Class Info The following letter will be handed out and sent home the week of 9/10/19.
Estimados padres y estudiantes del 6 grado,
¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español! Our names are Señor Zack D’Orsi and Señora Holly Parsons and we are the 5th/6th grade Spanish teachers at the Ahern. We look forward to a great year full of learning and cultural enrichment! We’d like to share our class expectations and grading structure to ensure clarity on these items between teachers, students, and families throughout the year.
At Ahern Middle School, 6th graders have Spanish every other school day, all year long.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS: Speak Spanish as much as possible! Arrive with your expandable (should have one section for Spanish), assignment book, and a pencil. Conduct yourself in a way that allows you and your classmates to learn, uninterrupted, and for your teachers to teach, uninterrupted.
GRADING STRUCTURE: Students will receive a letter grade in Spanish on their quarterly report cards, determined by:
Dinero (Participation): Students earn dinero (paper money) during class for being active citizens in their language acquisition. The main way to earn dinero is by raising your hand and getting called on; students also earn dinero by demonstrating impressive participation in class activities. 6th graders are expected to earn 20 dineros over the course of the quarter for their participation grade. Students track their dinero every class so they are aware of their progress (see reverse for a sample dinero tracker).
Tarjeta de inglés (English card): In an effort to keep instruction and participation in the target language, when students speak in English during a time when they are expected to speak in Spanish, they will receive a tarjeta de inglés. When a student receives a tarjeta de inglés, they have the opportunity to correct their English usage by repeating what they’ve said in Spanish. Once they correct themselves, the student can hand the tarjeta de inglés back to the teacher. If the student ends class still in possession of a tarjeta de inglés, they will lose one dinero (participation point).
Cuaderno de último cinco (Last-Five Notebook): At the end of each class, students will have 5 minutes to write in their cuaderno de último cinco, either reflecting on work done that day or preparing for conversations that will take place during the Hazlo Ahora in the next class. At the end of each quarter, the cuaderno will be collected and evaluated for a quiz grade.
Tarea (Homework): Students are expected to continue practicing skills and vocabulary learned in class outside of class time. Each quarter, students will receive a list of vocabulary and skills which will be covered throughout the term. Students will be told during class which items from the master list should be the areas of focus at home to prepare for activities and assessments during class.
Trabajo (Work): Every quarter, certain activities will be graded. Some graded assignments will be written and some will be spoken. Students are always told ahead of time when an assignment will count for a grade; expectations/rubrics are reviewed as a class and ample time is given to complete the work. *Students are expected to complete all of their work without the use of online translators (your Spanish teacher can ALWAYS tell if you’ve used one!). Use of online translators will result in a zero for the assignment. Assignments are created so that students have all the resources they need to complete them in their notes. If a student needs to look up new words (single words, not whole phrases), we recommend www.spanishdict.com. Students also have access to paper Spanish-English dictionaries in class.
We look forward to another exciting year of Spanish learning here at the Ahern with your student! Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about how Grade 6 Spanish will operate. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions!