Disclosure

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Full Spanish Disclosure.docx Download Full Spanish Disclosure.docx

Mr. M. Smith’s Spanish Class

Room 234

Supplies Needed Every Day:

  • Composition Notebook dedicated solely for Spanish class
  • Pen and pencil
  • iPad charged and ready (keep charger in your backpack)
  • A “Spanish” section in your binder for keeping handouts and taking notes

 

Rules/Expectations:

In addition to keeping all schoolwide rules, Mr. Smith places great importance on these:

  • No talking when I am teaching. Do not distract from the learning environment. (1st offence: warning; 2nd offence: a half a grade drop in Citizenship; 3rd offence: drop to an “N” in Citizenship and call home to parents; 4th offence: drop another half grade in Citizenship, sent to office, meeting with parents required, in person.
  • Respect the teacher and fellow students. No touching other students or their property. No touching Mr. Smith’s items without permission. (consequences are same is in #1).
  • Try hard every class period. It’s okay not to know something.  It is not okay not to try.
  • No using online translators (like Google translate, etc.) You should look up one word or a 2–3-word phrase at a time (wordreference.com is a good resource). Never use a translator for a whole clause or sentence; that is cheating and you are robbing yourself of the opportunity of really learning Spanish. (1st offence: an immediate D- on that particular assignment.  If you do this more than 3 times, it will result in an immediate “F” on that assignment.)
  • Turn in work ON TIME. This is a great habit to form and it leads to success in life.  Turning work in late causes stress and can lead to feeling overwhelmed.
  • Have a positive attitude and believe in yourself.
  • Check Canvas often (Modules, Announcements, Home Page) to stay current. Canvas is where we submit our work, but MyDSD will always be the official current grade.
  • No cell phones out (1st offence: warning; 2nd offence: placed on my back shelf until end of class; 3rd offence: sent to office until end of day; 4th offence: in-person conference with parents and phone contract established)

 

Grading: Please allow 1 week for grading to be completed for an assignment.  Late work goes to the bottom of the pile.

*A more complete version of this Disclosure is available on Mr. Smith’s Canvas Website.

Parent’s signature and date:

 

Student’s signature and date:

 

2022-2023 Spanish (1 and 3) Disclosure

Mr. Matthew Smith, M.S.L.T.

mattsmith@dsdmail.net  

 

Objectives:  Students will gain a better understanding of Spanish.  They will learn to listen, speak, read, and write at a beginning (Spanish 1) OR intermediate (Spanish 3) level and will be able to demonstrate their abilities in common situations in which they may find themselves.  They will also learn about cultural aspects of the various countries that speak Spanish.  

  

Instructional Materials: We will follow the Davis School District World Languages program as outlined on the district website.  

Links to resources have not been vetted beyond the original page cited. 

 

Policies and Procedures:  

 

Assignments: Most assignments will be worked on in class, however some will need to be completed as homework. If there is no homework students should study what we have already covered in class in order to be prepared to learn more, especially VOCABULARY. What the student learns is based largely on the time that they are willing to dedicate to study outside of the classroom. Studying is an important part of the class and helps the students to cement their understanding of concepts and activities worked on in class.  

Classroom activities and group work are designed to help students practice fundamentals presented in class. If any help is needed, please contact me and I will make arrangements to assist in any way possible.  Acceptance of late work will follow the pre-established policies located in the Student Handbook.  Assignments are expected on the due dates given. If extenuating circumstances arise that require consideration, please let me know before the work is due.  

  

Participation and Preparedness: Student participation and preparedness are expected. Failure to participate or come to class prepared will result in a reduction of weekly points given for such.  

  

Late assignments may be handed in after the due date in order to aid in student development. However, since they have more time, they will be evaluated at a different level. Assignments not handed in will result in a 0 as a grade.  All assignments missed as a result of absences must be made up and Canvas (Modules, Assignments, Quizzes) should be consulted first in order to help students understand what they have missed and the requirements that are expected of them. 

 

The last day for late work in 1st Quarter will be 13 October. 

The last day for late work in 2nd Quarter will be 15 January. 

The last day for late work in 3rd Quarter will be 1 March. 

The last day for Late Work in 4th Quarter will be 17 May. 

 

Attendance:  In order to facilitate the learning of all students it will be expected that they arrive to class on time and prepared to actively participate in classroom activities. In the classroom Spanish will be spoken the majority of the time, students are expected to participate in Spanish whenever possible. Failure to do so will result in a loss of participation points. The best way to learn a language is to practice and making mistakes along the way will be inevitable. It is better to try Spanish than to just observe the class.   

 

Cheating and Plagiarism: You are expected to do your own work. If you need help let me know; however, cheating or plagiarism will result in a drop in citizenship, notification of guardian, and necessitate completing a different version of the assignment for credit. 

 

 Dress Code: All infractions of the dress code will be referred to the administration. Also, while hoodies may be worn in class, in an effort to control electronics use and promote class participation, students will not be allowed to wear the hood of the hoodies in class. 

 

Electronics: There will be times when cell phones and other electronics are allowed and their use encouraged in class; however, when they are detrimental to class activities students will need to put them away. Students will be warned, after which, the device will be taken for the class period, and then sent to the front office if further infractions occur. 

  

Classroom Rules: Students are expected to follow Sunset Jr. High school rules as well as Mr. Smith’s classroom rules.

 

**Emphasis will be placed on NO SOCIAL TALKING or blurting out in English during instruction. Citizenship points will be deducted for talking without raising one’s hand first.

 

Tardiness or disruptive behaviors will be dealt with per the established rules located in the Student Handbook.  Students will be expected to come to class with a pen (black or blue ink ONLY), pencil, and paper to take notes and participate in class activities.

 

**Students need to bring their device (iPad/laptop) charged and ready to go for each class session.

 

Participation/Preparedness points will be deducted for lack of participation or lack of preparedness. 

**Students are expected to respect substitutes and any disrespect shown them will result in a drop of citizenship.**  

  

Grading:  Grades will be based on a Standards-Based Grading Rubric (0-4) within 5 different Proficiency groups, with each group accounting for 20% of your final grade. The different groups are as follows: Interpersonal Speaking, Interpretive Listening, Interpretive Reading, Presentational Writing, and Presentational Speaking.

 

 

Rubrics:  Each Proficiency Group will have its own rubric so that students can tell where they have done well and where they need to improve. Each assignment in that group will be graded using that rubric. Point values for the rubrics will range from 4 (Mastery) to 0 (No Evidence). Assignments may be redone to earn a higher grade however students should consult with the teacher before a redo is attempted in order to understand how best to improve. 

 

 

Translation Apps/External help: It is my sincere desire that students enjoy the class and learn about the Spanish language and culture. To this end, students caught using block translation programs (Google Translate, Babelfish, etc.) will receive a "0" on the assignment and a reduction on their citizenship. To clarify, translating words/vocabulary needed is fine, but DO NOT translate whole blocks of text. Doing so students doing so not only cheats the student of the opportunity to learn the information, but also undermines the work done in class by not allowing the student to participate in class activities because of their lack of knowledge on the topic. Instead students are encouraged to use the vocabulary that we have been studying to help them in their writing. 

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me either at the school (801-402-6700) or by email (mattsmith@dsdmail.net ).  

 

 

↑ Parent’s/Guardian’s signature                                              Date

 

 

 

↑ Student’s signature                                                              Date