SYLLABUS - LEVELS I, II, III, AND IV+
General Course Overview
Living Waters Spanish courses take students from the initial stages of acquiring Spanish language to preparation for standardized tests for college credit. The goal for the first year is for students to be able to listen to, speak, read, and write in Spanish, the language of about 400 million people in 21 nations, at the novice-mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Spanish Two students normally reach an ACTFL proficiency of novice-high. After three or four years, students attain intermediate level Spanish.
Living Waters Spanish courses take students from the initial stages of acquiring Spanish language to preparation for standardized tests for college credit. The goal for the first year is for students to be able to listen to, speak, read, and write in Spanish, the language of about 400 million people in 21 nations, at the novice-mid level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Spanish Two students normally reach an ACTFL proficiency of novice-high. After three or four years, students attain intermediate level Spanish.
| actfl_proficiency_chart.pdf |
Classes meet one day per week for 90 minutes and and have 3 hours of homework per week. Students learn primarily through the TPRS method, being exposed to approximately 60 hours of fully comprehensible and authentic audio input and 400 pages of comprehensible and authentic written material from the Bible, Bible stories and Christian and other sources, to which students respond in writing and speaking. Creative story-telling, story re-enactments, personalized conversations, reading of skill level-appropriate texts, and writing are used in each course. During each year of instruction, students gain a new active vocabulary set of approximately 800 Spanish words and phrases. Grammar is taught both systematically and incidentally, as students ask for clarification of new concepts, culminating in a sound understanding of Spanish grammar by the fourth year.
Instructor
Brad Riegg was an Oregon and California State-certified teacher, K-12, with a specialty in Spanish, for about 25 years, and has taught Spanish for about 30 years in high school and junior high classrooms and remotely.
Course Goals
Each year, students will:
· Understand a Christian worldview and importance of foreign languages better.
· Acquire additional Spanish phrases helpful for sharing Jesus’ good news with others.
· Develop improved Spanish listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.
· Gain approximately 1000 new active and passive vocabulary words.
· Increase conceptual understanding of Spanish grammar.
Teaching Methods and Activities
· Aural and Oral: Reading in Spanish; video and audio recordings; group conversations.
· Conceptual and Linguistic: Interactive lectures; grammar and vocabulary drills and tests.
· Writing skills: Student writing activities; Individual instruction.
· All areas: Tests and quizzes; instructional games; singing
Course Materials:
· Living Waters Spanish curriculum
· Live communication with native Spanish speakers
· Diverse and authentic Spanish texts and audio-visual recording
· Education Perfect
Evaluation/Grading Procedures:
About 50% of the final grade is based on assignments and 50% on quizzes and tests. Classroom participation is also graded. One grade is given at the end of the academic year, as follows:
· 90-100% - A
· 80-89% - B
· 70-79% - C
· 60-69% - D
· 59% or less - F
Course Management:
Building blocks for learning Spanish include:
· God’s enabling. If you can communicate in English, you are just as capable of acquiring Spanish.
· Comprehensible input: listening and reading that you understand.
· Speaking and writing practice. Eager participation in class and practice outside of class go a long way toward learning a foreign language.
· Vocabulary and grammar study. Enjoy yourself and relax. Keep at it and persevere! You’ll eventually be able to communicate in Spanish but, like most good things, it takes time and practice.
Tests and Quizzes
Most weeks there is a quiz. Questions cover material studied in class and for homework.
Homework
Homework is due at the end of each week.
Makeup-Work
Students are allowed one month to complete missing assignments or quizzes. It is the student’s responsibility to check online for assignments missed and to complete them within the time limit. Missing work that is over one month old receives zero credit.
Arrangements to complete makeup quizzes and tests should be made outside of class time.
Instructor
Brad Riegg was an Oregon and California State-certified teacher, K-12, with a specialty in Spanish, for about 25 years, and has taught Spanish for about 30 years in high school and junior high classrooms and remotely.
Course Goals
Each year, students will:
· Understand a Christian worldview and importance of foreign languages better.
· Acquire additional Spanish phrases helpful for sharing Jesus’ good news with others.
· Develop improved Spanish listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.
· Gain approximately 1000 new active and passive vocabulary words.
· Increase conceptual understanding of Spanish grammar.
Teaching Methods and Activities
· Aural and Oral: Reading in Spanish; video and audio recordings; group conversations.
· Conceptual and Linguistic: Interactive lectures; grammar and vocabulary drills and tests.
· Writing skills: Student writing activities; Individual instruction.
· All areas: Tests and quizzes; instructional games; singing
Course Materials:
· Living Waters Spanish curriculum
· Live communication with native Spanish speakers
· Diverse and authentic Spanish texts and audio-visual recording
· Education Perfect
Evaluation/Grading Procedures:
About 50% of the final grade is based on assignments and 50% on quizzes and tests. Classroom participation is also graded. One grade is given at the end of the academic year, as follows:
· 90-100% - A
· 80-89% - B
· 70-79% - C
· 60-69% - D
· 59% or less - F
Course Management:
Building blocks for learning Spanish include:
· God’s enabling. If you can communicate in English, you are just as capable of acquiring Spanish.
· Comprehensible input: listening and reading that you understand.
· Speaking and writing practice. Eager participation in class and practice outside of class go a long way toward learning a foreign language.
· Vocabulary and grammar study. Enjoy yourself and relax. Keep at it and persevere! You’ll eventually be able to communicate in Spanish but, like most good things, it takes time and practice.
Tests and Quizzes
Most weeks there is a quiz. Questions cover material studied in class and for homework.
Homework
Homework is due at the end of each week.
Makeup-Work
Students are allowed one month to complete missing assignments or quizzes. It is the student’s responsibility to check online for assignments missed and to complete them within the time limit. Missing work that is over one month old receives zero credit.
Arrangements to complete makeup quizzes and tests should be made outside of class time.