Syllabus+and+Course+Outline

=Class Description= This year in Spanish 1, we will explore the basics of the Spanish language and learn about Spanish and Hispanic cluture, geography and history. Our language studies will include basic parts of speech, greetings and conversation, verbs in the present tense, thematic vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, writing, reading, and listening. We will also study a multitude of different Spanish speaking countries (geography, language variations, holidays, foods, day to day life, and history). At the end of the year, students will be prepared to move to Spanish 2, having acquired the appropriate reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Class will be conducted using a mixture of Spanish and English when appropriate.

=Class Expectations=
 * 1) All students should be **on time** to class and **prepared** with all required materials and work completed and in proper dress code.
 * 2) Students are expected to be **respectful** of their classmates, teacher, and learning environment. This includes, but is not limited to, using school appropriate language, raising their hand to participate, doing their fair share in group work, etc.
 * 3) Students are expected to **ask for help** if they need it from their teacher or classmates.
 * 4) This is a language course, so students are expected to **speak** and participate regularly.

=Class Materials= Students are required to come to class each day prepared with the following:
 * Writing utensils
 * A notebook or binder with paper
 * A laptop (IPads and other mobile devices are permitted for educational use but may not be able to access all required sites at times).
 * Course books, handouts, and other printed materials
 * Homework!!
 * A positive attitude! "It's ok to be grumpy, just don't act grumpy!"

Students should also have access to the following resources and websites:
 * WIS
 * Wikispaces
 * VoiceThread
 * Twitter
 * Google Drive
 * Online Spanish Dictionary (not Google Translate)
 * A word processing program (OpenOffice, MSWord, GoogleDocs)

=Absences and Lates= If you are absent from class for any reason, you must contact your teacher as soon as possible and check WIS for make-up work. Students are given a 24 hour make-up period for work for each missed class. For example, if you are absent from class on Tuesday, your assignment (which was due Tuesday) will be due on Wednesday. See Grading Policy for late work.

Refer to the Student Handbook for the policy on and consequences for excused and unexcused absences.

If you are late to class for whatever reason, you will be given a late for the day unless you are excused by a valid note. This applies if you are one minute late or 9 minutes late. Please be on time. You are responsible for whatever work you have missed by being late.

Refer to the Student Handbook for the consequences of lates.

=Assignments and Grading= See Grading and Homework Policy.

=Cheating and Plagiarism= Cheating on tests, quizzes, homework or other assignments is not tolerated at the Winchendon School and will result in a zero for the assignment. Plagiarism (copying another's work and passing it off as your own) is also not tolerated and will result in a zero on the assignment. Refer to the Student Handbook for more information and further consequences of cheating and plagiarism.

Plagiarism and Cheating in the Foreign Language Classroom
There is always the tempation when writing in a foreign language to simply translate using an online dictionary and copy and paste as your own work. All translations and writing in Spanish are expected to be your own. If you are not sure if something can be counted as plagiarism, __ask me__ before handing it in.

What is ok to translate:
 * Single words __that we have not learned__
 * Dog
 * Apple
 * Bycicle
 * To run

What is not ok to translate:
 * Phrases longer than one word or whole sentences
 * I like coffee in the morning
 * My homework tonight
 * Her friend's name

If you feel you cannot say something in your writing without translating a good portion of it, then don't say it. Use what you know and what we have learned in class. I will never give you a translation or writing assignment that is impossible to complete without cheating. If you are having trouble, email me or come to conference.

In a nutshell... __DO NOT USE IT!__
 * A Note on Google Translate: **

Why? Many times its translations will not be what you are hoping for.

For example: Me and my friends like TV

Google Translate: "Yo y mis amigos como tv" Correct Translation: "A mis amigos y yo no gusta la television"

See the difference?

OR For example: leg (as in "I completed the first leg of the journey)

Google Translate: pierna Correct Translation: la etapa

Words have many different meanings and Google Translate does not know what you mean.

Instead... use Spanishdict.com, search for a word, and read through the description and examples to find the one you want.