I. Requirements for use of Spanish outside of the classroom:
1. View a movie or cultural performance, or attend a cultural event that
presents valid practices or historical background about one of the
Spanish speaking countries of the world. You will be provided a form to
complete concerning this activity. This may not include a movie that you
have seen in one of your Spanish classes. You must receive prior approval if
it does not appear on the list below. Some of the movies on the list are "R"
rated or have no rating so make sure you have parental approval before viewing
There are many good documentaries and pertinent biographies or travel
programs available on TV on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic
Channel, a travel channel or A.& E. Any of these would be permissible.
Possible Movies
El Cid Maricela Sweet 15
rcycle Diaries Mission
Man of the Mancha The Official Story Missing
Los olvidados The Butterfly Like Water for Chocolate
Grandfather House of the Spirits Frida
Mambo Kings Romero Calle 54
Buena Vista Social Club Guantamera Ay Carmelo
Tango Volver Evita
The Alamo For Whom the Bell Tolls Real Women Have Curves
La Bamba El norte Nueba Yol
Skyline In the Time of the Butterflies Dirty Dancing Havana Nights
Don Quixote Milagro Beanfield Wars El flamenco
Quincenera
2. Log of encounters with the language outside of the classroom. Keep
a log of the occasions on which you encounter Spanish outside of the
classroom. Include your reaction at the time. You will receive a chart for
this.
3. Make a connection to another course you are studying this year. How
has something you learned in that course related to what you learn or do in
Spanish class? If you think you will have a problem with this come and see
me and we can discuss your options. Write a summary of this activity and
what it contributed to your learning in both classes.
4. Force yourself to have a conversation in Spanish with a native
speaker. Summarize the conversation that you had and explain what vocabulary
you needed to communicate. How long was the conversation? With whom was
it? What did you talk about? This must be beyond the "hello" “how are
you?” stage of a level one student.
II. ORAL PRESENTATION PROCEDURES:
1. Assignments will be given in class with the expectations, and explanation
of conversational and vocabulary objectives.
2. Groups will be formed and decisions made about each person's individual
role.
3. No one person is to write the dialog for everyone else to memorize. I find
this leads to repetition of lines with no concept of what is being said.
4. Each person is responsible for his own lines within the content of the
group conversation.
5. Papers will not be used during presentations. Memorization is only
necessary as required for your ability to converse. The objective of the
presentations is not to memorize something but to show you can carry on a
Spanish conversation about whatever the specific language goals and
objectives are for each lesson.
RUBRIC FOR GRADING ORAL PRESENTATIONS:
4 3 2 1
Content: All required Most required 70% of 50 to 70%
elements elements required of required.
Vocabulary: All inclusive Very good Basic Minimal
rich and some description lacks new barely beginner
descriptive
Structure: New goals met Some errors in Goals not met Numerous errors
Few or no errors new goals & Several errors affect communi-
old material in past concepts cation.
Presentation: Excellent Good Many problems Errors make
pronumciation pronumciation in pronunciation comprehension
and fluency with some and fluency difficult
fluency problems.
II. NOTEBOOKS:
All students should have a three ring binder notebook or a section of a
larger binder for Spanish. This should then be divided into 5 sections as
follows:
1. Grammar and Class notes: Study sheets provided as well as
your personal notes taken in class. Try to keep
topics together, i.e. verbs, present tense, past
tense; pronouns etc., so you can easily add
subsequent information and find necessary topics
when you are studying.
2. Listening and Speaking activities done in class.
3. Vocabulary: Vocabulary sheets provided for study as well as a
running list of words you encounter that you do not
know but for which you are responsible. Remember if
you find the word in your book or notes it is
assumed you remember it from level one or a previous
lesson.
4. Assignments: Done inside and outside of class. You may continue
from one assignment to the next on the same paper.
Make sure to date and put the page and activity
number for each.
5. Diary: Contains returned papers, corrections from tests or
quizzes and a running list of areas where you have
encountered problems so you have a good reference of what
to check on and practice before a test.
