Questions+about+the+Course

Questions/Preguntas
Usually it takes several years to fully master a language. The length of time depends on many factors including where you learn (in a country that speaks the language or in school), your interest and motivation in the language and your ability. The goal of ASD is that you will be able to communicate fully, both in social and academic settings, once you have completed the four-year program. After two years you should be able to travel to a Spanish-speaking country and communicate well. We will complete 10 units this year on topics presented in chapters 0-7. Topics covered include hobbies, school, food, city, travel, family, house, shopping and clothing. We will learn to conjugate in the present, past, simple future and conditional tenses. 329 million people speak Spanish as a native language, making it the world's second most spoken language in terms of native speakers. Spanish is also becoming an international language for business and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Spanish is spoken in more than twenty countries in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. It is part of the Indo-European language family, languages that come from Latin. Spanish is part of the Romance languages group that includes Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian and Catalan. We will learn about the major Hispanic holidays and cultural aspects such as daily routine, hobbies and foods. You will also learn which countries speak Spanish and a little of their geography and tourist attractions. Yes. While all Spanish speakers can understand each other, each country and region has their own colloquialisms and pronunciation. It is similar to English where people might use a different word for a term and have recognizable pronunciation differences but we all still understand each other. While learning Spanish, I will try to teach you the most common terms and explain the different ways people pronounce words so that you will be able to be understood no matter which country you visit. Many languages have these two forms: formal and informal. It is a way to show respect and to better understand the social context of the dialogue. We will learn more about the different forms when we learn to conjugate verbs. Study guides are a vital part of your learning and have many purposes. One, I ask that you write them at the beginning of the unit so that you know what we are going to be learning and can begin studying and asking questions of the material from day one. Also, if you have already written down the important material, you are free to listen to explanations and ask questions while we review a concept in class rather than just focus on writing down notes. Lastly, you will be required to know all the material we learn this year on the end of the year exam in June and it is easier to review 8-10 pages of study guides rather than 200 pages of the textbook. Practice. Use the oral guides from the textbook website, listen to Spanish songs and sing along to the lyrics, speak Spanish to your friends, watch the YouTube videos on my wiki and repeat after the native speaker. When you speak, remember to really focus on pronouncing your vowels correctly and putting the emphasis on the right syllable. There are many on-line resources available to you. The textbook has its own website with practice activities that you can access at http://www.phschool.com. Enter jcd-1001 in the web code and go to Student Home Page then access the activities for the specific chapter we are learning. You may also use the different Spanish websites that I have listed on my wiki. Go to http://srahillespanol.wikispaces.com and find the page Vínculos Útiles and you will see a list of grammar sites that have useful practice activities. We will have a summative assessment at the end of each four-five week unit. You will also take a written exam during the Final Exams session that the school has established. These exams have been scheduled for the last week in December before the winter break and for June. You will be given several weeks notice before a summative assessment (test) and should have a study guide written at the beginning of the unit. Summative assessments are meant to be challenging and ask you to apply the material you have learned in context but there should be no surprises. The key to success is STUDYING on a regular basis all throughout the unit and not cramming your study time into the last few days and/or hours before the exam. I would recommend that you review your vocabulary for fifteen minutes every day and that you review your notes both after each class to ensure that they are complete and before each class to make sure you understand and to write down any questions you have that you need clarified in class. Remember to ask yourself how you can apply this information in different contexts as you study. I will try to give you a good balance of homework but never more than 30 minutes per class period. Remember, in addition to the assignment, you should also be studying the material, so include 15 minutes study time each day as well. If you have a specific question and/or are struggling in general, I am always here to help. I arrive at school at 7am so you can come by before school starts and/or after school as well. I am also free Blocks 3A, 5, 7B & 8. Make sure you let me know if you are going to come by during my free blocks so I can make sure I am in my room to help you. There are also several high school students in upper levels and/or adult tutors who can help you if you feel you need consistent support. Yes, my goal is to have one oral presentation each unit – 4-6 weeks – as well as several practice orals and/or plays. The truth is that if you are ever going to use your Spanish in a real-life situation you will probably be talking so it is the most important of the four language skills. Yes. It is important when speaking to clarify who is doing the action of the sentence so conjugation is necessary. This year we will focus on conjugation in the present and past tenses. All words have an emphasis but only some words have a written emphasis – an accent. There are specific rules but you have to know where the emphasis is and you don’t know that yet. FOR NOW – just memorize which words have accents when you remember the words. We will watch a few movies this year regarding Spanish culture but you will watch many more movies in Spanish as you progress through the levels. There is also a movie series that the school has that you will watch in Spanish II/III. As both Spanish teachers are new this year, no field trips have been organized. I will speak to administration about arranging a trip to Spain next year for students to practice their language skills in context. I learned Spanish when I went on an exchange program with Rotary International to Argentina after I graduated high school. I lived in Argentina for a year with three different families and attended a local high school. When I went to college I started studying International Affairs with an emphasis in Latin American so received a dual major in International Affairs and Spanish with a minor in Economics. During my college studies I did a semester abroad in the Basque Country of Spain as well as a year of post graduate study at the Universidad de San Jose in Costa Rica. I am new to Doha so have not had much of a chance to explore the city but I am really looking forward to camping in the desert and playing in the various sports leagues. I also want to sample all of the different Arabic foods. My favorite color is red – everything in my house is red. queso Spanish I students just need to know the body parts of the Monstruo and the ones in the Realidades textbook. Spanish ab initio students need to know all of the words on the handout. You may have noticed that ‘c’ in Spanish makes either a ‘s’ or a ‘k’ sound depending on which vowel follows it. ci co ce S ca K cu Yes. I will try to switch seats around every month and/or quarter so that students get to know and work with other people in the class. I will also move individual students if I feel that they are too distracted by the classmates.
 * How long does it take to learn fluent Spanish? **
 * What topics are we going to learn this year? How many chapters? **
 * Why is Spanish so popular? **
 * Where do they speak Spanish? Is it a romantic language? **
 * Spanish culture and holidays? Countries/geography? **
 * Is Spanish different in the different Spanish-speaking countries? **
 * Why are there different ways of speaking to adults than children? **
 * Why do we write study guides? **
 * How can I improve my pronunciation and speaking? **
 * Where are practice Spanish sheets on-line? **
 * When are exams going to be? **
 * Are tests hard? **
 * How much time should we dedicate to studying? Each day? **
 * How much HW will we have? **
 * How do I get help? **
 * Will we have lots of oral presentations? **
 * Are we going to learn conjugation? **
 * How do I know when you put accents on the word? **
 * Will we watch Spanish movies? **
 * Are there any field trips? **
 * How did Mrs. Hill learn Spanish? **
 * What is Mrs. Hill’s favorite thing to do in Doha? Favorite color? **
 * How do you say cheese in Spanish? **
 * Do we have to know all the body parts? **
 * Sounds of ‘c’ **
 * Will we move seats this year? **