Spanish to the best of your ability at all times. The more closely guided and directed instructional elements encountered in the earlier levels of instruction will give way to less structured content-based instructional units. Students are expected to treat each other and the instructor with respect. They are expected to be a positive contributor to the community of learners that is the Spanish IV class. They are expected to be in class daily, to be punctual, and to be prepared, i.e. assignments completed, and in possession of materials that the teacher has prepared or distributed which are necessary for participation in class. Students should understand that assignments are not only written documents which are periodically collected for review by the teacher, but also include thinking about language, practicing, learning, studying, and yes, even memorizing. The amount of time outside of class that a student requires to become proficient in Spanish varies from individual to individual. A reasonable expectation is that students spend 30 to 40 minutes outside of class per day doing homework and reviewing for a total of 210 to 280 minutes per week. Shorter daily study sessions are much more conducive to language acquisition than one or two longer periods during the week. Class time and study time outside of class should be construed essentially as time devoted to practice in which the various skills can be refined in order to ensure success at the time of assessment

Active class participation is essential to your success and to the success of the course.

Attendance Expectations
Students are expected to be in all classes on time and for the entire time, unless properly excused by the Academy via the Attendance, Nurse’s, Counselors’ or Principal’s Office. All students should arrive in their assigned classroom location prior to start of class. Unexcused tardiness is disruptive to the instructional process and forces the teacher into unnecessary repetition. If a student is more than 10 minutes late for a class, the unexcused tardy may change to an unexcused absence. I will not inform you if you have too many tardy days or absences; it is the responsibility of students and parents to check the attendance record in Power School. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to turn homework in as soon as possible, to inform yourself of what we did in class, and to obtain the new homework. I cannot replicate what we did in class so you must make every effort to be ready to work and participate in class on the day of your return. Long-term absences due to illness will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Honesty
IMSA students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Students are to act so that they are worthy of the trust bestowed on them by teachers and peers, conduct themselves honestly, and carry out their responsibilities with honor and fairness. At the minimum, students involved in breaches of academic integrity will receive a failing grade for the assignment with the possibility of a lower or failing course grade. Cheating, plagiarism, and inappropriate collaboration are examples of a breach of academic integrity. Cheating includes: copying another person’s work and representing it as your own; acting contrary to the teachers instructions regarding collaboration; seeking unfair advantage, use notes on the test (unless permitted), getting exam questions from an earlier test taker, and aiding and abetting another in cheating. Specific examples of cheating in the foreign language classroom include: using an English version of a foreign language text and using an online translator for more than individual words. When in doubt, ask the teacher for clarification.

Assessment practices, procedures, and processes
Students are assessed daily through their participation and engagement in the production of written and spoken language, and on reading and listening comprehension. Essential elements of effective communication are comprehensibility and comprehension, language control, creative use of vocabulary in context, communication strategies and cultural awareness. To measure your developing proficiency in Spanish our assessments will reflect one of the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal and presentational. You will receive feedback after performing each task to help you prepare for completion of the subsequent task as all tasks within a thematic unit are interrelated and built upon one another. In the same way that no skill exists in isolation as the

language is being acquired, we will try to assess your integrated, natural progression. A variety of assessment tools will be used, including:

• individual, paired and small group work
• informal conversations in small and large groups
• in-class discussions and presentations
• video and audio recordings of conversations and discussions
• writing samples and compositions
• reading and listening comprehension
• discrete item tests, quizzes and examinations
• group projects
• participation and attendance

Our major assessments will be structured around the three modes of communication. Your course grade will be computed as follows:

• Interpersonal communication (spoken and written):  20%
• Presentational tasks (spoken and written one-way communication):  25%
• Interpretive assessments (listening and reading comprehension):  15%
• Homework, grammar quizzes, miscellaneous short assignments:  20%
• In-class oral and written language production:  20%

Interpretive communication will be assessed on a daily basis by means of student comprehension in teacher/student and student/student conversation, listening to audio/video discs and tapes, carrying out tasks based on oral discourse, and various aural activities.

Interpersonal and oral presentational communication will be assessed by means of informal checks of in-class conversations, by the charlas or debates we hold in class, and by more formal videotaped or recorded conversations and presentations.

Written presentational communication will be assessed by means of the diarios and other regular writing assignments and occasional projects. Students should focus on accuracy in syntax, spelling, incorporating new and old grammatical structures, and use of new and old vocabulary in an appropriate context.

You will be regularly asked to self-assess your learning, to engage in peers’ critic and reflect on your learning experience. Throughout the year you will create an electronic portfolio of video and audio assessments and a portfolio of written work which will allow you to reflect on your progress.

In order for you to clearly understand what constitutes the targeted outcome of your learning experience, what meets, does not meet or exceeds expectations for your level, you will receive rubrics for interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes, which are meant as a constant reminder of what the components of effective communication are for the communicative task in which you participate and which Standards of Significant Learning are targeted in this learning experience.

You will have homework every day. It may be written, oral, or simply review. Some assignments will be collected and graded; others, I will simply check to see you have completed it. Timely completion of homework is essential for successful participation in class. You should understand that assignments are not necessarily only written documents, but also include thinking about the language, practicing, learning, studying, reading and memorizing. All assignments must be handed in on time. If you miss a class, call or e-mail a classmate or your instructor to find out what was assigned for the next day.

Assessment involves both the teacher and the student. The teacher provides regular feedback on student performance. The student follows through on the teacher’s feedback, and engages in self–assessment. Emphasis is on continued efforts to improve student’s language proficiency.

Students are assessed daily on the production of written and spoken language, and on reading and listening comprehension. Essential elements of effective communication are the creative use of vocabulary in context, and grammatical and syntactical accuracy. Written assessments include journal writing, essays, short writes, quizzes, and exams. Written performance assessment includes orthography, diacritical markings, legibility, punctuation, organization, and style. Oral performance is assessed through informal conversations, individual and group work, in–class presentations, and video assessments. Oral performance assessment includes quality of pronunciation, intonation, and fluency.

Units and topics covered include:

• El idioma español: de su origen al presente; el Spanglish
• El Cid: la Edad Media en España
• Cine contemporáneo español: El OrfanatoDon Quijote de la Mancha
• El arte y los artistas del mundo hispano
• Cuentos de Julio Cortázar: el realismo mágico
• La justicia: Argentina y El secreto de sus ojos
• La Visión de EEUU en el mundo hispano