Ms.

McCarthy, General Course Handout

Twin Cities Academy, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Fall Semester, 2016

Welcome to Profe M.s Spanish class!

Class Motto: Work hard. Be polite. Play the game.
My TCA phone #: 651.205.4797 ex.204
Office Hours: T,TH 3:45-4:15

My TCA email: lmccarthy@twincitiesacademy.org

My web site: www.profetca.weebly.com (still under construction)

Welcome to my class! I love Spanish and teaching it to others. My goal is to help as many students as I can to acquire the Spanish
language. I will do this by creating a comfortable environment where it is okay to make mistakes.

WHAT DO I NEED?
A 2-inch, 3-ring Binder This is the most important school supply item to have
for this class. This will be used for organizing everything in this class.
Tab dividers for Binder These will be used to organize your binder.
Loose leaf notebook paper for your binder
Pencils or pens (black or blue ink only, please.)

HOW IS MY GRADE CALCULATED?

This language class is participation oriented. You have to show up and participate to move ahead. If you work hard, are polite and
play the game you will acquire the language and you will get the grade you desire.
30%

Interpersonal Communication This grade is based on observed behavior in class and on student self-reflection.
Interpersonal Communication includes crucial 21st century skills like communication with other speakers and reacting
appropriately to discussions. Face-to-face verbal interaction is what learning a language is mostly aboutthe vast majority of
students take a language because they want to be able to SPEAK it and this is how that is donewith back and forth
communication, interacting with the speaker and reacting to what is said. This grade is based on the Interpersonal Skills SelfAssessment (See 2 sample documents on last page). Notice that you can get an A grade (90%) in this category without
producing a whole lot of language.

20%

Assignments & Quizzes These formative measures show how the student is progressing. This includes homework and in
class work.

30%

Tests & Assessments These summative measures show what students know and are able to do.

20%

Reading Reading is the best way to absorb large amounts of vocabulary without hardship. Students will receive a grade for
reading in Spanish but the biggest gains will come from reading independently for pleasure. The reading grade will be based
on 1) observed behavior during reading time, 2) short reading reaction papers, 3) interviews about what students are reading,
4) book reports, 5) assignments, and 6) class discussions about reading.
If you have any questions, I will be happy to discuss these ideas with you.

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD

The most important word in this class is todava. Todava means yet as in: No hablo espaol todava (I dont speak Spanish
yet), No entiendo todava (I dont understand yet), and No puedo todava (I cant yet). In this class you will learn Spanish as
you listen and read; as you interact and think. As you put in the time and effort you will get there. It takes time and you have time
here. You dont speak Spanish well yet. But you will. You will. Stick with it, amigos. Keep working hard, keep being polite, and
keep playing the game and you will.

MINDSET & DEALING WITH STRUGGLE

When you are learning a new language you will occasionally find yourself in situations where you are struggling to pay attention. You
will be faced with situations where you feel like you get it and so you will quit reaching and struggling to see how else these words
could work. You will understand most things in this class, but you will not always understand how everything works. And that is
good. That is what language teachers call the i + 1 levelslightly above what you know now. It is language that is slightly above
your current level of acquisition. This is not a death struggle. It is not drowning in language. It is just enough to keep you on your toes.
You may need to learn that struggle does not indicate a lack of intelligence. Struggle is not weakness. Struggle is opportunity.
Struggle indicates strength. Struggle shows that you have what it takes emotionally to learn and that is important because we want you
to continue to learn beyond the classroom. Your success in this class will be based more on your willingness to struggle than on how
smart you are. If you are not struggling a bit, I am wasting your time.
You will purposefully be put into situations that are just slightly beyond your reach from time to time. I will occasionally push the
boundaries of what you can understand. We will create experiences where you need to stretch a bit so that you have to catch up. I am
not going to leave you there permanently; I are going to help you to overcome those challenges.
My goal is to not praise you for your intelligence or your natural attributes, but on your efforts. The students that try will be speaking
Spanish five years from now, while the students that rely merely on their intelligence and test-taking ability will have forgotten most
of it and will have wasted their time. That is not the goal.

MINDSET SAYINGS AND POSTERS

In this classroom you will hear and see expressions like these that support a growth mindset:
Being smart is not required in this class. I will make you smarter if you show up, pay
attention and dont give up.
Your brain is like a muscleit changes and gets stronger the more you use it.
Speed and perfection are the enemies of acquiring language. If you think, Im smart when I
am fast and perfect, you will not take on anything challenging and you will fall behind the
students that keep trying, failing, trying again and failing again better.
You dont have to speak perfectly in here. You dont have to give long elaborate answers.
You can just listen and give short answers if you feel like it. Your mind needs time to
subconsciously acquire language.
How good you are at something will always improve when you focus on it and keep working.
To be successful at acquiring a language you need to listen and read regularly. You need to
listen to conversations and stories in the language and you need to read books in the
language.
Success is mostly hard work. Talent and brains do not always make winners. A slow starter
that works hard will often come out on topfar ahead of those that rely only on natural talent.
Failure is not a sign of stupidity. It is a lack of experience and skill. You can get experience
and develop skill in here.
You can do more than you think you can. Early performance does not tell you anything about
your future. Just because some students pick it up quickly does not mean that you cannot do
it better eventually with focus and training.
I am looking for students that want to learnno confidence, experience, ability or previous
success required.
Even if you think you are not good at learning language, you can still plunge into it
wholeheartedly and stick to it. Actually, you need to plunge into it because you are not good
at it yet.
When you do not understand, ask for help. Show that you do not get it. By doing that you
are raising your intelligence.
Work hard. Be polite. Play the game.

CLASSROOM RULES
1. Do not disrupt the learning. This is part of working hard, being polite, and playing the game.
2. No food or drinks. Water is OK. Planned foods and drinks are OK.
3. No electronics unless directed. No cell phones, iPads or other devices unless as part of a directed class activity.

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
Procedures are ways of doing routine activities that help the classroom to run more smoothly so that we can focus on learning.
Procedures are not exactly rules, but repeated disregard of procedures can result in disciplinary action because that will affect learning
in the classroom. There are several specific ways we do things in this class and you will learn them during the first weeks of school.
We will review them from time to time if we seem to have forgotten them. Here are a few key classroom procedures:
Before Class Officially Starts: Be in your seat and ready to work before the bell ringsusually this means having your
binder open and a pencil or pen in hand. On reading days, have the book you selected open and be ready to read. On days with a La
Camapanda (warm-up activity), which are most days, have your binder open, a pen or pencil ready and begin working on the La
Camapanda. You need to be here on time and ready to go in order to work hard, be polite, and play the game.
At The Beginning of Class: You are considered tardy if you are not in your seat by the time the late bell stops ringing.
Any time you arrive late to class, seat yourself quickly and quietly, say "Lo siento" (I'm sorry)because you have disrupted the class
a bit and have dishonored your own learning time. You are responsible for making up any activity that you missed. Ask a neighbor to
catch you up quietly and politely.
During Class:
When the bell rings, work quietly on the daily warm-up activity, the "La Camapanda (Bell Ringer).
Raise your hand if you have a question.
When I raise my hand and say Clase, all students are to be quiet.
Use the stop or No entiendo! (I don't understand!) gesture (time out w/ hands) when you don't
understand what is said.
Use the Ms despacio! (Slow down) gesture (palm motions downward) when someone is
talking too fast.
At The End of Class: Class is not over until the teacher dismisses you. Until that time, please stay in your seat and work.
Before you leave, make sure that you pick up any trash in the area around your seat. We will then move the chairs in class to get ready
for Profes next class. We will practice making the different chair formations in class. When everything is in place and ready for the
next hour, we will dismiss. Here is the procedure for dismissing the class:
The teacher respectfully says:
Clase!
The class responds with a hearty:
S, seorita?
The teacher will then graciously say:
Gracias por aprender.
learning.
The whole class will thankfully say:
Gracias por ensearnos.
teaching us.
The teacher will humbly and thankfully say:
Mi placer.

Class!
Yes, maam?
Thank you for
Thank you for
My pleasure.

Speaking:
This is a language class and we will work on speaking in the target language in class most of the time90% is the
national standardthat means that the teachers should be speaking in the language most of the time and so should the students. Here
is how we manage questions:
If the teacher asks in Spanish students must answer in Spanish.
If the teacher asks in English, students can answer in English or Spanish.
Trash: A clean room is a happy room. If you have trash calmly get up and go throw it away.
Pencil Sharpener: If your pencil breaks or gets dull during a timed writing or a test, raise your hand with the pencil in it and I
will give you permission to get up, walk to the student supply area, and get a sharpened pencil from the drawer. The pencil sharpener
is off-limits during class because it is too loud and distracting. When you are done with the pencil from the drawer, you may return it

to the dull pencil cup next to the drawer. When everyone has been dismissed, you may sharpen your pencil (during passing time
only).
Absences: If you are absent for any reason, you are required to make up all work missed. It is your responsibility to find out what
assignments and notes you missed. Once you get back to class, quietly check with your "study buddy" to get the handouts they picked
up for you, and ask if you may copy their notes. If you need further explanation, ask the teacher.
You will also need to make up the important Interpersonal Communication part of the class when you have been absentdo it
ahead of time for a planned absence, like scheduled school activities. To make up your Interpersonal communication grade after an
absence you will need to read in Spanish for 20 minutes and explain to your teacher or to a parent/guardian what you have read.
Parent note and signature is required within two weeks to make up an absence.
To make up your La Camapanda, write 5 new sentences using new vocabulary and grammatical structures that we are using in class.
Write the date you were absent and the word ABSENT above the sentences. Do not just copy the answers from a partner because that
would not require you to think and thereby learn.
Substitutes, Observers, Guests: There will be times when I will not be teaching. Please cooperate with the substitute. Be
aware that substitute teachers may not be proficient in Spanish. Treat observers with respect and help them to understand how we
work hard, are polite, and play the game here.
Classroom Jobs: There are many jobs that are necessary to keep the classroom going. Most students will have a job assigned to
them that will help things run smoothly and to show that we are all in this together. I want involved students, not passive ones.
Classroom jobs epitomize our focus on working hard, being polite, and playing the game.
P.A.T. (Preferred Activity Time): Most of the time in this class a well-trained and highly educated professional (your
teacher) will be guiding the class through the learning experiences, but some of the time the instructional choices will be turned over
to the students and they will be given a certain amount of leeway in deciding the activities of the day. P.A.T. is NOT free timewe
are still acquiring language, but students have more control over the tone, focus and energy level of class activities. The amount of
PAT time is determined by the class behavior during the week. Minutes of PAT time are earned by the behavior of the entire class.
Here is how the PAT points (minutes) are earned:
At the beginning of class:
No one is tardy (all in seats by the time the late bell stops ringing)
All have materials and composition books are open at the bell
All are quiet during the "La Camapanda" (opening) activity

=1
=1
=1

During the class:

Amazing focus, work and/or creativity, catching mistakes, rejoinders
No one speaks English for 16 minutes straight

= points vary
= 1 point (3 possible)

At the end of the class:

Enough "Rejoinders" are used during the class period

=2 .
8+ possible points/class period

GUIDELINES DURING STORYTELLING:

This is how to get the most out of the crucial storytelling class activity. Students that disregard these guidelines will not be fully participating and this
will affect their learning and the learning of everyone else in the class. Repeated disregard may result in disciplinary action because it will begin to
affect how much language your classmates are able to acquire.
WORK HARD:
Pay attention and show that you understand by your reactions, acting and gestures.
If a question is asked which reviews an already-established fact, everyone should either answer or give the NO ENTIENDO! signal.
BE POLITE:
No English during storytelling. We do not want to break our concentration in Spanish with side comments in English.
Raise your hand if you must say something in English and ask for permission to speak in English.
Talking to a neighbor in any language is not allowed during stories because it breaks our group concentration.

PLAY THE GAME:

Anything can happen in Spanish class!

Todo es posible en la clase de espaol!

Once a fact (it can be imaginary) in a story has been established, it cannot be argued, debated, changed, or one-upped.
When a detail is added in a story act as if you believe it is true. Show your amazement by oohs and ahhs or other appropriate expressions.

NAME:
Level

DATE:
#

Exceeds
Target

10

Above
Target

Meets
Target

Below
Target

Far Below
Target
Insufficient

2
0 or
blank

DESCRIPTION OF MY PARTICIPATION THIS WEEK

Student
Mark

Teacher

Mark

I was extremely attentive*. I did my 50% and more. It was obvious that I was
listening & reading with the intent to understand. I responded in the target language
to all input. I showed it when I did not understand or needed clarification (by asking
or w/ gestures). I spoke the target language in class independently, frequently and
unprompted.
I was very attentive*. I did my 50% and more. It was obvious that I was listening &
reading with the intent to understand. I responded in the target language to almost
all input. I showed it when I did not understand or needed clarification. I spoke in the
target language.
I was attentive*. I did my 50%. It was usually obvious that I was listening and
reading with the intent to understand. I responded in the target language most of the
time. I frequently showed it when I did not understand or need clarification (by
asking or w/ gestures)
I was not always attentive*. I did not always do my 50%. It was not obvious that I
was listening or reading with the intent to understand. I sometimes didnt respond in
the target language. I sometimes didnt show it when I did not understand or needed
clarification.
I was not attentive*: I did not do my 50%. It was obvious that I was not listening
or reading with the intent to understand. I made little eye contact or obvious effort. I
rarely responded and hardly ever did gestures.

Not in class. I was absent or very late to class. I know that I can make
this up.

Work hard. Be polite. Play the game.

*Attentive = I have nothing on my lap or desk during speaking & listening time. I maintain professional posture & I sit up straight. I
maintain eye contact with the speaker. I listen with the intent to understand. I respond to statements & questions with short answers
in the target language. I dont blurt out or hold side conversations. I use English only with permission.
Point Reductions: Using English without permission, blurting out or having side conversations will reduce points.

Comments:

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