Spanish 2

Course Syllabus
Seora Fitzmorris
2015-2016
Contact Information
Teacher Name: Maria Luisa Fitzmorris
Email: marial.fitzmorris@raypec.org
Room Number: 211
Course Description
This course assumes successful completion of Spanish 1. The purpose of Spanish 2 is to develop advanced thinking skills that
can be applied to future study of Spanish, and eventually college-level work. Spanish 2 will familiarize students with Hispanic
cultures and life, and aid them in the application of the language. Projects in this course will reinforce and develop the students
knowledge of the language and cultures around the world that use the Spanish language every day. The study of Spanish will
enrich the students school experiences and further their appreciation and value of other cultures outside of their own. Spanish 2
is important in the development of critical thinking skills. By the end of the year students' will be able to communicate at a more
advanced level through speaking, reading, listening and writing.
Course Goals
Students who elect to participate in learning a foreign language in the Raymore-Peculiar School District will learn to
communicate in Spanish through speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will also develop an understanding of
cultures and traditions of a variety of Spanish-speaking countries.
Essential Understandings
The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, or ACTFL, has developed content standards, or essential
understandings that all students should be able to do with foreign language education. The following are the national foreign
language standards (essential understandings) upheld in the Raymore-Peculiar School District:
Communication Communicate in languages other than English
Cultures Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures
Connections Connect with other disciplines and acquire information
Comparisons Develop insight into the nature of language and culture
Communities Participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world
*Adapted from the ACTFL website

Power Standards
The student will be able to comprehend and interpret a variety of authentic input.
The student will be able to use spoken language to communicate.
The student will be able to use the language to communicate in writing.
Course Units
This is a general guideline of the Spanish II units and is subject to change.

Course Units
This is a general guideline of the Spanish II units and is subject to change.
Unit 1 Review
Unit 2 Health
Unit 3 Food
Unit 4 Shopping
Unit 5 Holidays
Unit 6 Travel

Classroom Expectations
Students are expected to uphold all of the standards for student conduct stated in the student handbook as well as the following
classroom expectations. Students will receive one warning for infractions of any of the expectations and then they may be sent
to a buddy room, recovery room or to the principal. They must process with me (before or after school) about the problem
before they are allowed to come back into the classroom. Repeated offenses will result in calls or emails to parents and possible
referrals to the principal.

Respect other people, their belongings, and the space youre in (be kind and polite, dont curse, leave others
belongings alone, dont interrupt the teacher or other students, clean up messes, etc.)

Preparation be prepared to participate in class every day (this means bringing your materials with you!)

Following directions this includes being seated and quietly working on bellwork when the bell rings.

Integrity honesty, doing your own work and making the right choices.

Choose your mood please come to class with a positive attitude!

Attendance, Tardies and Hall Passes

Regular attendance is vital to learning a foreign language. It is important to be in class, on time, everyday.

Students who arrive tardy to class are expected to join the class ready to learn. Any practice missed due to
tardiness is irretrievable.

A student may use his/her agenda hall passes and ID badge to be excused from class for an emergency
restroom break only. (I will NOT sign passes the first and last 10 minutes of the period and remember that you are only
allowed 1 pass per week.)
Materials
The following are things students should have in class every day:

3 ring binder (1 inch) with 6 dividers and paper (you will need your binder EVERYDAY)

Pens and/or pencils, blue or black ink preferred

Agenda & ID badge for keeping track of assignments & for ALL passes out of class

I need donated items for the classroom Expo dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, Kleenex and Clorox
Wipes.
Classroom Procedures
Entering the classroom: Students are expected to use passing time to prepare for class. All items necessary for class (paper,
writing utensil, agenda, etc.) should be brought by the student.
Bellwork: Each class period will begin with a 5 minute assignment. This assignment will either serve as a review over
previously taught material or prepare students for a specific class activity.
End of class: Students will be given a few minutes notice to the end of the period. Students should return the supplies and the
classroom to its original appearance, and wait in their seats for the end of class.
Travel time / Non-travelers: Students are expected to remain in their seat until they are dismissed by the bell. Students ARE
NOT to line up at the door.
Electronic devices: Cell phones, iPods, mp3 players, and other electronic devices may not be used in class. If these items are
in use or unnecessarily visible, the device will be confiscated. Confiscated items will be taken to the appropriate administrator.
Dress code: The classroom environment is reserved for educational purposes. Inappropriate dress that disrupts the instructional
environment will not be tolerated.
Food & drink: Only water is allowed in the classroom. No gum or food should be consumed in class. The only exception will
be fiesta days.
Grading Policy
The following standard scale will be used to determine letter
grades:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

100-93%
92-90%
89-88%
87-83%
82-80%
79-78%
77-73%
72-70%
69-68%
67-63%
62-60%
59-0%

Overall grades are broken down as follows:

Formative Assessments (30%)

Summative Assessments (60%)
Semester Final (10% of overall grade)

RPHS Late Work Policy

At Raymore-Peculiar High School, academic achievement, student responsibility, and student success are of paramount
importance. All homework, assignment, or project deadlines will be strictly adhered to as defined by the classroom teacher.
Student failure to complete work by an established deadline will result in a corresponding grade that matches the completed
nature of the content being submitted at the time of the deadline. Students who fail to submit any work at the time of a deadline
can expect that a zero will be entered for their grade.
RPHS Redo Policy
With the above policy being implemented, however, the staff and administration at RPHS fully understand that all students learn
at different rates and under different parameters, and we believe that every student should be afforded the opportunity for
academic success. Therefore, in an attempt to honor our commitment to student success, RPHS will provide our students with
the opportunity to relearn/redo information based on specific and timely teacher feedback. Throughout the course of the
semester, students will be afforded three opportunities in their foreign language to redo formative assessments. It is very
important to note that the purpose of this policy is to provide students with genuine opportunities to relearn information, not to
provide unlimited opportunities to redo materials.
Before students are allowed to redo any formative assessment, they will be required to visit with the classroom teacher to
establish the relearning parameters (a relearning contract if you wish) that must be fulfilled to demonstrate their efforts to relearn
the information. In order to begin the relearning process, it will be the sole obligation and responsibility of the student to initiate
a conversation or visit with the classroom teacher within one week of receiving a score and/or teacher feedback on the original
formative assessment. Once the relearning parameters have been established and agreed upon, any student failure to adhere to
the newly established timeframe will cause an immediate forfeiture in the students ability to redo the formative assessment.

Assessments and the redo policy:

Formative Assessments:
30% of your grade
These are regular quizzes to assess student learning at any point in the unit. They help guide the teacher in instructional planning.
They can be announced or unannounced.
Formative assessments may be retaken. This is an intervention for struggling students not an easy out for lazy students.
Remember, per the RPHS redo policy you are only allowed 3 retakes per semester.
All retakes must be completed before the Summative Assessment for the current unit.
In order to retake a student must:
contact your teacher within a week of receiving your score
fill out an Academic Contract and turn in to me prior to the date of retake
show me evidence of participation and active learning: some examples are completed bellwork, completed homework,
participation in class activities, proactive attendance at tutoring, etc.
show me your corrected original formative assessment and get any extra help necessary: tutoring, online practice, etc.
Since youve had extra tutoring and extra time to study, you should get a better score than the 1
assessment if you are thoughtfully studying. The grade you will receive will be the 2 grade even if it is worse than the
1 grade.
To retake, expect that the 2 assessment will test the same skills but will be more difficult.
Summative Assessments:
60% of your grade
Summative assessments are the unit assessments or projects that encompass multiple skills from the unit. Students will have at
least one summative assessment per unit which will be announced.
Summative assessments are NOT eligible for a retake.
Semester Final:
10% of your OVERALL grade
This is a comprehensive assessment over the entire semester. Students will demonstrate mastery of the unit concepts and foreign
language standards. A student may not retake the final exam.
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Finding out student grades

A grade check will be provided to students every three weeks in their advisement class. Students and parents may also use SIS online to view
grades at anytime.

To be successful in Foreign Language:


Pay attention! Students should be actively engaged, staying on task, taking additional notes, conversing in
Spanish in class discussions or question-answer period, and reading along in guided texts.

Study vocabulary! Study on a daily basis outside of the classroom, usually only about 5-10 minutes.

Do your homework! This is the students chance for feedback and practice before they are assessed.
Homework is not busy work as it is directly linked to assessments and standards. Often the assessments, both formative
and summative, come directly from the homework. This feedback is not calculated in the students grade in the class. NO
points will be given for daily homework.

Get organized! Your notebook is your textbook. All your resources (grammar and vocabulary notes) should
be easy to find and use on a daily basis.

Parents/Guardians:
I look forward to working with you and your student this year! I have included my contact information at the top of the front
page. I will keep in contact by using e-mail when available.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have at any time.
Thank you,

Maria Luisa Menendez Llosa Titzmorris