Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- Do I get a high school foreign language credit for this class?
- When will I become fluent in Spanish?
- What are some things that I can do at home to increase my fluency rate?
- What is the only reason to be excused from taking a test on test day?
- When can I make up a test?
- What do I do if I miss a quiz?
- What should I do if I am absent?
- What can I do if an assignment requires a computer, and I do not have one?
- How do I make the Spanish accents on my computer?
- What are some things that I can do to be successful in this class?
Do I get a high school foreign language credit for this class?
If you successfully complete the Jr. High Spanish Program, you will
receive
one high school foreign language credit. In order to receive this credit,
you must take Spanish 1A in 7th grade and Spanish 1B in 8th grade and
maintain at least a 70 average in of these courses. However, the Jr. High Foreign Language
Department recommends proceeding to Level 2 Spanish at the High School ONLY if the student
maintains an average of 80 or above.
When will I become fluent in Spanish?
All people become fluent at different rates, but consider this: A child
learning his native language spends 365 days a year, about 8 hours a
day in
language learning. By the end of 3 years, this child has been engaged
in
learning his language around 8,760 hours. A child learning a foreign
language spends 180 days per year, about 50 minutes a day attempting
to learn
a new language. After his third year of study, he has only spent around
472.5 hours of study in the target language. This is not a significant
amount of time for most people to become fluent. The more hours you
spend at
home engaged in language learning, the faster you will become fluent,
and,
obviously, spending time in a Spanish speaking country will increase
this
rate considerably.
What are some things that I can do at home to increase my fluency rate?
1) Watch TV in Spanish with the captions on so that you can see the
words and
hear them too. Some Spanish channels in our area include Univision,
Telemundo, and Telefutura. The website for Univision is univision.com.
Early morning programs are more appropriate for younger audiences.
2) Read
in Spanish. There are many children's books that are printed in
Spanish.
There are also magazines, such as People en Espa�ol. 3) Use my
website.
4) Study on a regular basis. 5) If you know anyone who speaks
Spanish, try
to talk to them. Talk to your friends who are taking Spanish. 6) Listen to
music in Spanish. 7) Listen to language learning tapes or CDs. If you
do
not want to purchase them, you can make your own by recording your
own
vocabulary from class on a tape.
What is the only reason to be excused from taking a test on test day?
I hand out test study guides several days before the test. If you are
absent
every day from the day I hand out the study guide until the day of the test,
you are excused.
When can I make up a test?
During class, while we are doing corrections, except the listening part.
You
will have to come in before school at 8:00am or after school to make up
the
listening part. If you do not come in to make up this section within two
days, your test will be graded and all of the listening answers will be
marked wrong.
What do I do if I miss a quiz?
I do not give make up quizzes, except for song quizzes and spiral
quizzes.
If you miss a quiz, the section of your next test that is equivalent to the
material on that quiz will count as your quiz grade.
What should I do if I am absent?
Assume that we did something for a grade and you have a zero on it
until you
make up the work. If you are absent one day, you have two days to
make up
the work before it becomes late. If you do not understand how to
complete
the assignment, come to tutorials.
What can I do if an assignment requires a computer, and I do not have one?
1) Come to tutorials and use my computer or one of the computers in
the
library, 2) Go to a friend or family member's house that has a computer,
3) Go to Friendswood Public Library.
How do I make the Spanish accents on my computer?
Go to my Quia link for instructions.
What are some things that I can do to be successful in this class?
1) Study on a regular basis, 2) PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS, 3)
Participate,
4) Use my website, 5) Copy the notes from the overhead every day AND
review
them daily, 6) Start projects early, 7) Sing the songs looking at the words
every time that we practice, 8) Use pesos on your grade, 9) Record your
vocabulary on tape and listen to it, 10) Come to tutorials, especially if
you
notice that your quiz grades are low.