SPANISH 1 and 2

Sr. Behling - Sr. B sbehling@sd308.org Google Voice: (331) 684-8526

Or via Remind or Google classroom

In Spanish 1 and 2 students will be continuously building upon previously taught material as they strive to master the
basics of the target language. All assessments will be cumulative and each student is responsible for not only learning the
current material, but also reviewing and incorporating past material into daily practice.

The class will be paced to allow approximately 9-12 days for each chapter. Assessments will focus on the five main areas
of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and grammar/vocabulary. Students will be assessed daily and it is crucial that
students learn to study for success. Daily assessments/coursework will count for 90% of each semester grade while the
cumulative midterm and cumulative final will each count toward 10% of each semester.

Required Materials Bring to class daily

Plenty of lined paper or notebook and writing utensils

A folder for all handouts
Workbook (discuss)
Optional but VERY recommended
Spanish to English Dictionary for home use. (I recommend Harper Collins Spanish Concise Dictionary)
Personal flash drive (can be used for all classes, bring when required)
Art supplies for home use scissors, glue stick, colored pencils, markers, etc

Class Expectations
1. Empieza imediatamente. Start immediately. Start each day by (A) being in your assigned seat when the bell rings,
(B) immediately beginning the Para Empezar activity on the board
2. S preparado. Be prepared. Bring all required materials to class and finish all personal business before the bell
rings.
3. S respectivo. Respect yourself and others. Raise your hand to speak in order to avoid interrupting fellow
classmates or the teacher. Support and motivate classmates at all times. Leave the room ready for the next class please
straighten the desks and clean up any mess before you leave. While I enjoy janitorial work, its not what I went to college
for and feel you should be able to pick up after yourselves. When someone else in the class is speaking, you are not.
4. Participa! Active VOLUNTARY participation and studying is essential.
5. Pide ayuda. Ask for help! Do not wait. If you need extra help see me as soon as possible. I am more than willing to
help, as long as you ask for it.
6. Usa Espaol. Use as much Spanish as possible! It gets easier the more you try. Let me polish out your mistakes.
7. Sigue las reglas. Follow the dress code / bag policy. Please keep bags/purses off desks and laps.
8. S positivo. Be positive! Learning a new language can be frustrating, but it can also be a lot of fun. Dont
worry about making mistakesthats how we learn a new language!
90/10 Immersion
This means that I, as the teacher, will speak Spanish 90 percent of the time with students, or about 45 minutes
of class. This leaves 5 minutes for English and clarification. Over and over, this has been proved to be the best
method of teaching a foreign language; the more students are exposed to the language, the more they learn!

Food & Drink

Only water in containers with spill-proof lids will be permitted. The only food I will allow will be of the healthy
variety. You know what healthy is, dont ask if Doritos Lite are healthy

Bathroom / Hall Pass Policy

Each student will receive a punch card with 10 trips. Any time you need to use the restroom, go to your locker, or
whatever I will punch your card. At the end of the semester, you will receive an equal amount of extra credit for punches
that you have left. If you do not have your punch card, you may show it to me at a later date for two punches. Once you
have used all your punches, you lose your privilege of leaving the classroom.

Pro tip: If you have to use the restroom, come to class first and let me know. If you decide that you should stop in the
bathroom before arriving and show up to class late, you will still have to go swipe.

Missed Assignments / Late Work

If you had an excused absence, you will be given the same number of days that you were absent to complete the assigned
homework plus 2. If you miss class it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get the assignment. Use your homework buddy,
website, class calendar or e-mail the teacher. Unexcused late work is NOT accepted. All work must be turned in on
time or it is a zero.

Tardy & Behavior Policy

We will be using the school tardy policy. However, I expect students to be in their seat, and beginning to work on the
Para Empezar when the bell rings. If a student misbehaves he or she will be given a warning. If the behavior continues,
the student will receive an afternoon detention, a call home, and/or a deans referral depending on the circumstances.
All detentions must be served after school Tues. or Thurs. starting at 2:35. No exceptions!

*** ALL ELECTRONICS, HEADPHONES AND CELL PHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF AND PUT AWAY
COMPLETELY OUT OF SIGHT UPON ENTERING CLASSROOM OR THEY MAY BE CONFISCATED! ***

Coursework/Assessment Grading
The grading scale is the standard 90% A, 80% B, 70% C, 60% D scale. We DO NOT go by straight points in this class;
instead we use the weighted scale below. Every assessment will be assigned to a category and each major category makes
up 20% of their grade. These categories will allow student and teacher to monitor and create a more balanced level of
fluency.
Grammar / Vocabulary = 10% (10% Grammar 10% Vocabulary)
Writing Comprehension = 20%
Speaking Comprehension = 20%
Listening Comprehension= 20%
Reading Comprehension = 20%
Final - Mid-term = 10%

Grading System
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
59 and below = F
Because I accept late work all semester, I do not round grades when a student has any zeros at the end of the
semester. For example, an 89.5-89.9 is a B+ if you have zeros.

Remediation/Intervention Policy
Retakes will be offered to students who earn a D or F on a given assessment
Each student must file a retake form in order to retake an assessment.
Students may only complete one retake per assessment.
Does NOT apply to midterm or final exams.
Students may not retake an exam if they have not completed their homework
My policy on late work is pretty relaxed. Id prefer any work to no work.

Online Assessments
Numerous assignments (homework, practice, whatever) will be assigned via google classroom. You cannot expect to
improve if you do not complete these assignments. Learning a language is just like anything else. It takes practice and
discipline. Do not take homework lightly.

Parent Access to online grades

There are codes for each grade in the gradebook. Parents, you can see your childs progress in the gradebook and see how
they are doing in class and whether they have missed assignments due to absences or have not turned in assignments.
The codes in the gradebook are as follows:
Abs - absent This does not affect the students grade. The school policy is to allow the number of days +1 (I give 2) to
make up any work. After two weeks, all abs entries will be turned to zeros which DO affect their grade.
Ex - excused This does not affect the students grade and indicates that the student is not expected to turn in the
assignment.
NHI - not handed in This indicates that the student has simply not turned in the assignment. Once turned in the grade
will change to an appropriate score that the student has earned. This does affect a students grade the same as a zero
would.
ZERO - 0 This indicates that the student received zero points on an assignment or assessment because no answers
were correct not because it is missing.

Also, I leave notes in the gradebook for parents to read throughout the year. These notes are to let parents know how
their children are behaving in class. While I tend to follow a non-punitive structure in my classroom, students can and will
be send to the deans offices for continuing disruptions and inappropriate behavior.

Penmanship Policy
A major part of learning to read and write a language is learning how to spell. As the students will soon learn, a single
letter can change the meaning of the word. Therefore, if I cannot read the handwriting, I will be forced to believe the
student does not know how to spell the word and therefore the student will not receive credit for his or her
answer. This applies to ALL assigned work. Please remember that what you put down on paper is proof of your
knowledge and character always put your best foot forward!

NEED HELP? I am either in my room (266) or in the World Language offices (258) every morning from 6:30 -
7:15 and after school by appointment. I have child care responsibilities and require that you give me advance
notice if extensive help or retakes are needed.
I wish you all the best of luck and look forward to having you in my class this year!
~ Sr. Behling