2013-14 Guide for Academics and Student Life - Tampa Preparatory ...

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS - FOREIGN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGESStudents will review content learned in Spanish 1A. Advancedgrammar concepts will be presented and cultural themesrelating to the Hispanic world will be explored. There willbe a continued emphasis on listening, reading, writing andspeaking skills. It is the recommendation of the departmentthat a student with a grade below B- at the end of this courserepeat Spanish 1 in the ninth grade.Spanish 1 (9)This course, focusing on developing the basic skills oflistening, reading, speaking, and writing, integrates studyof grammar and vocabulary with aspects of the Hispanicculture. Students write compositions and present dialoguesthat apply the grammar and vocabulary studied in eachlesson.Spanish 2 (9,10)In Spanish 2 there is daily integration of the four linguisticskills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, with anincreased focus on grammar and practical, high frequencyvocabulary. There is also integration of the culture of thedaily lives of Spanish speakers and coverage of the entireSpanish-speaking world. Students are presented with ampleguided, focused opportunities to interact in Spanish withclassmates and the instructor, with the goal of establishing asolid base for clear self-expression.Spanish 3 (10,11)Conducted almost entirely in Spanish, Spanish 3 offerscontinued opportunities to increase proficiency in speaking,listening, reading, and writing. Grammar and vocabularyare advanced and reinforced through in-class discussionsabout topics such as health and fitness, ecology, the economy,technology, religion, politics, and art. Cultural competenceis achieved through cultural and literary readings, audio andvideo recordings and guest speakers.Advanced Spanish 3 (10,11)Advanced Spanish 3 is designed for students who have astrong desire to continue their Spanish studies beyond level3. This course will focus on the integration of more advancedfeatures of grammar and vocabulary use. It will also affordstudents the opportunity to reach high proficiency levels inall four skills of the language: speaking, reading, writing,and listening. Students will be exposed to authentic languagemedia and will practice activities that will prepare themfor advanced studies in Spanish. By the end of the year,students will feel comfortable analyzing authentic sourcesand expressing opinions about current events. They will feelconfident manipulating the preterit and imperfect tenses aswell as the subjunctive mood. The course will be conductedentirely in Spanish; students will be expected to use onlySpanish in class. Prerequisites: B+ or higher in Spanish 2 anda recommendation from a current Spanish 2 teacherSpanish 4 (11,12)This course is designed to provide students with theopportunity to become proficient in Spanish. The courseis conducted entirely in Spanish and students are expectedto only use Spanish in class. Daily participation is a majorcomponent of the class. Students will enhance reading,writing, listening, and speaking skills in order to preparethem to move on to AP Spanish Language if they wish or tostudy Spanish at the college level. Prerequisite: B+ or higherin Spanish 3, B or higher in Adv. Spanish 3 & instructor’spermissionAP Spanish Language (10-12)Conducted entirely in Spanish, this course offers studentsthe opportunity to hone their Spanish language skills at asophisticated level and to prepare for the Spanish LanguageAdvanced Placement Examination. Emphasizing excellencein listening, speaking, writing, and reading comprehension,the course begins with a review of grammar, especially thatnot addressed in detail at lower levels, and integrates allfour skills on a weekly basis. Prerequisite: B+ or higher inAdvanced Spanish 3; instructor’s permissionAP Spanish Literature (10-12)In the AP Spanish Literature classroom, students will readfrom a broad spectrum of works written in various timesand places and representing different literary genres. By thetime that students are ready to take the AP Exam, they willhave acquired an in-depth familiarity with all of the workson the list, and they will also have command of a variety ofskills. Students will be expected to write analytical essayswhich may involve analyzing how a given theme or topic istreated in one work, or comparing such a treatment in twoworks from the list. Other sections of the exam will requirestudents to be able to identify literary techniques and to makeinferences about different passages presented. Because thestudy of literature at the college level implies going beyondthe literal meaning of literary works, they will learn to makeappropriate inferences while analyzing the works. Althoughbeing able to discuss the works on the list is one of the courseobjectives, another goal of the AP Spanish Literature course,as with introductory-level literature classes in colleges anduniversities, is to prepare students to approach works ofliterature in the future, in subsequent courses and on theirown. Prerequisites: B+ or higher in AP Spanish Language orteacher’s approvalSpanish 5 (11,12)Conducted completely in Spanish, the goal of this courseis to synthesize and apply in speaking and writing theelements of the Spanish language studied and learned inSpanish 4 or AP Spanish. Students will continue developingvocabulary and conversational skills using current events,watching video segments, and cultural issues as the basis fordiscussions. Moreover, students will increase their culturalunderstanding of Spanish-speaking people by using practicalcommunication with native speakers using tape recorders todocument interactions and interviews with Spanish speakingpeople in the community. Students will also be exposedto Latin American literature and will develop formal andanalytical writing skills. Prerequisite: Spanish 4GUIDE FOR ACADEMICS AND STUDENT LIFE | 53