• Spanish 2A

    James Peterson  

    james.peterson@ahschools.us


    Course Overview:  

    Upon completion of a review of the most important concepts learned in Spanish I, we will cover chapters 3.2 - 4.2 in our textbook.  New topics will include sports, travel, seasons and weather, clothing,

    places in a city, giving directions to a location, shopping and bargaining. These topics will be supported

    with grammatical topics including stem changing verbs, tener phrases, the progressive tense, commands

    and prepositions

    Student Evaluation:


    Grading Philosophy:

    There are two over-arching weighted categories: formative assessments (32 percent) and summative assessments (68 percent).  

    Formative assessments are at the heart of teaching and learning and provide the student with an opportunity for critical feedback, which is then used by the student to improve his/her performance.   Examples include: quizzes, peer assessments, written paragraphs, and brief verbal responses.  Not all formative assessments will be graded, but when they are they will be categorized in a weighted category that makes up 32 percent of the final grade.  Formative assessments are subject to re-takes. (For more on the retake policy, please see the "relearning and retaking" section below.)

    Summative assessments are considered high-stakes and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate skills and knowledge that they have developed over time.  The summative assessment category will make up 68 percent of the final grade.  These assessments are NOT subject to retakes.  Students will have had ample opportunity to practice the various components that make up the summative assessment, receiving targeted feedback for improvement.  For that reason, retakes will not be offered.  Examples include tests, projects, written essays, and presentations/conversations and district final exams.  

    Teacher Practices

    Missing and Late Work: All missing work is expected to be turned in one week before the end of the semester. Late work will incur a penalty of -10% per day late.

    Homework: It is important that students complete all assigned homework, because it provides very important practice to reach our learning goals and to do well on assessments. Parents will be contacted if there is a pattern of missing work.

    Re-Learning and Retaking Assessments:  As noted above, formative assessments may be retaken ONE time.  The highest score will stand.  The deadline for retakes will be one week after the original assessment was given. Process to retake:


    1. If applicable, arrange a time to meet with teacher to go over your assessment          

    before/after school.

    2. Arrange a date and time with teacher for retake-THIS CAN NOT BE ON THE SAME DAY YOU JUST COMPLETED A REVIEW/RELEARNING SESSION.

    3. Retake assessment.


    ***Grading modifications may be made for students with IEP or 504 plans.


    Extra Credit

    Extra credit will not be offered unless it is offered to the entire class.  Students should focus on course expectations.


    Academic Dishonesty

    Academic dishonesty (cheating) includes copying others’ work or allowing others to copy your work, engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work, use of online translators, use of resources not allowed during an exam or quiz, or plagiarism.


    Consequences for academic dishonesty:

    1. A call will be made to a parent/guardian.

    2. Assistant Principal will be notified in writing.

    3. Student must retake assessment under direct supervision of the        

    teacher to receive credit.


    Guidelines for Student Success


    Practice outside of class:  Using a language is much like playing a sport or an instrument:  one must practice it if one wants to use it.  Therefore, nightly practice is required and expected.  If homework is not assigned on a particular night, students should use that time to study their notes or learn vocabulary, which is always listed at the end of the chapter.


    Behavior:  Students will adhere to the rules and codes of conduct established by Anoka High School and the Anoka-Hennepin School District.


    Participation: This class requires students to participate in the target language whenever possible. I keep a running tally of how often students participate in class.  If you accumulate participation points by raising your hand, it is far less likely that you will be called on randomly.


    Student Self-Reflection: Students will be given multiple opportunities to reflect and self-assess so as to track personal growth and progress made towards learning outcomes.

    Absences:  When a student does not receive an assignment due to an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to find out what he/she missed that day by speaking with the instructor at the end of the next class period. If a student is absent on the day of an assessment, the student must come in outside of class within one week of missing the original quiz/test/presentation date to complete it.  .


    Help:  Please see me before or after school if you are in need of extra help. Except for Wednesday mornings, I am usually here ½ hour before and after school.  Feel free to make an appointment so you won’t have to wait your turn.