Course Syllabus
Faculty
Contacting Me
As the teacher for this course, I can be contacted in the following ways
- Office: Mezzanine Level of Learning Commons
- Email: spohanka@stgeorges.bc.ca
- Phone: 604 224 1304, extension 3755
I am available for contact during these times: TBA
Course Description
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, language realia and literature. Spanish 11 has two goals: (1) to improve the students' ability in the four language areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. In so doing, the course aims to give the students the ability to deal with many common situations that they may encounter, in both the spoken and the written language; (2) to give the students the language preparation needed to continue with Spanish in post secondary studies, or travel or work in a Spanish speaking country.
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
It is essential to have some daily review when learning a language. Thus, students can expect a small amount of homework assigned each lesson. Students will have in class time to prepare for major assignments and projects. There will often be time given to begin and complete homework assignments as well.
Submitting work
Students in this course are expected to complete work assignments on or by the due date assigned and to submit their work on Canvas. All major assignments and deadlines will be available through Canvas and the Calendar function. It is expected that students complete all work on time.
If circumstances prevent the student from completing a work assignment on the assigned due date, the student must inform the teacher prior to the due date for the work assignment. The teacher will provide a second due date through 5th block system.
Instructional Aims
Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn through the following experiences:
- Explore opportunities to continue language acquisition beyond graduation and understand the career, travel, personal growth, and study opportunities that language learning provides.
- Use Spanish as a form of self-expression.
- Communicate with purpose and confidence in Spanish.
- Explore a variety of Spanish language texts.
- Appreciate the interconnectedness of language and culture.
- Exploring diverse forms of cultural expression promotes greater understanding of our own first language and cultural identity.
Learning Outcomes
Based on the B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum, students will learn and be evaluated on the following knowledge and skills:
- Understand and respond to spontaneous two-way spoken and written conversations using the appropriate topic, tense, level of formality (register), and sentence structure.
- Be able to use command forms correctly.
- Describe events in a time frame and use appropriate verb tenses and transition words.
- Write Spanish texts for different purposes and audiences, using a variety of forms and knowledge of language structures and conventions of written Spanish appropriate for this level.
- Clearly communicate their intended message.
- Ability to compare and contrast phenomena and explain one’s preference.
- Justify opinions and use appropriate expressions to do so.
- Consistently use past (preterito and imperfecto), present, present progressive, and near future correctly to provide information within a given context, and use appropriate time expressions to do so.
- Derive meaning from written Spanish texts containing expressions and vocabulary that they are not familiar with.
- Identify the purpose(s), characteristics, and aspects of style of a variety of authentic and adapted text forms in Spanish, including fictional, informational, graphic, and media forms.
- Understand and respond appropriately to comprehension questions. Correct context and register.
Assessment and Evaluation
A student's final mark will be determined by evaluation of their ability to demonstrate proficiency in these skills and learning these concepts.
Major assessments for this course include:
- Projects/presentations at the end of themes, including voice and video recordings, simple translations
- Grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension quizzes and assessments
- Both short and some longer written responses
- Student dialogues
Assessments will be weighed in the following categories:
- Speaking: 25%
- Reading: 25%
- Listening: 25%
- Writing: 25%
Skills
As mentioned above, the key four language skills are listed below. Students will be further developing their ability to navigate through these skills, both in comprehension and expression.
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Reading
Content
We will be covering the following units in the Realidades 2 textbook, including some additional grammar concepts from the omitted units.
- Para Empezar: general review of present tense, adjectives, sentence structure, question words, stem-changing verbs, etc.
- Unidad 2A, ¿Cómo te preparas?
- Unidad 2B, ¿Qué ropa compraste?
- Unidad 3A, ¿Qué hiciste ayer?
- Unidad 5A, Un acto heroico
We anticipate adjustments may be made throughout the year due to the extenuating circumstances we are facing. Any adjustments will be posted here and discussed as a class.
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:
- Discussing and investigating the culture and language of various indigenous groups of the Spanish-Speaking world.
- Looking at similarities and differences between indigenous groups in Canada and those in Latin America.
Literacy/Numeracy
The understanding of literacy is naturally deepened when learning a second language. This course makes literacy/numeracy visible by using the following comprehension tasks and strategies:
- reading comprehension in Spanish;
- listening comprehension in Spanish:
- written and spoken expression and communication in Spanish.
Learning Resources
Resources that will be used as part of this course include:
- Textbook: Realidades 2
- 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:
- www.wordreference.com (highly recommended to use as an online dictionary; the use of Internet translation tools is highly discouraged and not permitted to use when working on assignments)
- https://www.bbc.com/mundo
- https://www.duolingo.com/
- AHORA scholastic magazine
- It is highly recommended that students try switching their settings to Spanish from time to time and generally exposing themselves to Spanish radio thanks to the options we have online
Canvas Information
Canvas is where course content and communication will reside for this course.
- canvas.stgeorges.bc.ca
- For Canvas, passwords, or any other technical support contact the SGS Service Desk.
- 604 221-3654
- Sr Room 121
- SGSServiceDesk@stgeorges.bc.ca
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
- A safe, caring, and productive teaching and learning environment exists.
- We maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective interests and responsibilities.
- There is clarity around standards and expected student behaviour at school, in the community, and online through social media.
- 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
- 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.
- I will avoid bringing any ill-repute to the School at any time, including evenings, weekends, or over any school break or holiday.
- I will comply with all school policies as they relate to upholding the standard of excellence of St. George’s School at all times.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 |
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