Conversation and Culture of the Hispanic World

Conversation and Culture of the Hispanic World

Conversación y cultura del mundo hispano

Syllabus 2021-2022

 

Lake Forest Academy

Dra. Mireille Palm

 

¡Hola, y bienvenidos a todos al curso de Conversación y Cultura del Mundo Hispano!

My name is Doctora Palm. I am very excited to join the LFA community and to be your teacher for Conversation and Culture of the Hispanic World this semester.  I look forward to helping you improve your Spanish skills and hear you speak en español inside and outside of the classroom.

 

Important information

Course name: Conversation and Culture of the Hispanic World	Teacher: Mireille Palm	Classroom: Corbin 210
Periods of Instruction: A4, B4, C5, E5, F3/4	Cycle Sheet: See Pages Ciclo 1 - Primavera 20212	Zoom link
Cycle meetings: A6, B6, E3, F7 and by Appt	Correo: mireille.palm@lfanet.org	Teléfono: (847) 615-3210

 

Nuestra Clase

In this semester-long intensive conversation course, students hone their speaking and listening abilities as they examine advanced vocabulary and linguistic structures in authentic contexts. Students further develop their oral proficiency skills through real-life situation-based discussions, debates, performances, and oral presentations. Students work to develop the lexicon necessary to be comfortable in a multitude of pertinent real-world scenarios. Students also further refine their reading, writing, and literary analysis capabilities through an in-depth study of culturally relevant legends, myths, and folkloric histories of Spain and Mexico. Through investigation of respective cultural traditions, students analyze and examine the historical origins and contemporary significance of principal cultural celebrations and traditions. Moreover, students investigate and assess the linguistic nuances found in both traditional and contemporary music, and describe the historical foundation and social implications of these messages. The course is taught entirely in Spanish.

Please read, understand, and be familiar with the following information.  The policies and procedures are important to creating a productive, fair, challenging and fun learning experience for everyone.

Important  information for remote learners: Guidelines for e-learningdownload

Texts:

1) Revista  José A. Blanco, 5^a edición. Here is a pdf copy of the first chapter in case you have not yet received your textbook.

Additional Required Material:       

You are required to have the following supplies during Synchronous classes (live, or realtime Zoom). The same applies to Asynchronous (individually paced, not live) classes, should we ever need to go that route.

• iPad (well-charged)
• Stylus
• textbook or compatible etextbook,
• eworkbook (digital copy only)
• personal paper, pen or pencil (supplies for active note taking)
• all completed assignments
• Spanish/English dictionary is recommended but not required for everyday assignments. You may use an online dictionary such as Wordreference.com. However, the use of online translators is prohibited.

Classroom Expectations

Here are some general behavior guidelines for you to follow in class.  

• Arrive to class on-time and prepared to begin.
• Be prepared to review homework and ask questions about the assignments.
• Listen actively & take notes.
• Raise your hand to ask questions and/or comment.
• Follow the instructions the first time given.
• Participate in all class activities from start to finish.
• Wait at your seat for dismissal.
• Please listen while instructions are being given. 

You will be assigned homework regularly for the purpose of practicing the concepts that we cover in the course. Students are expected to arrive to class having reviewed each topic in detail and with any assigned work completed. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that homework is competed or submitted on canvas before the beginning of the class period. In the Modern and Classical Languages Department all assigned work is expected to be submitted by the specified deadline. Late homework Late homework will not be accepted, and late work may be penalized at the discretion of the teacher.

Homework assignments (including readings), longer writing and/or research assignments and tests will be announced on cycle sheets. Short quizzes may be given without prior notice, but consistent completion of class assignments will prepare students for success on any unannounced quizzes. Progress will be assessed at the end of every unit of the textbook and will be announced on cycle sheets.

Participation: 

In a conversation class, participation is key. Not only speaking but actively engaging in all activities.  Students are expected to speak Spanish at all times in this course. Grades for participation and effort to speak in Spanish will be given every cycle. Please refer to the Participation Rubric for more detail on how participation grades are assigned.

Grading

You will regularly be evaluated on your progress in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. For projects, we will use a Standards Based Learning System to assess student proficiency. Each student’s grade will be based on his or her proficiency in the following Long Term Learning Targets:

  1. I can listen to and demonstrate comprehension of the target language.

  2. I can speak comprehensibly to meet my needs in the target language.

  3. I can read in the target language and demonstrate comprehension of the main idea and supporting details of a text.

  4. I can write comprehensibly using the target language. I can accurately use vocabulary and grammar from the target language.

  5.1 I can recognize and demonstrate understanding of various aspects of the target language culture.  (Optional)

Overall, your grade will reflect the extent to which you meet the classroom expectations. 

In accordance with school policy, you will receive a grade for each semester. You will also receive an INTERIM GRADE in each semester which will not be recorded on your transcript, but which will be an indicator of your progress to you and your parents.

Classroom Grades Breakdown:

Homework	15%
Effort and Meaningful Participation	20%
Assignments / Projects	20%
Quizzes	10%
Tests	15%
Final Semester Exam	20%

 

Grading Scale for Progress Reports and Final Grades

Letter Grade	Percentage Points
A+	100 – 97	B+	89.9 – 87	C+	79.9 – 77	D+	69.9 – 67	F	Below
A	96.9 – 93	B	86.9 – 83	C	76.9 – 73	D	66.9 – 63
A-	92.9 – 90	B-	82.9 – 80	C-	72.9 – 70	D-	62.9 – 60

 

Add/Drop Policy

Students may make changes to their schedules in the first cycle, but after that, changes must be teacher-initiated, and grades will follow them. No changes are allowed after the first progress report (unless there are extenuating circumstances).

Modern and Classical Languages Department Philosophy on Rewrites, Retakes, and Revisions

The Department feels strongly that language learning is a process and that students reinforce their learning by having the opportunity to examine and correct their mistakes. Your instructor may provide opportunities for test corrections, test retakes or revision of written work. These opportunities may be optional or required. Corrections, retakes, and revisions generally impact the grade positively because they often reflect an improvement over previous work, but your teacher will determine the impact on your grade based on the quality of your work.

In order to be eligible to perform the retake the student must: attend class regularly and receive help from a language teacher during cycle meetings. Students must have all homework from the unit correct and complete before attempting the retake. The retake must be taken within two weeks of the original assessment date or within a reasonable amount of time at the discretion of the teacher.

Absences

If a student is absent, they may refer to the cycle sheet for missed material. I recommend that they obtain notes from a classmate who attended the missed class. If it is a planned absence, please see me in advance to discuss the material to be covered.

As stated in the LFA 2021 Reopening Plan, only students isolating or quarantining for (non travel) COVID-related reasons will be permitted to attend classes virtually. This will be the only permissible situation in which virtual classes will be offered. In other words, all non-COVID-related absences will be treated as absences and students may not log into class remotely.

Academic Honesty

Lake Forest Academy takes all forms of academic dishonesty very seriously, and you should not engage in any of those activities. As stated on page 38 of LFA’s Student Handbook, “Students are, therefore, expected to avoid placing themselves in any position that would call into question their integrity or sense of academic honesty.  Some of the more obvious forms of academic dishonesty are cheating on a test and plagiarism of a written assignment.  Plagiarism is the use of another person’s words, thoughts, or ideas without crediting the source.  Students are especially cautioned that using or copying material from Internet sites and presenting it as one’s own work is entirely dishonest and easily distinguished by one’s teacher(s) as the work of another writer.” 

In short, any work that you turn in for a grade must be completed BY YOU without help from anyone else, including other students, parents or friends. Below are some additional details about academic honesty in language classes:

The use of online translators is prohibited, and is counterproductive to your language learning. On the other hand, you may use a credible dictionary or dictionary app or any other credible reference book while preparing assignments.

• DO NOT copy answers from a book appendix or from a friend. This is not only entirely transparent to your teacher, but also remarkably counterproductive. Your homework is assigned so that you can practice the concepts that we learn in class, and copying the answers completely defeats this purpose. Put simply, if you do not make use of practice opportunities, you will not learn the material.
• If you choose to work with a tutor, please let your teacher know. Anyone who gives you outside help may point out errors or explain concepts to you, but they MAY NOT correct or write any part of your work.
• The Department feels strongly that language learning is a process and that students reinforce their learning by having the opportunity to examine and correct their mistakes. Your instructor may provide opportunities for test corrections, test retakes or revision of written work. These opportunities may be optional or required. Corrections, retakes and revisions generally impact the grade positively because they often reflect an improvement over previous work, but your teacher will determine the impact to your grade based on the quality of your work.

 

Please feel free to contact me by email at mireille.palm@lfanet.org and/or schedule an appointment with me if you need any help or have any questions.