Course Syllabus

Jump to Today

2021 - 2022Spanish Introductory 11

Faculty

Ms. Sylva Pohanka

Contacting Me

As the teacher for this course, I can be contacted in the following ways:

  • Name:   Ms. Sylva Pohanka
  • Office:   Mezzanine Level of Learning Commons
  • Email:    spohanka@stgeorges.bc.ca
  • Phone:   604-224-1304, extension 3755

I am available for help and tutorials most days right after school or by appointment via email.

Course Description

The key aim of Spanish Introductory 11 is to offer students who have not studied Spanish previously an opportunity to do so and to prepare them for Spanish 11.  As we need to cover the curriculum of both Spanish 9 and Spanish 10 to achieve this goal, this will be a fast-paced course and students need to be diligent with completing all work on time.  Students are also encouraged to do even a short informal daily review of studied materials.  In order to stimulate the necessity for the student to master certain vocabulary and grammar structures, the course will teach the Spanish language through real life scenarios, role play and language realia. In so doing, the course aims to give the students the skills and tools to deal with many common situations that they may encounter, in both the spoken and the written language.  We will also explore many elements of culture in the Spanish speaking world, including indigenous cultures in Central and South America.  

Course Expectations

St. George’s School expects all students at the Senior School to be interested and motivated in achieving their personal best while at the School. We expect students will be engaged in their endeavours, responsible to their studies, classmates and teachers, and demonstrate integrity in their pursuit of learning.

Workload

The workload of this course is expected to include :  1 or 2 in-class assignments per week as well as daily classwork/homework.

Submitting work

Students in this course are expected to complete work assignments on either the assigned or the due date and to submit their work on Canvas, when required to do so.

If circumstances prevent the student from completing an assignment on the due date, the student must inform the teacher prior to the due date to request an extension. The teacher will provide a second due date and, if necessary, schedule a 5th block to complete the required work. 

Instructional Aims

  • Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn through the following experiences:

      • The exploration of diverse forms of cultural expression to promote greater understanding of our own cultural identity, and to and shape our perspective, identity, and voice.
      • Describing how listening and viewing with intent supports the acquisition of Spanish.
      • Exploring connections between language and culture.
      • Engaging in experiences with Spanish-speaking communities and people.
      • Explaining how Spanish language and culture has been influenced by the interactions of First Peoples.
      • Exposing students to regional variations in Spanish, the elements of formal versus informal speech and writing, and idiomatic expressions across the Spanish-speaking world.
      • Exploring the importance of story.
      • Identifying and exploring personal, educational, and professional opportunities requiring proficiency in Spanish.

Learning Outcomes

Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn and be evaluated on the following knowledge and skills:

  • Make the best possible word choices and adjust register to express intended meaning in written and oral presentation form, given a specific context (body language, nuances, paraphrasing).
  • Explore and interpret a variety of Spanish texts.
  • Recognize that Spanish can be used to convince, inform, and entertain. Recognize different degrees of formality and perspective in a variety of texts.
  • Derive and negotiate meaning from a wide variety of texts (e.g. videos, websites, advertisements, newspapers, letters, news reports, etc.) using context, language, audience, perspective, and register.
  • Respond personally (beyond surface) to a variety of texts and audio clips and aural prompts with personal reactions, interpretations and opinions in a variety of increasingly sophisticated sentence structures.
  • Engage in meaningful spontaneous and prepared conversations (beyond surface) on a variety of topics.
  • Express themselves in written work using appropriate structures in a variety of tenses, moods, and vocabulary.
  • Evaluate and respond to the opinions of others both orally and in writing.
  • Narrate stories both orally and in writing using a variety of expressions of time and transitional words to show logical progression to show logical progression in past, present, and future time frames.
  • Engage in experiences with Spanish-speaking communities.

Assessment and Evaluation

A student's final mark will be determined by evaluation of their ability to demonstrate proficiency in the following foundational learning outcome areas:

  • Listening Comprehension: Understand key information and supporting details in a variety of texts.
  • Reading Comprehension: Understand key information and supporting details in a variety of texts.
  • Interpersonal Speaking: Exchange ideas and information orally, using complete sentences. 
  • Presentational Speaking: Present prepared information orally.
  • Pronunciation: Recognize and pronounce common letter patterns that have consistent pronunciation.
  • Presentational Writing: Write a text according to purpose and context using complete sentences and incorporating common thematic vocabulary.
  • Interpersonal Writing: Exchange ideas and information in written form, using complete sentences.
  • Word Choices: Make a variety of word choices depending on the time, context, environment, which include but are not limited to verb tenses and conjugations, dialect variations, word placement, vocabulary production and/or choices, etc. 
  • Stories: Understand and retell stories, orally and in writing, including information about setting, plot, and characters.
  • Culture & Indigenous Connections: Share information about Spanish-speaking communities around the world and between indigenous communities and the Spanish language.
  • Strategies: Use strategies to support communication, to help themselves understand and be understood. 

The final grade will be based on your performance in these various areas and calculated using a decaying average.  The Decaying Average calculation means the most recent assessment of an outcome will be weighed at 65% of the aggregate grade for the outcome. All the previous assessments will be averaged equally and weighed making up the rest of the aggregate grade for the outcome (35%).

Major assessments for this course will include:

  • Projects/presentations at the end of themes, including voice and video recordings, simple translations
  • Grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension quizzes and assessments
  • Short written responses
  • Student dialogues

Both the school’s assessment expectations and supports that teachers provide can be found online. Academic dishonesty to any degree is not acceptable.

There are a variety of academic supports available at St. George’s for students. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the range of supports available to them which include:

  • Faculty support
  • 5th Block
  • Head of Grade
  • Student Success Centre
  • Personal Counselling

First Peoples Principles

We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are honoured to live, work, and play on this land together.

As part of contribution to reconciliation, this course makes First Peoples Principles of Learning visible in class by:

  • This course makes First Peoples Principles visible in class by acknowledging that learning is embedded in memory, history and story. Learning involves patience and time. 

Literacy/Numeracy

This course makes literacy/numeracy visible by using the following comprehension tasks and strategies:

Spanish Introductory 11 is making literacy visible in class by focusing specifically on four elements of literacy that are required to be fluent in a language: speaking, reading, listening, and writing.

Students will be asked to work with graphs and pie charts as part of data attached to assigned readings in Spanish, and short riddles in Spanish with embedded math.

Learning Resources

Resources that will be used as part of this course include:

  •  Textbook: Realidades 1
  •  Online access to both the textbook, workbook, including listening and reading comprehension activities
  • Additional resources and activities provided by Ms. Pohanka

Extension Resources

Helpful resources that students can use to extend their learning in this course include:

Canvas Information

Canvas is where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.

St. George's School Student Code of Conduct

St. George’s School shares a proud tradition as a learning community committed to both academic excellence and character development. We strive for growth within our personal lives while maintaining respect for and contributions to the broader community.

The purpose of the Student Code of Conduct is to ensure that

  1. A safe, caring, and productive teaching and learning environment exists.
  2. We maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective interests and responsibilities.
  3. There is clarity around standards and expected student behaviour at school, in the community, and online through social media.
  4. We encourage and practice environmental stewardship.

The core values which provide the foundation for the Student Code of Conduct are:

  • Empathy
  • Humility
  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Responsibility
  • Resilience

Conduct Expectations

  1. I commit myself to strive for honourable behaviour in my daily life, according to the standards as set forth by the School. I will try to be faithful to my parents, my School, my friends, and myself.
  2. I will avoid bringing any ill-repute to the School at any time, including evenings, weekends, or over any school break or holiday.
  3. I will comply with all school policies as they relate to upholding the standard of excellence of St. George’s School at all times.
  4. I understand, accept, and will respect all of my school-related commitments and responsibilities.
    • I will arrive to school on time and attend all classes, assemblies, practices, rehearsals, and field trips as outlined by my teachers.
    • I will obtain necessary permission to leave class or school.
  5. I will take pride in my personal appearance.
    • I will be dressed appropriately at all times for all events as outlined by the School.
    • I will abide by the grooming rules as outlined in the Standards of Dress and Appearance section and always observe the accepted standards of personal hygiene.
  6. I will behave in a way that always brings credit to the School, with integrity, empathy, respect, and humility.
    • I recognize that the taking of tests and exams requires an exemplary standard of honesty and will not misrepresent myself by cheating, copying, or plagiarizing.
    • I recognize that integrity is a clear expectation and that borrowing of possessions of others without their consent is stealing.
    • I will care for all property, whether it is public or a peer’s personal possessions.
    • I will avoid disruptive behaviour at all times, and will strive to treat all others with great respect.
    • I will adhere to the School’s policies regarding the appropriate use of technology, including online communication, electronic devices, and the internet.
    • I will avoid any possession, use, or distribution of alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cannabis and illicit drugs or related paraphernalia, weapons, replica weapons, or any other dangerous or illegal items or substances.
  7. I will demonstrate responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. It is the commitment and obligation of all students, faculty, parents/guardians, and administration to ensure that all academic work stems from the student’s own efforts. Academic Dishonesty erodes the ethical climate of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and trust in our school community. At St. George's School, Academic Dishonesty to any degree is not acceptable. In addition to any other consequence, students found to have engaged in Academic Dishonesty shall not receive a mark for work that is the result of Academic Dishonesty.

Academic Dishonesty includes any conduct with the intent to gain an unfair advantage in connection with an academic assessment. Academic Dishonesty can occur in many ways. Common forms of Academic Dishonesty include, but are not limited to, cheating, falsification, plagiarism, and tampering.

  • Cheating occurs when an individual undermines the integrity of an assessment (including homework and other assignments, reports, projects, quizzes, tests, exams, or other forms of performance evaluations). Examples of cheating include:
    • Copying any part of an assessment;
    • Allowing others to copy any part of an assessment;
    • Improperly giving or receiving assessment information;
    • Using unauthorized resources for or during an assessment;
    • Submission of the same assessment more than once; and/or
    • Skipping classes to avoid an assessment.
  • Falsification: occurs when an individual has changed information in order to make one believe something that is not true. Examples of falsification include: 
    • Falsifying research findings, whether in laboratory experiments, field trip exercises, or other assignments;
    • Alteration or falsification of academic reports or other academic records for any purpose;
    • Submission of false credentials;
    • Making false representation on an application for admission; and/or
    • Requesting the extension of a deadline or delaying the taking or sitting of an assessment citing reasons known to be false, including submitting false documentation supporting that request.
  • Plagiarism: occurs when an individual submits or presents the work and/or idea of another person as his or her own, in essence lying. This includes the copying of images, sound, video, and other forms of intellectual property. Examples of plagiarism include:
    • Lack of recognition given to the original author for phrases, sentences, and ideas of the author incorporated in a paper or project; and/or
    • A portion of a document is copied from an author, or composed by another person, and presented as original work of the student.
  • Tampering occurs when individual has interfered with information for the purpose of academic gain. Examples of tampering include:
    • Unauthorized access to, use of, or alteration of computer data and information;
    • Gaining academic advantage by using technology that inhibits the use of the resources by others;
    • Damage to or destruction of library or laboratory resources; and/or
    • Willful or negligent damage to the academic work of a fellow student and/or teacher.

Academic Supports

There are a variety of academic supports available at St. George’s for students. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the range of supports available to them which include:

  • Faculty support
  • 5th Block
  • Head of Grade
  • Student Success Centre
  • Personal Counselling

Bullying

St. George’s School does not tolerate bullying. Students are prohibited from bullying.

Bullying is conduct that is unwelcome to others, including other students and faculty members. This includes conduct which a reasonable person knows, or ought reasonably to know, is unwelcome to the recipient. Unwanted physical contact, verbal abuse and threats, unwelcome remarks including jokes, innuendo, or taunting (in verbal, written or digital form) about a person’s body, race, gender, attire, (perceived) sexual orientation, or religion are all forms of bullying. Other examples of bullying may include but are not limited to:

  • Physical violence such as hitting, pushing or spitting at another student;
  • Interfering with another student’s property, such as by stealing, hiding, or damaging it;
  • Using offensive names when addressing another student;
  • Teasing or spreading rumours about another student or their family;
  • Belittling another student’s abilities and achievements;
  • Writing offensive notes or graffiti about another student;
  • Unreasonably excluding another student from a group activity;
  • Ridiculing another student’s appearance, way of speaking or mannerisms; and/or
  • Misusing technology (internet or mobiles) to hurt, intimidate, embarrass, or humiliate another person.

Anyone who is the target of bullies is encouraged to report the bullying and not to suffer in silence. Speaking out and reporting bullying ensures the School can appropriately address the bullying and may help prevent other students from future bullying.

Students are required to:

  • Refrain from engaging in any kind of bullying;
  • Intervene to help support any student who is being bullied, unless it is unsafe to do so; and
  • Report to a member of faculty, staff, or administration any witnessed or suspected instances of bullying.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due