¡Bienvenidos a Español 1!

Welcome to Spanish 1!

Booker T. Washington Early College High School

2009-2010

 Teacher:  Srta. Walton

Classroom: 2049

Contact information: waltonc@atlanta.k12.ga.us

(803)-517-6662

Course Description

This introductory course is designed to provide an overview of Spanish through basic vocabulary acquisition and grammatical accuracy as well as via a study of the many diverse cul­tures comprising the Spanish-speaking world.  It assumes that students have minimal or no prior knowledge of the language and culture.

Why take a foreign language?

As scholars in the Early College small school, you represent some of the soon-to-be top professional leaders in the global job market.  Proficiency in a foreign language has not only become a requirement for nearly all college admissions in the United States, it has become a necessity for young leaders to possess in order to market themselves favorably to their future employers and to co-operate respectively with clients and neighbors in an increasingly international nation. 

¡SI, SE PUEDE! J

 OBJECTIVES

By the end of Level one Spanish, students will exhibit Novice-Mid level proficiency in speaking and writing and Novice-High level proficiency in listening and reading (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 1999).  A detailed description of the performance standards at these levels are as follows:

 ACTFL Listening Proficiency Guidelines (Novice-High) - Listeners at the Novice-High level are able to understand short, learned utterances and some sentence-length utterances, particularly where context strongly supports understanding and speech is clearly audible. They can comprehend words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands and courtesy formulae. At this level, students may require repetition, rephrasing and/or a slowed rate of speech for comprehension.

 ACTFL Speaking Proficiency Guidelines (Novice-Mid) - Speakers at the Novice-Mid level communicate minimally and with difficulty by using a number of isolated words and memorized phrases limited by the particular context in which the language has been learned. When responding to direct questions, they may utter only two or three words at a time or an occasional stock vocabulary or attempt to recycle their own and their interlocutor’s words. Because of hesitations, lack of vocabulary, inaccuracy, or failure to respond appropriately, Novice-Mid speakers may be understood with great difficulty even by sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to dealing with non-natives. When called on to handle topics by performing functions associated with the Intermediate level, they frequently resort to repetition, words from their native language, or silence.

 ACTFL Reading Proficiency Guidelines (Novice-High) - Readers at the Novice-High level have sufficient control of the writing system to interpret written language areas of practical need. Where vocabulary has been learned, they can read for instructional and directional purposes, standardized messages, phrases, and expressions, such as some items on menus, schedules, timetables, maps and signs. At times, but not on a consistent basis, the Novice- High readers may be able to derive meaning from material at a slightly higher level where context and/or extra linguistic background knowledge are supportive.

 ACTFL Writing Proficiency Guidelines (Novice-Mid) - Writers at the Novice-Mid level are able to copy or transcribe familiar words or phrases, and reproduce from memory a modest number of isolated words and phrases in context. They can supply limited information on simple forms and documents, and other basic biographical information, such as names, numbers, and nationality. Novice-Mid writers exhibit a high degree of accuracy when writing on well-practiced, familiar topics using limited formulaic language. With less familiar topics, there is a marked decrease in accuracy. Errors in spelling or in the representation of symbols may be frequent. There is little evidence of functional writing skills. At this level, the writing may be difficult to understand even by those accustomed to reading the texts of non-natives.

(GeorgiaStandards.org)