AP Spanish Language



POLYTECH High School

AP Spanish Language & Culture Syllabus

Miguel Ángel Ponce

miguel.ponce@polytech.k12.de.us

302-697-3255 Ext # 1670

Course Overview:

In Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture, listening, reading, writing and speaking are highly emphasized to meet the requirements for the AP Spanish & Culture Examination. Students will strengthen their receptive, presentational, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills in Spanish by engaging in a variety of activities every day, and always in the target language. As defined by the College Board, successful students in the advanced language course should:

“demonstrate an understanding of the culture(s), incorporate interdisciplinary topics (connections), make comparisons between the native language and the target language and between cultures(comparisons), and use the target language in real life settings (communities).”

Thematic organized materials will provide students with the skills and strategies that are vital for the Advanced Placement Examination exam.

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Course Goals:

By the AP Spanish Examination in May 2016, students should be able to:

1. Comprehend formal and informal Spanish;

2. Speak Spanish proficiently with an accurate accent;

3. Read, understand and discuss a variety of texts;

4. Write both formally and informally in Spanish;

5. Gain a greater understanding of, and appreciation of, the culture of the Spanish-speaking world.

Assessment and Grading:

Homework =20%

Quizzes= 20%

Presentations= 20%

Essays= 20%

Exams= 20%

Overall grade is calculated by adding all of the marking periods: 1st and 2nd marking period = 50%, 3rd and 4th marking period grade = 50%.

While the class curriculum is primarily document-driven, students will be assessed on their grammar skills as needed. Students will complete timed mini-essays in class and untimed mini-essays outside of class. Students will be evaluated using AP materials from previous exams as well as other materials and assessments as follows: Journaling will be used as a creative assessment. Students will complete presentations on grammar, articles, countries and cultural topics. Students will also complete practice AP exams throughout the semester in order to familiarize themselves with the format, timing and stress of completing the AP Spanish Language exam. These practice exams will be graded on the AP scale.

AP Grade Qualification

5 Extremely well qualified

4 Well qualified

3 Qualified

2 Possibly qualified

1 No recommendation

AP Exam grades of 5 are equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college course. AP Exam grades of 4 are equivalent to grades of A-, B+, and B in college. AP Exam grades of 3 are equivalent to grades of B, C+, and C in college.

Textbooks & Workbooks:

“Abriendo Paso” Gramática y Lectura. Pearson, 2012.

“Temas” AP Spanish Language and Culture. Vista Higher Learning, 2014.

“AP Spanish Language & Culture Exam Preparation” Vista Higher Learning, 2014.

“Revista” Conversación sin Barreras, 4th Edition. Vista Higher Learning, 2014.

Course Length: June-May

Course Plan:

Starting in September, every two weeks, the course will concentrate in one area of the examination and one type of question. “Temas” and “AP Spanish Language & Culture Examination” will help sharpen students’ subject knowledge, strengthen their thinking skills and build students’ test-taking confidence.

In addition, each month, students must write two of the essays and have another student, friend, parent or teacher critique their work. Starting in September, students must time their essay writing up to 40 minutes (5 minutes to outline and 35 minutes to write) after having spent 7 minutes reading the two sources and listening to a third source, taking notes in each.

“Temas” will be used to provide a very thorough grammar review and practice that is appropriate for this academic level. Students will have brief grammar lessons weekly to strengthen their writing and communication skills. Textbook work will be completed as homework at home in order to increase the amount of time communicating in the target language during class. Students must be familiarized with the vocabularies provided in the appendixes of “Temas” (connecting word list, common mistakes list, section on verbal expressions, list of expressions for connecting/persuading, giving/receiving information, and expressing feelings, list of verbs and verbal expressions requiring prepositions, and useful expressions). Students will have the opportunity to work with a wide selection of authentic sources presented on the same format as the Advanced Placement Examination.

“Revista” will help students focus on interpersonal communication and support them as they become more comfortable speaking Spanish. Revista’s themes, reading, films, exercises along with the magazine like-presentation will generate enthusiasm and will spark students’ imagination.

As a daily routine, students will engage in a variety of activities that focus on the two main sections of the examination listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing and speaking.

• Section I:

-Multiple Choice responses to authentic print and audio text (interpretive communication)

• Section II:

-Free response to both print and audio text prompts (interpersonal and presentational speaking).

THE NEW AP SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE EXAM FORMAT

|Section |Number of Questions |Percent of Final |Time |

| | |Score | |

|Section I: Multiple Choice |Approx. 95 minutes |

|Part A |Interpretive Communication: Print Texts |30 questions |50% |Approx. 40 minutes |

|Part B |Interpretive Communication: Print and Audio Texts |35 questions | |Approx. 55 minutes |

| |(combined) | | | |

| |Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts | | | |

|Section II: Free Response |Approx. 85 minutes |

|Interpersonal Writing: Email Rely |1 prompt |12.5% |15 minutes |

|Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay |1 prompt |12.5% |Approx. 55 minutes |

|Interpersonal Speaking: Conversation |5 prompts |12.5% |20 seconds for each |

| | | |response |

|Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison |1 prompt |12.5% |2 minutes to respond |

Websites:

The High School web site will be used to get important information for the AP Spanish course, see course updates and submit assignments. Please go to Students’ tab - Advance Placement.

This site provides information on all the advance placement examination and changes on them.

This site will provide world news with print text, audio and activities.

This is a good site for world news in Spanish from Latin America.

This is a good site for news from Spain.

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