PHILOSOPHY RATIONALE:

The Spanish Advanced Placement

Language course prepare students to demonstrate their level of Spanish proficiency across three communicative modes , Interpretive , and Presentational the five goal areas outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century1 (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities), and  exceed  the Illinois Learning Standards (Applications of Learning, Solving Problems, Communicating, Using Technology, Working on Teams, and Making Connections) . The course is meant to be comparable to fifth and sixth semester (or the equivalent) college and university courses that focus on speaking and writing in the target language (Spanish) at an advanced level. Students enrolled in this course are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Examination in Spanish in May.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The Spanish AP class is designed to give students a comprehensive linguistic experience with emphasis on refining listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills via teacher-designed thematic units. In addition, focused preparation for the Spanish Language AP Examination is incorporated into the curriculum. The course is comparable in difficulty and content to an advanced-level college class in Spanish composition and conversation. Class is conducted completely in Spanish and is expected that students use only Spanish.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• To express ideas accurately and fluently in writing.
• To be able to interpret the spoken language and respond.
• To synthesize a variety of written text to better understand articles, newspapers, magazines, and other literary forms.
• To speak with fluency, accuracy in structure and syntax, and use rich vocabulary, all with appropriate pronunciation and intonation.
• To continue to expand and understand practices, perspectives, and products of Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
• To prepare students desiring to the Advanced Placement Examination.
• To prepare college bound students to perform successfully on the college level.

GRADING SCALE:

                        The District Scale will apply:

                        A = 100 – 90 %
                        B =   89 – 80 %
                        C =   79 – 70 %
                        D =   69 – 60 %
                        F =   59 % OR LESS.

GRADING POLICY:

As per the District 131 School Board policy, the 2007/2008 grading scale is as follows:

• 50 % Assessments (tests, quizzes, essays, projects, etc.)
• 30 % Class work and homework
• 20 % Participation