AP Course Outline:

AP Spanish Language is an advanced level course with the specific goal of preparing students for the College BoardÕs AP Spanish Language Exam.  It is an academic class and expected to cover extensive material.  Students must commit to devote time and effort to reviewing, mastering, practicing and applying their Spanish language skills in order to be successful.  This is a College Level course.  Students must take responsibility for their own learning.  While taking the AP Exam is not a requirement, students are encouraged to use it as a reliable gauge of their progress and proficiency.

 

PALABRA DE HONOR

Students are required to sign a contract agreeing to use Spanish as the only language in the classroom.

 

During the school year all four communication skills will be addressed, within the context of reading selections and other materials supplied by the teacher and the textbooks.  Students may expect the following:

Daily:

á       Listening and speaking activities – individual, paired, group

á       Homework – Grammar skills reviewed

Weekly:

á       Story, Essay, or article read (Textbook, handout, or periodical)

á       Writing activities

á       Listening activities

á       Speaking activities

á       AP Exam practice activities

Bi-Weekly:

á       Timed compositions

á       Timed oral activities

á       Technology – Laptops for internet research or current event reading

Monthly:

á       Test or AP exam practice assessment

Assessment:

Textbooks:

Abriendo Paso: Lecturas (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education, Inc., 2001, 2006)

Abriendo Paso: Gram‡tica (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education, Inc., 2000)

Encuentros Maravillosos (Glenview, ILL, Addison Wesley Longman, 1998)

AP Spanish: Preparing for the Language Examination (White Plains, NY, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 2006)

 

Materials for Class:

3-ring binder (2Ó), pencil or pen, textbook(s)

 

 

 

Objectives

Activities

Functions

Sept.

á       Overview of AP Exam format; become  familiar with the  different tasks and expectations; understand scoring rubrics

á       Diagnostic Test

á       Basic Grammar skills assessment

á       Establish the rules and expectations.  Sign the ÒPalabra de HonorÓ contract.  Spanish is the only language of the classroom.

á       Language barrier breaker – Selection from A Clockwork Orange.

á       Story:  Los dos reyes y los dos laberintos.

á       Abriendo Paso, Gram‡tica – Pasos 1-10

á       Writing Activity

á       AP sample test

á       Independent reading – BBC. com

á       Vocabulary – definitions in Spanish, use in original, new contexts.

á       Speaking – retelling of the story, answering comprehension questions

á       Grammar – review

á       Writing – Informal – journal entries Formal – Timed compositions

á       Reading – story, online articles assigned

á       Short Grammar assessments

Oct.

á       Reading for maximum comprehension

á       Using key words

á       Informal Speaking

á       Grammar Skills – the preterit and the imperfect

á       AP Practice

á       Abriendo Paso, Lectura – Rosa. 

á       Debate:  Will the time come when computers will feel and think like humans?

á       Abriendo Paso, Gram‡tica – Unit 1

á       AP Spanish – activities from the workbook, all skills.

á       Independent reading – online sites.

á       Writing Activity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

á       Vocabulary - using word families, circumlocution, cognates, key words to recall a story.

á       Speaking and writing activities from Abriendo Paso, Lectura

á       Speaking – defending a position, convincing others.

á       Grammar – textbook activities to practice the preterit and the imperfect

á       Reading – story and online articles

á       Listening, reading, speaking and writing activities from AP Spanish workbook

á       Informal writing – journal entries

á       Grammar assessment - test

Nov.

á       Formal Writing- A well organized essay, making an outline, using written and audio sources, paraphrasing and synthesing.

á       Note-taking

á       Informal Speaking

á       Integrating skills – listening, reading, writing.

á       In-class writing of a 200-word essay, following guidelines

á       Self- critique, peer editing

á       Integration of skills: listening to audio source, reading article, taking notes for later use in formal essay.  Discussion of notes taken.

á       Informal speaking activities from AP Spanish book – phone conversation, short interview.

á       Informal Writing – Journal entries – Topics assigned

 

á       Writing skills – organizing ideas and content.

á       Grammar – using complex structures in formal writing.

á       Speaking – participating in authentic, non-scripted conversations.

á       Short Composition

Dec.

á       Reading comprehension, discussion of story read.

á       AP Practice Exam

á       Abriendo Paso, Lectura – Cajas de Cart—n. 

á       Selected activities from the Textbook.  Speaking, writing and listening.

á       Sample AP exam. – Students record their formal and informal speaking parts. 

á       Writing Activities – Topics assigned

á       Vocabulary – identify and define key words.  Use in a different context.

á       AP Exam activities to integrate all skills. 

á       Composition

Jan.

á       Grammar – the subjunctive mood.

á       Formal Speaking

á       Integrating skills – listening, reading, speaking

á       Abriendo Paso, Gram‡tica, Unit 6, review and practice activities.

á       Formal oral presentations by students on assigned topic(s)

á       Students record 2-minute presentations on an assigned current event topic.

á       Writing Activities on assigned topics.

á       The subjunctive – ÒsiÓ clauses, sequence of tenses, etc. Grammar assessment- using the subjunctive.

á       Speaking - key notes, pronunciation, organizing materials.

á       Reading- non- fiction – online articles

á       Composition

Feb.

á       Fill-Ins with/without root words

á       Reading comprehension

á       AP Practice

á       Practice activities for Fill-ins (with/without root words)

á       Abriendo Paso, Lectura – Un oso y un amor.  Pre and post reading textbook activities.

á       AP Spanish book practice activities, all skills

á       Writing Activities - assigned topics

á       Grammar - Review the rules that help determine the correct fill-ins.

á       Identify key vocabulary in story.

á       Writing- Use new vocabulary in timed composition.

á       Integrating skills – AP practice

March

á       Listening skills

á       Reading comprehension

á       AP Practice

á       Finding and using sources to support an oral or written presentation

á       Grammar – the future tense

á       Listening activities from AP Spanish book – long dialogues

á       Encuentros Maravillosos – El otro. Written and oral activities.

á       Composition – Should I meet myself 50years from nowÉ

á       AP practice activities – all skills

á       Writing Activities – assigned topics

á       Listening comprehension – techniques to stay focused.

á       Formal writing – composition with emphasis on appropriate use of the subjunctive and the future tense.

á       Grammar – future tense short assessment

á       Using the internet to find useful sources to support presentations.  Making inferences.

á       AP practice

April

á       Integrating skills – reading, listening, writing, speaking

á       Final AP practice

á       Story: Abril es el mes m‡s cruel.

á       Researching the autor, using informtion about the author to explain the ending of the story.

á       Writing a pre-quel to the story.

á       AP Practice Exam

á       Writing Activities - assigned topics

á       Making inferences – how the authorÕs experiences may explain the outcome.

á       Formal writing – creating a background story that would explain the characters.

á       Real-time sample AP exam (2003 released, with variations)

May

á       AP Exam

á       Final project

á       Discuss results, evaluate, critique.

á       Movies – Watch and critique:

  1. Lo que le pas— a Santiago
  2. Diarios de Motocicleta
  3. El viaje de Clara
  4. Valent’n
  5. La historia Oficial

á       Students work in pairs creating a video/power point/ or oral presentation on an assigned topic. Products will be used in lower level classes.

á       Identify strengths and weaknesses.  Review.

á       Prepare a student friendly presentation for future classes.  Grammar accuracy, clear pronunciation, and creativity are main components. 

June

á       Final

á       Finish projects.  Make classroom presentations. 

á       Make necessary changes.

á       Present projects for correction and critique.

á       Final Exam – no exemptions (only for students who did NOT take the AP Exam)